Shah Rukh Khan pays tribute to Piyush Pandey, the adman who redefined Indian advertising

Shah Rukh Khan, one of the world's most celebrated film stars, joined the chorus of tributes pouring in for Piyush Pandey, the advertising titan whose influence shaped modern Indian marketing.

“Working and being around Piyush Pandey always felt effortless and fun,” Khan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Was an honour being part of the pure magic he created. He carried his genius so lightly and revolutionised the ad industry in India. Rest in Peace my friend. Will miss you lots.”

The tweet captured what generations of advertisers, filmmakers, and brand leaders have echoed today — that Pandey, who died at 70, transformed the way India spoke to itself through advertising.

Storyboard18 first reported news of his passing. Pandey’s death marks the end of an era in which advertising spoke not from ivory towers, but from the heart of India. He was the architect of Indian advertising’s soul, a man who humanised and localized the language of marketing at a time when much of it still borrowed from Western sensibilities.

Over more than four decades at Ogilvy India, Pandey built some of the country’s most enduring campaigns — Cadbury’s “Kuch Khaas Hai,” Asian Paints’ “Har Khushi Mein Rang Laaye,” Fevicol’s iconic spots — each steeped in cultural warmth, humour, and everyday authenticity.

Pandey’s funeral will be held Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m. at the Shivaji Park Crematorium in Mumbai, where industry colleagues and friends are expected to gather in large numbers to pay their respects.

Khan’s tribute highlights Pandey's deep impact on the industry. The actor, who collaborated with Pandey on multiple brand campaigns over the years, remembered the sense of ease and playfulness the adman brought to every project.

Working and being around Piyush Pandey always felt effortless and fun. Was an honour being part of the pure magic he created. He carried his genius so lightly and revolutionised the ad industry in India. Rest in Peace my friend. Will miss you lots. pic.twitter.com/rxJJOrk5Xp

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 24, 2025

Pandey’s path to advertising was unconventional. He joined Ogilvy India in 1982 after working as a tea taster and briefly in construction. What followed was a revolution — one that turned colloquial Hindi phrases and slice-of-life storytelling into the emotional grammar of Indian advertising.

His passing is not just the loss of a creative visionary but the silencing of a voice that made India see itself more clearly.

For many in the industry, and for admirers like Shah Rukh Khan, Piyush Pandey’s legacy endures - not merely in award-winning commercials, but in the stories he told, the friendships he forged and the confidence he gave a generation of Indian creators to speak in their own language.