Prahlad Kakar speaks to Shevlin Sebastian about his recently released memoir, working with stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar, and the secret of his 40-year-long marriage
What made you write this memoir?
Mitali, my wife, urged me to do so. Since I was always recounting stories about my career, she asked me to write it all down in a book. Initially, I was pretending to be busy or just lazy. Then, to make it easy, I dictated my thoughts into a dictaphone. When I saw the transcript, it was repetitive, and flabby. The thought process had to be clear. The writing did not capture my voice. So, I decided to write it. Since I cannot type, I wrote by hand. My grammar and spelling were atrocious. It took me two years. Rupangi sat with me and oversaw the whole thing.
After 40 years in the advertising industry, what is the most striking change you have noticed?
The big change is that we have gone digital. From films, we went to digital and from there to social media. Today, social media is the playing field of young people. From 18 to 30 or 25 to 40, they are all on social media. Young people are consuming social media at a tremendous rate.
But is there a problem with retention?
Yes, absolutely. Their attention levels are going down. Because of this, the advertisements have to be better and better. Unfortunately, the ads are getting worse and worse. Young ad-film makers today have no storytelling skills. They don’t fantasise or daydream any more. If you don’t read books, you lose the capacity to imagine. So, they are rehashing old ideas. The most important point they should note is that storytelling is at the heart of all communication.
You have interacted with many celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. What do they have in common?
They are all focused. They have a drive to compete, but against themselves. When Sachin gets out in a particular way, he goes home, studies the videos, corrects the mistake, and practises endlessly. You can never get him out the same way again. All of them are humble, because they suffered from great failures before they achieved success. Success makes you arrogant. Failure teaches you humility. Life is full of ups and downs. But they never gave up. They have been resilient and determined.
You were a ladies’ man when you started out. But now, you have been married for 40 years. What are the tips for a successful marriage?
You should give each other space. And the spouse should have the opportunity to grow to her full potential. You should not curb or monitor them. A good marriage is not competitive. Don’t take them for granted, and you must court your wife like you used to before your marriage.