Wills Filter: Made for each other
This was perhaps the most noticed (and the longest running) of all the ads in Hindustan Thompson Associates’ (HTA) ‘Made for each other’ series for Wills Filter cigarettes. This ad…Continue Reading →
Molten gold, Rs 28: The ad that got Calcutta curious
The Indian lust for gold can never be quenched. Gold prices had recently crossed Rs 29,000 for 10 grams. Even…
Nutramul dada: Jugal Hansraj’s second-best role ever
Second-best, as his best was in Masoom (1983). Maybe growing up and stopping the Nutramul intake had an adverse effect…
1930s ad for washable condoms and other contraceptives
Pamphlet advertising, one of the oldest forms of advertising, is still alive and vigorously kicking. They come tucked inside our morning newspapers, are handed to us by disinterested looking people…Continue Reading →
To have beautiful hair like Waheeda Rehman, use Castaroma
A print advertisement from the 1950s for Castaroma hair oil endorsed by actress Waheeda Rehman.
How to speak on the telephone, the right way
It was an altogether different age, when having a telephone at home was a status symbol. And the waiting list…
Jawaharlal Nehru in a 1950 ad for Chicago Telephone & Radio
This advertisement is from the January 28, 1950 edition of The Times of India (Delhi) and has the then Prime Minister of India jawaharlal Nehru, garlanded and with a tilak…Continue Reading →
Sunil and Rohan Gavaskar’s Brush with Forhan’s
Abhishek Bachchan delivered a string of 17 flops before his first hit and then gradually rose up the ladder to…
20-Year-Old Lisa Ray Wrapped in a Bombay Dyeing Towel
Lisa Ray, one of the prettiest faces around, was a teenage crush (I had a number of them). Easily the…
Sharmila Tagore in 1966 Murphy Radio Ad
The language was Bangla, but the accent and the stories, distinguishably Chinese. An avid radio listener, my father tried to inculcate this dying habit into his sons. FM is not…Continue Reading →
Old Old Monk Ad from 1969
Old Monk, as all Old Monk bacchantes will agree, is not just a rum, it’s an institution. You don’t drink…
Salman Khan, Sangeeta Bijlani in Graviera Suitings Ad
This advertisement for Grasim's Graviera Suitings is one of the rare occasions when Salman and Sangeeta appeared together professionally.
