The recent passing of Bollywood actor Satish Kaushik has brought to mind one of his memorable advertisements from the 1980s promoting eggs. The ad was produced by the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), which was created by Dr. BV Rao of Venkateshwara Hatcheries to combat the exploitation of poultry farmers. However, NECC faced the challenge of increasing egg consumption among Indians, which led to the creation of an ad campaign that highlighted the benefits of eggs. One of these ads featured Kaushik, who was a popular actor at the time.
The egg ad was directed by Kailash Surendranath, who did not know Kaushik personally. However, the actor was supportive and cooperative throughout the production. Kaushik did not even ask for a fee for his endorsement. The ad featured Kaushik as a magician who pulls eggs out of his hat instead of pigeons, which struck a chord with kids. The ad was ahead of its time in terms of visual effects, as it featured an egg floating in the air before Kaushik caught it. Surendranath revealed that they used an invisible thread for this effect, which was also used in the movie Mr. India.
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The ad was a huge success and was shown in cinemas and on television. It became popular for its catchy jingle, which was a re-make of a song from a 1947 movie called Shehnai. The ad also contributed to increasing egg consumption in India, which was the primary goal of NECC’s campaign. Surendranath shared that he and Kaushik used to greet each other with the jingle whenever they met after the ad’s production.
Overall, the egg ad featuring Satish Kaushik was a memorable and effective campaign that promoted the benefits of eggs in a creative way.
