Prahlad Kakkar, a pioneering creative force in Indian advertising, is renowned for his storytelling in commercials for major brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Maggi, and Nestle, among others. In a recent interview, the filmmaker revealed how just a glimpse of Aishwarya in a viral Pepsi advertisement, filmed in 1993, made the nation obsessed with her. This was just ahead of her winning the Miss India title in 1994.
What's Happening
- Speaking to ANI, Prahlad Kakkar gave full credit to the viral Pepsi commercial for giving Aishwarya Rai her break. She was yet to become the star she is today.
- He said, "The battle was in the casting... It took us three months to cast that film. We wanted people who were already part of the story. Aishwarya was unknown. We wanted a girl who was a stopper because she comes around for four seconds, and she needs to stop the country in its tracks and make everyone say, 'Wow, who is this girl? Who is this girl?' And that's exactly what happened."
- The filmmaker continued, "The day it was released, I got 5,000 phone calls the next morning saying, 'Who is Sanju?' (the name of Aishwarya's character in the ad) 'Where did she come from?'"
Prahlad Kakkar On What Struck Him About Aishwarya Rai
Prahlad Kakkar, who is popular for his Pepsi ads, revealed what exactly impressed him about Aishwarya Rai.
He said, "I wasn't satisfied with anyone... they just didn't have that quality. It wasn't enough to be special. I was looking for someone extra special. The kind of face that could stop the whole world in four seconds. Then, some girls found her-her jhola slung over her shoulder, dressed in torn jeans, with wild hair... she was in an architectural college."
Speaking about how mesmerising Aishwarya was, Prahlad Kakkar continued, "So I saw her and said, 'Is she it?' They said, 'Let's give her a makeup test.' What stopped me, what actually made me pause, were her eyes. When I looked into her eyes, I saw the entire universe. With each mood, the colour of her eyes changed... the colour changed from grey to green to blue depending on her mood. And that mesmerised me. So we gave her a makeup test and glamorised her. We were just gobsmacked."
The commercial also featured Mahima Chaudhary.
In A Nutshell
Prahlad Kakkar recently opened up about a Pepsi ad, where just a glimpse of Aishwarya Rai sent viewers into a frenzy and everyone wanted to know who she was. The filmmaker further revealed how he found Aishwarya Rai absolutely "mesmerising".
