Piyush Pandey remembered as advertising visionary who gave chances to newcomers

Updated On: 25 October, 2025 10:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar

Adman Piyush Pandey brought a new lingo and way of looking at advertising communication; remembered for simplicity, humility in work and outside

Adman Piyush Pandey. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Tributes have been pouring in for the late great adman Piyush Pandey, who passed away on Thursday. It was “his courage that stood out for me,” said celebrity photographer and producer Atul Kasbekar. “In the early part of my career, I was a ‘nobody’; then, Pandey was senior creative director at Ogilvy. He gave me my most significant breaks that stood me in good stead throughout,” recalled Kasbekar. The photographer analysed, “It takes courage to give a chance to a nobody. At that time, you are usually going around with your portfolio, showing your work to people. Often, people are at first sceptical whether the work you show them has been done by you or somebody else. It needs one person to be able to look you in the eye and say: You can pull it off. For me, Piyush Pandey was that influential hand on my back, saying, bachche ko chance do. I have always been deeply grateful for that chance.” Kasbekar said, looking at the larger picture, “Pandey redefined advertising. Till that time, advertising had been very English; one did not know if it really percolated down to all. Then, he brought in a local lens and lingo. That was very effective. I am a great student of history, and when people say this one is better than that one, I always say, judge people in the time that they were in. If you can transcend that, if your work can do that, then you are truly a legend. Today, if you see the Cadbury ad, it still puts a smile on your face. The Fevicol ad of villagers going fishing does not need words and will resonate even in Brazil. That is the meaning of transcending time. In these days, when ‘legend’ is loosely used, here, the label ‘label’ sticks to Piyush Pandey just like Fevicol.”

Many parts

Sam Balsara, chairman, Madison World, said, “At the outset, I must say that I was totally shocked at the news of Piyush Pandey’s passing. I was unaware that he was ailing or not doing too well. He was so multifaceted. Do you know he started as a tea planter?” asked Balsara with a laugh. The tea leaves had obviously predicted quite a different future for Pandey, who moved to advertising eventually. “He was such an outstanding success, carrying the Indian flag through the years,” said Balsara. The chairman explained, “By carrying the Indian flag, I mean, he was the first to teach us or tell us that advertising need not be written in a foreign language. He showed us that the best of advertising needs to have Indian stories, Indian mythology, and it can speak the language of what we see around us. He was also generous with his time, and that made him very popular with clients. Overall, an adman par excellence and a great human being.

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