Piyush Pandey.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Prominent film industry figures, including Amitabh Bachchan, Prasoon Joshi, Hansal Mehta and Raveena Tandon paid tributes to veteran ad-filmmaker Piyush Pandey, remembering him as a “creative genius” and “one of India’s finest storytellers”.
Pandey, one of India’s most celebrated advertising minds whose works included the 2014 election slogan Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar, died on Friday morning at a private hospital in Mumbai. The 70-year-old was undergoing treatment for the last few days after complaining of respiratory complications.
“A creative genius, a most amiable friend, and guide has left us.. No words to express our grief. The creative works left behind by him shall ever be an eternal emblem of his immeasurable creativity,” Bachchan wrote on his official blog.
Joshi, the current chief of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and an ad-filmmaker himself, shared pictures of Pandey on X handle and remembered him as a “man who made work feel like life itself”.
“In transit overseas. Hard to believe Piyush’s laughter is now only in memory. What a remarkable era — a man who made work feel like life itself. One for whom emotion was strategy, and simplicity, craft,” he wrote.
Raveena re-shared a post about Pandey’s death on her Instagram story and wrote, “Make heavens bubblier and more cheerful with your wit! Dear Piyush.”
Mehta wrote on his X handle, “Fevicol ka jod toot gaya. The ad world lost its glue today. Actor-politician Smriti Irani said Pandey was a legend.
“Piyush Pandey wasn’t just an ad man — he was one of India’s finest storytellers. He taught us that emotion is the truest language of creativity. His words made brands human, and ideas immortal. Farewell to a legend who made us feel, think, and smile,” she wrote.
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Actor Vivek Oberoi Tweeted, “From Daag acche hai to Har ghar kuch kehta hai. these were never mere slogans—they were a perspective, a way to live life with an open heart. That is the true, lasting magic of Piyush Pandey Ji.
Pandey joined Ogilvy India in 1982 and rose to become its global creative chief, transforming Indian advertising by rooting it in local language, humour, and emotion.
The Jaipur-born ad-filmmaker gave memorable ads for brands such as Cadbury’s (Asli Swaad Zindagi Ka), Fevicol (Yeh Fevicol Ka Jod Hai, Tutega Nahi) and the famous political slogan Abki Baar, Modi Sarkaar.
Honoured with the Padma Shri in 2016 and the Legend Award at the London International Awards in 2024, Pandey made history in 2004 as the first Asian to chair the Cannes Lions jury.
He made his acting debut with filmmaker Shoojit Sircar’s acclaimed 2013 film Madras Cafe. In the John Abraham-led movie, Pandey played a minor role of the cabinet secretary of India.
Published – October 25, 2025 02:50 pm IST
