Piyush Pandey never used celebrities; Prahlad Kakkar recalls how the ad legend ‘cultivated’ creative people under him

Piyush Pandey, widely acclaimed as the man who changed India's advertising forever, died on Friday morning at the age of 70.

Updated on: Oct 24, 2025, 19:03:44 IST

By Santanu Das

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Piyush Pandey, the creative genius who gave Indian advertising its distinct voice and soul, passed away at the age of 70 on Friday. He was 70. Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar paid tribute to him and his legacy, and said that his ‘legacy will live on’. (Also read: Amitabh Bachchan pays heartfelt tribute to ad legend Piyush Pandey: ‘A creative genius, a most amiable friend’)

Piyush Pandey was a prominent figure in advertising, renowned for creating some of India’s most iconic campaigns. (@anandmahindra/X)

Prahlad Kakkar's tribute

Speaking with ad agency ANI, Prahlad said, “We were the most irreverent people in advertising. We never took ourselves seriously. We never took anybody else seriously. Whenever we used to meet, we used to laugh a lot. We used to laugh at the world. We always used to do that. I'll really miss that with him because he was my partner.”

He added, “He never used celebrities. He never believed in it… I'll miss him. We were a pair. Your life will live on. Your legend will live on because you have carved so many people's lives. He cultivated so many great creative people under him.”

About Piyush Pandey

Piyush Pandey was a towering figure in advertising, renowned for creating some of India’s most iconic campaigns and contributing significantly to the growth of major brands. His campaigns, including Asian Paints’ “Har khushi mein rang laaye,” Cadbury’s “Kuch Khaas Hai,” Fevicol’s famous “Egg” advertisement, and Hutch’s pug commercial, became a part of India’s popular culture. From Amitabh Bachchan to Sachin Tendulkar, Hansal Mehta to Sudhir Mishra, Smriti Irani to Sanjay Gupta, several stars paid heartfelt tribute on the passing of Piyush Pandya.

He also made history as the first Asian jury president at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. He later received the CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award (2012) and the Padma Shri, becoming the first person from Indian advertising to be so honoured.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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