 "'The Kashmir Files' director Vivek Agnihotri remembers ad doyen Piyush Pandey: 'He didn't sell brands, he sold emotions'")
The advertising legend of India, Piyush Pandey, who gave us iconic advertisements of Fevicol, Cadbury, and Asian Paints, passed away at the age of 70 on Friday.
Pandey was “battling an infection that took a serious turn”, said Ogilvy Advertising Agency in a statement.
The statement further read, “To our entire Ogilvy family, It is with an unfathomable sense of loss that I write to you about the passing away of our beloved Piyush Pandey. Piyush was battling an infection that took a serious turn. He passed away peacefully this morning. I cannot even imagine how each one of us is going to process this terrible loss in our own way.”
The biggest of stalwarts remembered the doyen’s contribution to the landscape of ad filmmaking and entertainment industry. One of them is filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri.
The director tweeted- “When I joined O&M, as a trainee, everyone spoke the Queen’s English. They wanted India to sound like London. And then there was Piyush Pandey, with Rajasthani moustache, sitting in a smoky corner, writing in Hindi, making words smell of mitti and sound like home.”
He added, “He didn’t sell brands. He sold emotions. He made us feel that Har shabd kuch kehta hai. Har insaan kuch kehta hai. That every heart, every story could speak in our own tongue. And yes, you’ll live on in every ad that feels like India, in every line that tastes meetha, meetha. Kuch nahin bahut khaas tha tum mein….”
Kuch khaas tha…
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) October 24, 2025
When I joined O&M, as a trainee, everyone spoke the Queen’s English. They wanted India to sound like London.
And then there was Piyush Pandey, with Rajasthani moustache, sitting in a smoky corner, writing in Hindi, making words smell of mitti and sound like… pic.twitter.com/fqd7IqwjNz
One of the biggest names of advertising in the country
Pandey, who was the Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India of Ogilvy, was one of the biggest names of advertising in India and delivered memorable ads like Asian Paints with “Har khushi mein rang laaye”, Cadbury’s “Kuch khaas hai”
He was also behind BJP’s 2014 election campaign “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” with the iconic slogan “Achche Din Aane Wale Hain”.
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