Veteran theatre personality, ad guru Alyque Padamsee passes away at 90

Veteran actor, theatre personality and advertising guru Alyque Padamsee died here on Saturday morning, family sources said. He was 90.

He had been ailing since sometime before he breathed his last at around 5.30 a.m. at a private hospital.

He is survived by two former wives and a former partner and four children, besides other relatives, several of them prominent names in the glamour and entertainment industry.

Among various professional achievements, Padamsee is best remembered for his role of a stern and stubborn Mohammed Ali Jinnah in Richard Attenborough's multi-Oscar award winner classic, "Gandhi" (1982).

A renowned personality in the English theatre scene, he produced around 70 plays, including notable ones like "Evita", "Tughlaqa, "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Death of a Salesman", "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Broken Images".

During his career in advertising, most notably as the Chief Executive of one of India's biggest advertising agencies, Lintas India from 1980-1994, Padamsee was involved in nurturing and building over a 100 major products/brands through catchy and imaginative campaign.

He shot to global fame in brand promotions with memorable and highly successful advertising campaigns like the Liril girl in a waterfall, Lalitaji in Surf, Hamara Bajaj, MRF Muscle Man, Cherry Blossom and the Kamasutra Couple among others.

Later, in 1994, he founded and was the CEO of AP Advertising Pvt. Ltd., specialising in image and communication consultancies for celebrities and brands, both domestic and international.

Alyque was born in an aristocratic but highly conservative Khoja Muslim family to Jafferbhai and Kulsumbai Padamsee of Gujarat. One of his brothers is the famous modern Indian art painter Akbar Padamsee.

Padamsee was conferred several honours during his lifetime including the Padma Shri, Advertising Man of The Century and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna.