Piyush Pandey, renowned for his creativity, died aged 70. He was the legend behind the popular Cadbury, Fevicol, and Asian Paints advertisements. With a career spanning around four decades in the advertising industry, he worked with many renowned brands. From ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar to veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, tributes have been pouring in for Piyush Pandey.
Now, Prasoon Joshi, songwriter and chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has shared a few kind words about Piyush Pandey.
He said, "I am very saddened by the news. Piyush Pandey is someone whom I will always fondly remember. He was the first person who made us believe that in the advertising world, there is plenty of space for people like me who come from small towns. Piyush Pandey was not like any other advertising person I met when I was doing my MBA. He is someone who will always be remembered for the joyful work he did and for inspiring others. I was fortunate to have worked with him on many campaigns - Cadbury, Asian Paints. He admired a lot of things even after I finished working with him."
He continued, "When we talk about Piyush Pandey, one thing that will always be remembered is his love of life, both personally and professionally. He loved life. He believed in enjoying every moment of it. That was reflected in his work too. He always found great stories in everyday life, and he wanted to share those stories. He was inspired to share the vulnerabilities of life, whether about his relationships with family or friends. His love for life is very evident in his work."
"I was fortunate to work with him. He showed me how to make language more accessible to people. He was always striving towards that. We will miss him, his vision, his passion for life, and his laughter, which was the most important thing about him," concluded Prasoon Joshi.
Prasoon Joshi's Advertising Background
Prasoon Joshi has a rich background in advertising. He began his career at Ogilvy & Mather and within ten years became the Executive Creative Director of its Mumbai office.
Over the years, Joshi carved an impactful niche in the industry with campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Happydent chewing gum, and Surf Excel, among others.
Who Was Piyush Pandey?
Born in Jaipur in 1955, Pandey was one of seven daughters and two sons in his family. He joined the advertising industry in 1982 as a client servicing executive at Ogilvy. The first ad he wrote was for Sunlight Detergent. With his creativity, he soon became an indispensable asset to the company. Under his leadership, Ogilvy remained the best ad agency for 12 consecutive years in the Agency Reckoner.
Piyush Pandey's Work
Piyush Pandey's popular campaigns include Abki baar Modi sarkar (2014), the Do Boond Zindagi Ke polio campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan, the Todo Nahin, Jodo Fevikwik campaign, the Kuch Khaas Hai Cadbury ad, the Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai Asian Paints campaign, among many others.
Not many know, but Piyush Pandey wrote the patriotic song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara in 1988 and co-wrote the screenplay for Bhopal Express. He also appeared in John Abraham's Madras Cafe (2013) and authored two books - Pandeymonium (2015) and Open House with Piyush Pandey (2022).
In A Nutshell
Prasoon Joshi expressed remorse at the death of advertising legend Piyush Pandey. He described it as a great loss, saying his laughter and love for life will be deeply missed, and his work will be cherished forever.
ALSO READ | Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Piyush Pandey: "No Words To Express Our Grief"
