At 75, Prahlad Kakar — who started his career in advertising in Delhi in the early 70s before moving to Mumbai — has enough stories in his head to fill a hundred books. So, during the lockdown, when his partner Mitali suggested he put some down as a memoir, he said why not. Adman Madman: Unapologetically Prahlad, co-written with author Rupangi Sharma, is a no-holds-barred account of “his most unforgettable experiences, peppered with viciously funny anecdotes from his personal life”.
In between teaching at Genesis Film Production, of which he is the founder-director, and reading — Kakar calls books his “ultimate retreat”, picking up poetry by T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings, titles by Wilbur Smith and Jean M. Auel, and re-reading his collection of 150 Louis L’Amour westerns — Adman Madman was also a chance to reminisce, to show young people what it “used to be like this”, and prove why “getting out of your comfort zone” inevitably brings out the best in you.
