By Shivaji Dasgupta
A passionate expose, Prahad Kakar’s book is unlike the narratives of most successful Indians. Honesty, entertainment and detailing add up to a racy biopic of his playing fields, with diverse characters and quirky campaigns.
Ranging from ridiculous to sublime, honesty is an abiding thread, even in accounts of ‘romantic’ liaisons. His frank views of many leading professionals as well as bosses and colleagues are laced with earthy wit, not to forget a candid reconciliation with hiccups in the journey, adding meaningfully to an ever-evolving persona.
Entertainment is his spontaneous stock in trade and this book can well be the foundation for a mindfully paced OTT series. His experiences could easily be preachy, but instead come across as situational revelations that can inspire one and all. Detailing is relentlessly elaborate and episodes are recounted with meticulous rigour and disarming authenticity.
In unison, it is a unique perspective on the socio-cultural nuances of the 1970s and beyond that shaped brands, communication and, indeed, the relationships between clients and creators, whether producer or agency. For those in and around such professions, the context will be eminently relatable, and for others who simply seek juicy slices of life, the read will be pleasingly rewarding.
The story begins in the reclusive domain of Dehradun where Kakar was raised by accomplished grandparents, balancing military precision with homely affections. After many hair-raising early anecdotes, he moves on to his days at Sainik School, Kunjpura, designed to chisel men from boys. This period can actually be a short story al fresco, filled with ominous school masters and copybook classmates, including the ‘Jats’ who he describes most eloquently. In so many ways, his years in school and then at college in Baroda and Pune, articulated with delirious chutzpah, are an apt trailer of the strokeplay to follow.
The main course of this multi-cuisine ensemble is served with his early professional days at the legendary ASP, a unique cocktail of an advertising agency and a production house. His apprenticeship with Shyam Benegal occupies much exciting bandwidth and his preliminary stature as a ‘slave’ on unquestioned service betrays the tenets of erstwhile ‘creative’ work culture—bootcamp training and zero kid gloves. The making of Manthan and Bhumika, where he assisted Benegal, will interest every curious film buff, baring the challenges of an era where digital or Internet assistance was unthinkable.
As his own production banner ‘Genesis’ takes shape, the stories mature like fine wine and ‘adman madman’ acquires an ‘unputdownable’ aura. We can feel the non-negotiable passion of Rediffusion and Arun Nanda through the campaigns created by Kakar for Jenson and Nicholson and Cherry Blossom. Then we are enthralled by the stories about Sista’s, Bal Mundkur’s Ulka, Lintas and Chaitra (later Leo Burnett), especially the unique sensitivities of their leading cast. Anil Kapoor, a frightening client turned formidable agency (Ulka), is characterised with affectionate intensity. Neither their personas nor their idiosyncrasies are any less dramatic than an ad film or even a feature film—surreal compared to the straitjacketed professionalism of today.
Exceptionally notable is his lengthy and meaningful association with HTA (JWT) and the iconic films that erupted from the stable. The launch of Maggi, with the divergent reactions of client Pradeep Pant and ‘suit’ Ambar Brahmachary is the stuff of legends, just like the brand’s fortunes in India. Kakar’s association with Pepsi is notable, not just for its tenure and the films, but also a perspective of what used to be client-agency relationships, not mere transactions. Forging a glorious triumvirate with the client Vibha Rishi and the key players of the agency, from Shankar Rajan to Anuja Chauhan.
This part of the book caringly depicts Pepsi’s journey in India, including ‘Nothing Official About It’, ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ and other such luminaries. Aishwarya Rai, Mahima Choudhury and Shaheed Kapoor, amongst others, owe their careers to the wide-eyed talent hunters of Genesis and the passionate persistence of Kakar. Aamir Khan’s first ever TVC was done for Pepsi and the tale of how his confidence was delicately earned is blurted in a suitably ‘filmi’ manner. But the most fascinating nugget, for the JWT relationship, is reserved for when Dumbell (pet Doberman) and the entire production team landed up at the agency office, refusing to vacate till a pending payment was cleared. This clearly speaks of Kakar’s spunk, extended to every facet of his being.
Just like his pioneering Prithvi Cafe, renowned for Irish coffee and patronised by thespians across the board, and his scuba diving initiative in Lakshadweep Islands, a passion which turned into a structured mentorship. His nerve-wracking bypass surgery saga was initiated by a ‘gut-feel’ gatecrashing at Lilavati Hospital, taking charge of destiny as ever. A quirky deviation was his period in Vietnam, where his love for history enriches the craft. Over the years, he develops a fondness for yoga and finds his own spiritual muse, depicted with sincere intensity and trademark flair.
The overarching role of his wife Mitali in managing the business end of Genesis, raising children and being a sublime propellor to his fierce energies, is rendered with graceful yet effortless appreciation. Quite like the closing notes about the many folks, then and now, who graced his team. When blended with the frenetic energy of the chapters, this gives both the man and the book a deserving equilibrium. Unabashedly human with a unique hunger for living, Kakar seems to be a good man and a brave man, not just an ‘adman madman’.
The author is an autonomous brand consultant and writer.
Book: Adman Madman: Unapologetically Prahlad
Authors: Prahlad Kakar with Rupangi Sharma
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pp 526, Rs 799
