Taking to his blog, Big B expressed grief after the demise of Piyush, whom he addressed as “a creative genius, a most amiable friend, and guide.”

“A creative genius… a most amiable friend, and guide… has left us… No words to express our grief… Piyush Pandey passed away this morning… The creative works left behind by him shall ever be an eternal emblem of his immeasurable creativity,” Amitabh Bachchan shared on his blog.

About Amitabh and Piyush’s collaborations

Amitabh Bachchan and Piyush Pandey shared a long-standing professional partnership that spanned decades, giving India some of its most memorable advertising campaigns. Their collaborations included the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk Pappu Pass Ho Gaya series, the impactful Polio Eradication campaign with Amitabh delivering the powerful Do Boond Zindagi Ki message, and groundbreaking Gujarat tourism ads that became defining moments on Indian television.

Not only did the two collaborate often, but Big B also did the polio campaign for free. In his book Pandeymonium: Piyush Pandey On Advertising, Pandey shared that Big B did the campaign for free as it was a government initiative. Recalling how he had an idea to pull off a great campaign with Big B’s character of the “angry young man,” Pandey shared, “I rushed to Mr. Bachchan and said, ‘Sir, everyone calls you the symbol of the Angry Young Man because of your roles in your earlier super-hit films. How about you playing the Angry Old Man in this campaign?’ He loved the idea.”

About Piyush Pandey

Pandey began his advertising career in 1982 with Ogilvy & Mather India (now Ogilvy India) as a trainee account executive before transitioning to the creative department.

Over the years, he rose through the ranks to hold some of the agency’s top leadership roles, including National Creative Director, Executive Chairman (India), and Global Chief Creative Officer.

At 27, Pandey entered an ad world dominated by English — and changed it forever. His work for brands like Asian Paints (“Har khushi mein rang laaye”), Cadbury (“Kuch Khaas Hai”), Fevicol, and Hutch turned advertisements into cultural touchstones.