Who is Shimona Rashi? Viral Cadbury girl who became India’s ‘national crush in 90s’, she was discovered by ad legend Piyush Pandey after…
Advertising legend Piyush Pandey, the man behind iconic ads that defined the 1990s, passed away in Mumbai on Friday at the age of 70. Pandey’s work revolutionized India’s advertising industry in the 90s, including memorable one-liners like such as Fevicol’s “Jor laga ke haisha” and Asian Paints’ “Har ghar kuch kehta hai”.
However, the ad that arguably immortalized Piyush Pandey is the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk commercial which introduced us to Shimona Rashi, the bubbly Cadbury girl of the 90s, who became a viral sensation before the advent of social media, and became the nation’s heartthrob during the golden age of TV commercials in the country.
When Shimona Rashi became a viral sensation?
The Cadbury Dairy Milk which hit TV screens in 1994, essentially redefined India’s ad Industry, when a young woman draped in a floral blue dress, danced her way into the hearts of millions across the country.
The commercial showed the girl, Shimona Rashi, break into a spontaneous dig on a cricket field when her favourite cricketer scores the winning hit. The girl twirls past security guards in pure child-like joy, a chocolate bar in hand as the crowd roars and the music rises. She takes a big bite from the chocolate bar, and the iconic line appears on-screen; “Asli swaad zindagi ka.”
The commercial became an instant phenomenon and cemented the Cadbury girl as THE personification of joy, while Shimona Rashi became the heartthrob of millions, and a sort of “national crush” in an era dominated by cricket and news bulletins.
How Piyush Pandey found the Cadbury girl?
The story began in 1994 when Cadbury needed an image makeover as a brand not just for kids, but for grown-ups, especially young adults. At the time, Piyush Pandey was vacationing in the US on Diwali when he got a call from his boss, Ogilvy, asking him conceptualise an ad commercial for Cadbury that would “make chocolate cool for grown-ups.”
Pandey immediately booked a flight back home to Mumbai (then Bombay), and during the journey, scribbled something that would later become the ad’s emotional hook. “There’s something so real… in everyone. There’s something so real… ask anyone,” he jotted down on the back of his boarding pass.
After getting the tune composed by jazz legend Louis Banks and getting an Indianized version composed by Shankar Mahadevan, Piyush Pandey focused on finding a face for the commercial, someone who embodied the uninhibited joy the campaign wanted to convey.
Piyush Pandey wanted someone with a “girl next-door” vibe, not a glamorous model or professional dancer, and finally picked Shimona Rashi for the Cadbury campaign.
Rashi was not a trained dancer, making her unchoreographed dancing style raw and expressive, with a ‘realness’ Pandey had envisioned for the ad, which was later directed by Mahesh Mathai and shot at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The iconic sequence featuring Shimona Rashi was filmed in a single take without any retakes or rehearsals, giving it the ‘real’ vibe which has made it such a memorable commercial.
“When we saw her move, we knew it was perfect. It didn’t look performed. It looked felt,” an Ogilvy team member was quoted as saying.
Who was Piyush Pandey, India’s ‘adman’?
‘India’s Adman’, Piyush Pandey, who redefined advertising in the country by making Hindi mainstream with liberal dosages of humour and broke the mould of English-dominated campaigns, died on Friday morning due to illness.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, condoled the death of Jaipur-born Pandey (70), who gave memorable ads for brands such as Cadbury’s (Asli Swaad Zindagi ka), Fevicol (Yeh Fevicol ka Jod Hai, Tutega Nahi) and the famous political slogan ‘Abki Baar, Modi Sarkaar’.
“Shri Piyush Pandey Ji was admired for his creativity. He made a monumental contribution to the world of advertising and communications,” Modi said in a post on X. “I will fondly cherish our interactions over the years. Saddened by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister said.
Calling Pandey a “titan and legend” of Indian advertising, Sitharaman said he transformed communication by “bringing everyday idioms, earthy humour and genuine warmth”. The finance minister said his legacy will continue to inspire generations.
Pandey’s Cadbury girl ad featuring Shimona Rashi was named “Campaign of the Century” at the Advertising Club Bombay’s Abby Awards, and has won almost every major advertising award.
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