Ad-Lib Legend

Swapping storyboards for serendipity and the whimsical genius of Kailash Surendranath.

- Team BrandSutra

Kailash Surendranath is the man behind some of the most iconic ads of the '80s and '90s. Over his career—which began when he was just 15—he has directed more than 5,000 commercials.

Some of the most memorable were for brands like Liril, Campa Cola, and Sunsilk. He also created national integration films that famously played multiple times a day on Doordarshan, such as 'Spread The Light Of Freedom' and 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara'.

In a conversation with Gautam Shelar, Surendranath reveals that much of his iconic work was "made on a whim." They featured friends-turned-models, stunning locations discovered without Google Maps, and game-changing shots that made the final cut but never appeared on the storyboard.

As Surendranath says: "All the films that you have a great time shooting, and you have a free hand at shooting, always turn out better."

Watch the full conversation on YouTube @SellSideConversations.

Edited excerpts...

Q. How did the Liril ad come to be?

A. I was driving down to college one monsoon day, and it was pouring. I stopped by Marine Drive because two ladies were asking for a ride. One of them turned out to be Alyque Padamsee's niece, Mubi Ismail, who was working at Lintas as a film executive.

I showed her my showreel, and she involved me in a presentation to HUL for a new soap they were launching—a lemon-flavored soap with a marble finish, called Liril.

Their concept was to have a girl frolicking in the waves. We brainstormed, and I suggested a girl under a waterfall instead—it's much cleaner and fresher than the salty sea, especially in Bombay.