Prahlad Kakkar (born 24 March 1950 in Mumbai) is an Indian ad film director, best known for his work on the famous

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

TV commercial with

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

and

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...

. He is the founder and main director for Genesis Film Productions, established in 1977 In 1995 he set up 'Lacadives', a scuba-diving school, along with his wife Mitali Kakar at

Kadmat Island Kadmat Island, also known as Cardamom Island, is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi subgroup of islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago in India. Measuring in length, the island has a lagoon with a width of covering an area of . The ecol ...

, in collaboration with the Govt. of

Lakshadweep Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast. The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...

. He also runs a coffee shop, and Casa Amore, a wine bar and restaurant, set up in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in 2001. In 2016 he launched School of Branding and Entrepreneurship in Mumbai in association with

Subhash Ghai Subhash may refer to: People * Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker * Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai * Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politician ...

Whistling Woods International __NOTOC__ Whistling Woods International is a film, communication and creative arts institute located in Mumbai, India. The institute is promoted by the Indian Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Mukta Arts and Film City Mumbai. In July 2014, ''The Holly ...

Early life

Prahlad Kakar grew up in Mumbai and his father was an army colonel based in Pakistan. His mother is half Burmese and half Marathi. He did his initial schooling from St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun. In 1966, he passed out from

Sainik School, Kunjpura Sainik School, Kunjpura in the state of Haryana, one of the first five Sainik Schools (military school) established in 1961 in India, is jointly operated by the Government of Haryana state and GoI's Ministry of Defence. It aims to prepare stude ...

Karnal Karnal ( is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. It was used by East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal between ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

in 1970. Kakar graduated with Economics (Honors) from

Fergusson College Fergusson College is an autonomous public-private college offering various courses in the streams of arts and science in the city of Pune, India. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society. Professor Vaman Shivram Apte was its fir ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

.Ad guru thrives on humour

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

, 11 June 2008. Profiles
Advertising Agencies Association of India, (AAAI).

Career

Prahlad Kakar joined advertising in 1971, as an Accounts Executive at ASP (Delhi) and after a year, he was transferred to the company's Bombay office. In 1972, he joined the renowned feature director,

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

, as an Asst. Director for films such as '' Ankur'', ''

Manthan ''Manthan'', also released under the translated title ''The Churning'', is a 1976 Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal, inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, and is written jointly by him and Vijay Tendulkar. ...

'', and ''

Bhumika Bhūmikā (Sanskrit: भूमिका) is derived from the word, ''Bhūmi'', meaning ''earth'', ''soil'', ''ground'' or ''character''. Hinduism The Upanishads speak about the seven ''bhūmikās'' or ''jñānabhūmis'' (fields of knowledge) or ...

''. After training under

, Mandeep Kakkar and Ravi Uppor, Prahlad Kakar founded Genesis Film Productions in 1977. Genesis Film Productions is also known for the short film "Bali" made in affiliation with the channel

Star One Star One was an Indian pay television network based in Mumbai. It was launched on 1 November 2004 and was it owned by Star TV and distributed worldwide by Fox International Channels. In November 2006, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky. S ...

. Prahlad Kakar is also known for his popular

Kamasutra The ''Kama Sutra'' (; sa, कामसूत्र, , ; ) is an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment in life. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kama Sutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly ...

ads. After Genesis, Prahlad Kakkar started a restaurant at Prithvi Theatre with

Jennifer Kendal Jennifer Kendal (28 February 1934 – 7 September 1984) was an English actress and the founder of the Prithvi Theatre. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film '' 36 Chowringhee Lane'' (1981). Her oth ...

.http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/msid-285889,curpg-3.cms Prahlad Kakar is the co-founder of ReefWatch Marine Conservation, set up in 1994, which aims at creating marine-life awareness. Prahlad Kakar supports and plays an important role as the Chief Advisor & Trustee o
Natura Outdoor Education Trust
In 1999, Kakar was one of the few Indian directors to direct international commercials for clients like Uni Levers and Pepsico in Burma, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Asia Pacific Region. He also started the speciality Tea House in Bombay, the first of its kind in the country. In 2000 he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from IAAFA for his contribution to Advertising and Film Art.

Genesis Film Production Pvt. Ltd.

Prahlad Kakar founded Genesis Film Production Pvt. Ltd. in 1977, after having assisted

, one of India's most renowned filmmakers. Clients of the company include

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

Brittania Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great B ...

, Levers. Prahlad has won several awards for technical excellence, Innovation and creativity in advertising over the years in India. Genesis won both gold and silver awards including campaign of the year for the Pepsi commercials a
AAAI
in 1996. The public films for Ceat won awards in th
New York festival of Advertising
Commercials directed by Prahlad have also been nominated for Lions at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

. Twenty – five years down the line Prahlad Kakar has earned himself a Lifetime Achievement Award by the IAAFA in the year 1999 and has got Genesis the top Production House for two years in a row for years 2003 and 2004 by the Brand Equity. He has helped create campaigns for like “Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby! Aha!”

Ad, “The Zing Thing”

Gold Spot Gold Spot was one of the three brands of carbonated soft drink started in India by Parle Bisleri under the initiative of its founder Ramesh Chauhan in 1977 after the exit of Coca-Cola. PepsiCo had already left the Indian market in 1962 due to sl ...

Ad, “2 minutes!” Noodles Ad for

Maggi Maggi ( or ) is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century. The Maggi company was acquired by Nestlé in 1947. History Early history Julius Maggi (1846–1912) ...

, “Ting Ting Ti Ting”

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

Biscuits Football Ad, “Zor ka Jhatka” for

Limca Limca is an Indian multinational brand of lemon- and lime-flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S. It contains 60 calories per 150ml can. The formula does not include fruit, relying instead on arti ...

and “It's different” for

Ketchup.

Offspring and Offshoot

Genesis has given birth to Offspring and Offshoot, production companies that are owned by Mitali Dutt Kakar. Prahlad Kakar remains Principal Director for her production houses as well.

Lacadives

Lacadives is part of the Underwater Federation of India and has established th
Indian Scuba Diving Association
to ensure the adherence of safety norms in this industry. To further complement its activities Lacadives has set up an NGO calle
REEF WATCH
whose mission is to create awareness amongst children through workshops and practical training about the fragile Marine Environment. Lacadives is also the first Dive Centre to have its own Live Aboard, SEA URCHIN, a 55-foot vessel, 150 HP Scania Engine, with sleeping facilities for 8 passengers and four crew. A compressor, de-salination plant, centrally air conditioned, with a 10-foot RIB and a diving platform.

Restaurants

Prahlad Kakar has also been involved in restaurant design. He took on the initiative of reviving the culture of tea in India with a touch of sophistication, a venture which culminated in the Tea Centre, a restaurant designed by him at Churchgate, in association with th
Tea Board of India
In 1985, he ran a Gourmet Restaurant at the Prithvi Theater, Bombay with Jennifer Kendal Kapoor. In 2001, he started Casa Amore, an exclusive wine bar and restaurant. Prahlad has also create

for designer Mamta Sekhri. It is one of the few places in Mumbai that offers traditional, home-cooked Punjabi food. “Sarson da Saaga", Bombay's first " Slow food, Punjabi- home style cooking" opened at IMAX in March 2002.

Personal life

Prahlad Kakar is married to Mitali Dutt Kakar, the owner of the film companies Offspring and Offshoot. They have three sons Arnav, Varun and Anhjin. Prahlad Kakkar is

Dyslexic Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...

and so are his son’s Arnav and Varun. Prahlad Kakar has a passion for scuba diving and in 2000 he became a CMAS 2 Star Scuba Diving Instructor. His other interests include gourmet cooking, reading, swimming, snorkeling, squash and horse riding.

Controversy

Prahlad Kakar made a controversial statement about Amitabh Bachan, he said that Amitabh's name should be in Guiness book of world records because despite 17 flop movies he survived in film industry, Amitabh Bachan's son Abhishek Bachan condemned his comments.

References

Prahalad Kakar Interview
AgencyFAQs *

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

External links

*
A blog on Prahlad Kakar
*
Interview with The Scholars' Avenue, IIT Kharagpur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kakkar, Prahlad 1950 births Film directors from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai Indian advertising directors Underwater divers Living people Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni Indian restaurateurs Sainik School alumni