HarperCollins presents Prahlad Kakar’s no-holds-barred memoir, ‘Adman Madman’

prerna.singh@harpercollins.co.in | 30 October 2023

is proud to announce the publication of

ADMAN MADMAN

Unapologetically Prahlad

by Prahlad Kakar

with Rupangi Sharma

From those who have a love for advertising to those who have a zest for life, from the young to the old, this memoir will capture your heart and your mind, and tickle your funny bone.

Published by HarperCollins

Hardback | Non-Fiction | Memoir | 544 pp | INR 799

Available wherever books are sold | Releasing on 10 November 2023

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1971, clutching a princely sum of three hundred rupees in his pocket, Prahlad Kakar arrived in Bombay Central station. During his early days of dire struggle, he slept on benches in train stations and on the sofas of reluctant friends. Scratching the underbelly of Colaba Causeway, he learnt many life lessons for his survival and eventual climb to notoriety.

Four decades later, he swears by Murphy’s law, ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’ Murphy is certainly not a figment of anyone’s imagination, but a gargoyle plucked from VT station, who is sitting crouched on your shoulder and waiting for an opportunity to pee into your ear. Come and share some uproarious laughs with the Indian ad industry’s feared and beloved leprechaun as he takes you on this rollercoaster ride. From the bizarre to the brazen, prepare yourself for one hell of a journey.

Why does Prahlad have the right to lay claim to Shabana Azmi’s second toe?

Why did Satish Shah pretend to be a chauffeur during a shoot?

Can a parachute-landing fall save you from a dating disaster?

How did a pig drive a member of the film crew straight to the shrink?

Meet Dumbell the Doberman. And Head of Outstanding Collections.

In this no-holds-barred memoir, Prahlad serves up scoops of his most unforgettable experiences, peppered with viciously funny anecdotes from his personal life and seasoned with lessons on how to tell a riveting story in thirty seconds.

Learn secrets of the trade to create memorable brands. Travel behind the scenes of celebrated advertisements that launched the careers of models who then went on to become famous Bollywood actors. Hear about the genesis of this accidental serial entrepreneur. And, above all, learn how to live life with complete abandon from none other than the enfant terrible of the advertising industry. As the man who wears many hats, literally and figuratively, Prahlad tips his hat to life’s incidental wisdom with raucous laughter.

From those who have a love for advertising to those who have a zest for life, from the young to the old, this memoir will capture your heart and your mind, and tickle your funny bone.

Statutory Warning: This book may cause you to fall off your chair!

Prahlad Kakar says, ‘Can you imagine I have managed to write a book about my slightly nefarious life as you all know. It took three long years, a hunterwali wife, a patient assistant writer, and an irrational optimist publisher that we have finally managed to bring this labour of love to all readers. Now that when I read it and go back and relive all the moments, some are so funny, I laugh at myself. I now believe that the secret to real happiness is the capacity to laugh at yourself and not at others.’

Sachin Sharma, Associate Publisher, HarperCollins says, ‘As one of the doyens of Indian advertising, Prahlad Kakar needs little introduction. In Adman Madman, his no-holds-barred memoir, Prahlad will amaze readers with his exceptional writing skills. By the time you finish reading this laughter riot, a strong feeling of “I wish I lived such an interesting life” overwhelms you. If I had money to buy only one book this year, this would be it.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PRAHLAD KAKAR is a renowned ad-film director and co-founder of Genesis Film Production, one of India’s oldest and foremost ad-film production houses. He has ruled the advertising world with his brand of irreverent humour and memorable brand-building campaigns, and has created award-winning commercials for the most reputed corporates and agencies in India and the Asia-Pacific region.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS INDIA

HarperCollins is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, having begun publishing in India in 1992. HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India has won the Publisher of the Year Award four times at Tata Literature Live! in 2022, 2021, 2018 and 2016, and at Publishing Next in 2021 & 2015. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.