Amitabh Bachchan pays heartfelt tribute to ad legend Piyush Pandey: ‘A creative genius, a most amiable friend’

Amitabh Bachchan mourns the loss of advertising legend Piyush Pandey, who passed away at 70 after battling pneumonia.

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan paid a deeply emotional tribute to legendary ad man Piyush Pandey, who died on Thursday morning, battling pneumonia. He was 70.

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan pays tribute to Piyush Pandey, celebrating his impactful contributions to Indian advertising.

Big B's tribute to Piyush Pandey

Taking to his blog, Amitabh expressed profound grief, calling Piyush “a creative genius, a most amiable friend, and guide,” adding that the advertising icon’s legacy “shall ever be an eternal emblem of his immeasurable creativity.”

On his blog, Amitabh wrote, "A creative genius .. a most amiable friend, and guide .. has left us .. No words to express our grief .. Piyush Pandey, passed away this morning .. The creative works left behind by him shall ever be an eternal emblem of his immeasurable creativity .."

Amitabh and Piyush's projects

Amitabh and Piyush shared a long and memorable professional association spanning decades. Together, they created some of India’s most iconic advertising campaigns, most notably for Cadbury Dairy Milk's Pappu Pass Ho Gaya series, the Polio Eradication campaign featuring Amitabh's powerful Do Boond Zindagi Ki message, and Gujarat tourism ads that defined an era of Indian television.

Piyush’s knack for blending storytelling with emotion helped redefine how Indian audiences connected with brands, while Amitabh's gravitas lent unmatched credibility and warmth to their collaborations.

Piyush Pandey’s legacy in advertising

Piyush Pandey, often described as the face of modern Indian advertising, began his career in the 1980s and rose to become the Chief Creative Officer Worldwide of Ogilvy & Mather. Known for infusing Indian sensibilities, humour, and heart into his work, Piyush transformed the way ads spoke to the country’s diverse audience. His campaigns from Fevicol’s Jod Ke Rakhe Hamesha to Cadbury’s Kuch Khaas Hai and Asian Paints’ Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai became cultural landmarks.

Under his leadership, Ogilvy India became one of the most awarded agencies in the world, and Pandey himself received countless accolades, including the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contributions to advertising.

Piyush Pandey passed away on the morning of 24 October in Mumbai at the age of 70, after battling a serious infection and pneumonia complications that worsened over several weeks.