The demise of the celebrated director, Pradeep Sarkar, on Friday, March 24, has sent shockwaves throughout the film and creative industry. Known for movies such as Parineeta, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Mardaani, Pradeep's artistic vision touched our lives in more ways than one.
Long before stepping into filmmaking, and winning multiple awards including a National award for his directorial debut Parineeta, Pradeep had already established himself in the advertising as well as the music industry.
Sarkar began his career as a creative supervisor at an ad agency called, Tulika Advertising Agency. He then shifted to ad filmmaking and started his own production company, Apocalypso Filmworks.
In his illustrious career of 17 years as a creative director, Pradeep bagged the Radio and TV Advertising Practitioners' Association of India (RAPA) Award and the Best Director at the Abby award in 2003 for directing an ad campaign for Aaj Tak.
Besides, working in the advertising industry, Pradeep ventured into the music industry and established himself as one of the most promising video directors. Take a look at the well-known music videos that Pradeep directed:
Ab Ke Saawan
Released in 1999, 'Ab Ke Saawan', the Indian pop song sung by singer Shubha Mudgal and composed by Shantanu Moitra, was directed by Pradeep.
Piya Basanti
The album 'Piya Basanti' released in 2000, became a huge hit and even won an International Viewer Choice from MTV. K. S. Chithra, and Ustad Sultan Khan's beautiful voices, were translated on screen by visuals directed by none other than Pradeep Sarkar.
The song 'Piya Basanti', with its mesmerizing video, captured the hearts of the entire country.
And did you know another song from the same album, 'Chale Re', was a sequel to the video of 'Piya Basanti'?
Maaeri and Dhoom Pichak Dhoom
Released in 2000, 'Maaeri' by Euphoria remains an iconic song. Even after 23 years, the song remains etched in our memories. One of the major reasons was the striking visuals that made it even more unforgettable, courtesy, Pradeep Sarkar and his creative vision.
The song also marked a debut for the actor Rimi Sen who was discovered by Sarkar.
Another example of extraordinary storytelling by Pradeep Sarkar is reflected in the song 'Dhoom Pichak Dhoom' by 'Euphoria'. Shot in the mystic city of Varanasi, the video encapsulates the ethereal romance between the two leads.
O Ganga Behti Ho Kyon
Sung by Dr Bhupen Hazarika & Kavita Krishnamurthy, 'O Ganga Behti Ho Kyun' was brought to life by Pradeep Sarkar's vivid imagination. With its compelling and heart-wrenching imagery, the underlined the effects of water pollution and its impact on human life.
Apart from successful music videos, Pradeep's production house Apocalypso Filmworks has shot over 1000 commercials, for brands like Dabur, Patanjali, ITC Atta, Onida KY Thunder, Cadbury, AajTak, and a few feature films. He even directed a campaign video against the practice of child marriage in India that won several awards.
While there have been countless successful advertisement campaigns designed and directed by him, there are a few that stand out. Check here:
Aaj Tak Sabse Tez Campaign
In 2020, To commemorate 20 years of the media channel Aaj Tak, Pradeep Sarkar wrote and directed an advertisement campaign #AajTakSabseTez which had 5 short feature advertisements.
Cadbury's 'Pappu Pass Ho Gaya'
Featuring Amitabh Bachchan, the 'Pappu Pass Ho Gaya' ad for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate was one of the most memorable ads directed by Pradeep Sarkar.
Yellow Pages
One of the early commercials designed by Sarkar was for Yellow Pages. In a conversation with Exchange for Media, Sarkar mentioned that while the advertisement may not work in the present due to its racial overtones, it was one of his favourite campaigns to work on.
“If I talk about the initial days, when I had just started, I loved working on a campaign for Yellow Pages, which also worked amazingly well. We promoted it via contacts for divorce lawyers and the story was about a newborn child, which the father, on seeing the kid’s complexion, realises that he is not his own," said Sarkar.
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