A rambunctious ride

After four decades in advertising, Prahlad Kakar has a lot to tell in this absorbing autobiography

By Shevlin Sebastian

Advertising legend Prahlad Kakar’s autobiography, ‘Adman Madman’, co-written with editor Rupangi Sharma, begins with a laugh-out loud anecdote.

He is admitted into a kindergarten school called Kumkum on Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Prahlad became friends with Naveen, a fair and good looking boy.

The school owner’s daughter, Kumkum had eyes for Naveen.

Prahlad and Naveen used to sneak into a hidey-hole in the tall hedges. One day Kumkum discovered it. She asked to be a member. They resisted. She said she would inform her mother. So, the boys relented.

One day, Kumkum said, “If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.” Naveen lowered his shorts and underwear. As Prahlad writes, ‘She stared at his pinkish nunu for some time.’ Then Prahlad was forced to show his.

Sometime later, the boys were summoned to the principal’s office. They saw Kumkum stamping her feet and saying, “I want a nalki.”

“What nalki, baby?” said the principal.

“A nalki like Naveen’s and Prahlad’s,” she said.

“How do you know they have a nalki?” “They showed me. Now I also want.” So, no surprises, both the boys were expelled from the school.

This is Prahlad’s conclusion to the story: ‘Nobody told her that when she grew up, she could have her own collection of nalkis’.

And the reader is off and running as he reads one of the most absorbing autobiographies in recent times. It is a linear story: from school (St Thomas, Dehradun, and Sainik School, Karnal) to college (Ferguson’s College, Pune) to an advertising career which began in 1971.

Prahlad joined Advertising and Sales Promotion Company and worked under acclaimed film director Shyam Benegal. He also assisted in Benegal’s landmark films, Ankur’, ‘Manthan’ and ‘Bhumika’.

This is a must-read for anybody in the advertising industry. You can get an idea of what happened behind the scenes for those iconic Pepsi ads, like ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’, and ‘Nothing Official about it’, which starred Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh, Amitabh Bachchan and the others. There is a QR code on the back flap, which if you scan, you can see most of Prahlad’s creative work.

You can read the story of how Prahlad’s colleague, Monia Sehgal, at Genesis Film Production, rooted to give an unknown Aishwarya Rai a break. Prahlad was initially not too impressed. But he has been a most impressive mentor with many going on to have stellar careers in the media.

Prakash also talks about his romantic liaisons, his love for scuba diving, and the bakra he made of Cyrus Broacha during a shoot. This adman is indeed a madman.

Published in The Sunday Magazine of the New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)