![BRANDWAGON BOSS](https://cdn.magzter.com/1366109351/1706164259/articles/YplQeFJ2u1706209401156/BRANDWAGON-BOSS.jpg)
Not many know that it was a short ad film, barely four seconds long, shot by a maverick adman that led to the discovery of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It was the early 1990s—a time when ads were not skipped but etched in our memories, thanks to catchy slogans and jingles—and a young Prahlad Kakar was looking for a face for his next Pepsi commercial. That’s when Aishwarya, then a student of architecture, and her male colleague walked into his office, with a fat portfolio in hand. The duo had come to consult Kakar’s wife, Mitali, when his assistant spotted Aishwarya. “What struck me first were her grey-green eyes, which would change colour depending on her mood…. Even now when she is angry, they become green. When she is happy, they become grey-green,” writes Kakar in his latest book Adman Madman: Unapologetically Prahlad. Many years later when they became friends, Kakar brought her a pair of jade earrings from Myanmar that matched the colour of her eyes.
Aishwarya’s first ad shoot was anything but easy—20 takes to say one line: “Hi, I am Sanju. Got another Pepsi?” He narrates how they did a free hair and a wet hair look. He wanted her body language to be just right, hence the many takes. “She was close to tears,” writes Kakar. “She was very young, and very inexperienced, protected, studious and had never even dated. I wanted her to get a room full of guys to fall for her but the problem was that Aishwarya herself wasn’t convinced that she was good-looking enough to get a room full of men to fall for her. And then, when she delivered, destinies, both hers and ours, changed forever.”
この記事は THE WEEK India の February 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は THE WEEK India の February 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
![Stop ruling; start governing](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/XH0zIWXw71717673296720/STOP-RULING-START-GOVERNING.jpg)
Stop ruling; start governing
In every election the voters elect a government.
![HEALING THE EARTH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/5562Y89Xr1717672918392/HEALING-THE-EARTH.jpg)
HEALING THE EARTH
Land Restoration for a Drought-Resilient Future
![Speak of the nawab](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/xoibNFD1b1717672443008/SPEAK-OF-THE-NAWAB.jpg)
Speak of the nawab
For Heeramandi's male lead, Taha Shah, the road to success was paved with flops
![Northern delights](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/1eA2m-ALC1717672211765/NORTHERN-DELIGHTS.jpg)
Northern delights
Four Kashmiri fashion labels that want to put the troubled region on the international style map
![WOOING THE WAVES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/vonBAwV7M1717671982377/WOOING-THE-WAVES.jpg)
WOOING THE WAVES
India is developing strategic ports overseas and is exploring new oceanic trade routes to pursue its growing geopolitical objectives
![TIPU, SULTAN!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/d9Dq6VLyr1717671764494/TIPU-SULTAN.jpg)
TIPU, SULTAN!
In his first major election after the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh humbles the BJP and proves he is his own man
![A SLEEPER HIT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/KTD48z7CC1717671590497/A-SLEEPER-HIT.jpg)
A SLEEPER HIT
Naidu’s stunning victory raises questions about the vote-catching power of welfare schemes
![SWEEPING LOSS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/ZSOKvOxMp1717671496611/SWEEPING-LOSS.jpg)
SWEEPING LOSS
AAP’s disappointing performance has put a question mark on its relevance in the INDIA bloc
![INDEPENDENTS' DAY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/XxtJ-fwOs1717671406454/INDEPENDENTS-DAY.jpg)
INDEPENDENTS' DAY
The Lok Sabha results in Baramulla and Ladakh reflect a churning among voters
![Voters have changed, and we have benefited](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/3180/1724175/E1WWdqSsu1717671209227/VOTERS-HAVE-CHANGED-AND-WE-HAVE-BENEFITED.jpg)
Voters have changed, and we have benefited
In March 2022, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu asked a quirky question to actor-MP Suresh Gopi, who had come to the Rajya Sabha with a distinctive look.