World’s premier advertising magazine, Advertising Age, has drawn up a list of top 100 advertising film directors regarded as the brightest talents in the business across the globe. And 40-year-old Prasoon Pandey is the only Indian to have found a place among the world’s best.

Though Pandey is not new to accolades and honours, he admits being both “surprised” and “happy” to be selected.

The creative wizard has won over a dozen international awards including a couple of Cannes Lions, several Asia Ad-Pacific awards and many domestic honours.

His international award-winning films include Bajaj Sunny, Ericsson mobile phone, Fevicol etc. His most recent film for Cancer Patients Aid Association won him the ‘Best of Show’ at the Hongkong Media awards.

A film director with Highlight Films, Prasoon Pandey shares the delight of the new honour with Shweta Jain and talks about the ingredients of making a ‘good’ ad film.

How did you discover that you have been selected by Advertising Age?

I actually don’t know how it all came about. Suddenly, one day, I got a call saying they had some questions for me because I was in the list of 100 top ad film directors of the world. I was very surprised and happy. I answered all their questions obediently.

How are the top 100 chosen?

I’m not very sure, but as far as I know, they basically scanned all award shows and films that were winning everywhere. The accolades were conferred on directors who have picked up the largest number of creative awards the world over based on Donald Gunn’s authoritative survey of such shows.

In the last two years, I have won two Cannes Lions and two Clio’s. This year, again, I won a Grand Prix at the Ad Fest in Hongkong. So, that kind of sealed it.

Which international directors are you sharing the honour with?

It’s a great pleasure to be featured along with great directors like Jonathan Glazer, Frank Budgen, Traktor, Joe Pytka and Tarsem.

What’s different about your ad films?

I love humour and surprises. And, I like layering all my commercials. There’s a top surface which is the main message and then there are little jokes, details, which go on in the background.

A viewer should be able to enjoy the ad each time it is aired. Most of my ad films have a crazy sense of humour. It’s a serious opening to a silly script. The attempt should be to go more lateral than literal.

In fact, the FMCG category is losing an opportunity. It’s only the audio-visual medium which can create an emotional connect between the audience and the product. But people are advertising schemes and promotions on TV. Why use an expensive medium like TV for doing that?

Which brands are you currently working on?

I’m working on three Pidilite products — more Fevicol ads, Feviquik, and M-Seal. Others include Yahoo, Castrol, Femina and Limca. I have just finished work for Unilever’s Lipton Taaza.

How’s Indian creativity compared to world standards?

In pure art, we are on par. In advertising, there is a bit of science involved in art. We need to be creative in such a way that the other guy understands it exactly the way you want him/her to understand. To that extent, the foreign filmmakers have developed the art much better.

Of the 600 commercials we produce in a year, only one or two are good enough to be showcased abroad. A country like Germany makes just about 60 commercials but produces 12 to 13 award-winning films. That’s where the difference is. Also, we must take pride in what we do and stop treating the audience as doltish.

You’re planning a feature film?

I want to do a feature film because the canvas is so huge. Advertising can get away without emotional depth because it’s just a matter of seconds. A feature film is not just a long commercial. It needs a great capacity to be able to have and sustain an emotional depth.

Any comment on the future of the ad film industry?

A lot of foreign directors will move in to India. There’s a lot of work here but not a lot of quality work is coming out. Overseas, especially in Europe, there’s a shortage of work and far too many directors.