25102025-LSTL-01.qxd 10/24/2025 7:47 PM Page 1 c m y b VIVEK OBEROI JOINS TEAM SPIRIT Vivek Oberoi will be seen playing a pivotal role in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s directorial Spirit, which already stars Prabhas as the main lead. On Prabhas’ birthday on Thursday, Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared the film’s audio teaser in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. TRIBUNE Back in action Life Jon Bon Jovi will return to the stage again. The 63-year-old music icon announced his band, Bon Jovi, will launch its international The Forever Tour in July 2026. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 25 OCTOBER 2025 Piyush Pandey, who turned glue, chocolate and paint into emotions, passes away at 70 Mona A Saiyami turns Roman holiday into a marathon memory Actress and fitness enthusiast Saiyami Kher made the most of her holidays this year by combining two of her greatest joys family time and running. Saiyami, who is known for her disciplined fitness regime and passion for endurance sports, spent her vacation in Rome with her parents and sister. While enjoying the beautiful sights, history, and cuisine of the Eternal City, she didn’t miss the chance to lace up her shoes and participate in the Half Rome Marathon. Known for her participation in Ironman triathlons and long-distance runs, Saiyami has often spoken about how fitness is not just a part of her routine but a lifestyle. Saiyami said, “The best way to see a city is on foot…running through its streets and feeling its energy. Every time I travel, I try to do a half marathon there. It’s my favourite way to explore. Rome honestly has to be one of the prettiest runs I’ve ever done. From the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain and finishing at the Colosseum, it felt like running through a postcard. The weather was perfect, the air was fresh, and every corner had some piece of history waiting for me. There were moments I forgot I was even racing. I was just grinning and soaking it all in. And after 21 km through the heart of Rome, I definitely earned every slice of pizza and gelato that followed.” S news of India’s celebrated ad guru Piyush Pandey’s passing broke on Friday morning, the nation was swept with nostalgia — memories of jingles like You & I in This Beautiful World, Kuch Khaas Hai Hum Sabhi Mein, Googly Woogly Woosh and countless others came rushing back. He was 70. One of India’s most cherished storyteller — the man who turned glue, chocolate and even paint into emotions — taught Indian advertising to speak in its own language. A Padma Shri awardee and the Chief Executive Chairman (India) of Ogilvy, Pandey won nearly every major advertising honour, multiple times over. He was also an accomplished author, penning books as Pandeymonium and Open House with Piyush Pandey, offering an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man who made India smile, sing and believe. The Jaipur boy, who went at St Stephen’s College, Delhi for higher studies, often credited life itself for teaching him advertising. “Everything around you is a lesson — don’t ignore it; there’s so much to learn,” he would say. He also credited the creative energy within his home that shaped him into a storyteller. The eighth child after seven sisters, Piyush was obsessed with cricket, while his sisters were immersed in creative pursuits — one played the sitar, another excelled in debates, and yet another sang (his elder sister is the renowned singer Ila Arun). Pandey often said that the rhythm, emotion and energy of his household were his first lessons in creativity. He also acknowledged the role of Indian Railways for turning him into such a relatable storyteller. In fact, one of his books has an entire chapter dedicated to it titled Training on Wheels. While studying and playing cricket, Piyush travelled the length and The man who redefined the ad world Celebs pay tribute Fevicol ka jod toot gaya. The ad world lost its glue today. Go well Piyush Pandey. — HANSAL MEHTA In transit overseas. Hard to believe Piyush’s laughter is now only in memory. What a remarkable era — a man who made work feel like life itself. One for whom emotion was strategy, and simplicity, craft. Farewell, Piyush — the ad world will forever carry your signature and magic, and in so many of us, your authenticity and laughter will echo forever. Om shanti. — PRASOON JOSHI Make heavens bubblier and more cheerful with your wit! Dear Piyush. — RAVEENA TANDON Piyush Pandey wasn’t just an ad man — he was one of India’s finest storytellers. He taught us that emotion is the truest language of creativity. His words made brands human, and ideas immortal. Farewell to a legend who made us feel, think, and smile. — SMRITI IRANI THE WORDS THAT DEFINED A NATION 1. Fevicol Ka Mazboot Jod Hai Tootega Nahi (Fevicol) 2. Kuch Khaas Hai Hum Sabhi Mei (Cadbury Dairy Milk) 3. You & I in This Beautiful World (Vodafone / Hutch) 4. Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai (Asian Paints) 5. Googly Woogly Woosh (Pond) 6. Do Boond Zindagi Ke (Pulse Polio) 7. Hamara Bajaj (Bajaj) 8. Kuch Din to Gujaro Gujarat Me (Gujarat Tourism) 9. Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar (Bharatiya Janata Party) 10. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara (National Integration) breadth of India by train — sometimes for over 48 hours at a stretch. Those journeys, spent observing people and conversations, became his window into the real India. They later inspired some of his most memorable ad campaigns. For Piyush, the brief was always simple: tell an engaging story. He believed the true measure of a great ad was not numbers or hits but whether people talked about it. Cadbury, for him, was not selling chocolates but stood for generosity! Remember Shah Rukh Khan turning the brand ambassador for your local grocerywala... Over three decades, he cre- ated unforgettable campaigns for Fevicol and Cadbury, among many others. His inspiration came from everyday people — like his barber who asked him, ‘Fevicol ka naya ad kab la rahe ho?’ to thousands who wrote to him suggesting concepts for the next Fevicol commercial. Humble, he embraced their enthusiasm with gratitude and humour. That was Piyush Pandey — a man who never stopped observing, learning and connecting with the pulse of India. Among the countless jingles he created and the many lessons he left behind, we want to remember him by this that he spoke in his one of his last interviews, “Computer mein jhaankoge to data dikhega, nazar uthaoge to duniya dikhegi — find the balance!” From Daag acche hai to Har ghar kuch kehta hai’. These were never mere slogans — they were a perspective, a way to live life with an open heart. That is the true, lasting magic of Piyush Pandey Ji. Now that you are taking your curtain call, we would all like to thank you for making TV time fun and enriching at the same time. — VIVEK OBEROI. — PTI Pitbull to perform in Ayushmann all for Thamma-style India success party Ayushmann Khurrana is basking in the success of his latest horror-comedy Thamma, which has been receiving love from moviegoers ever since its Diwali release. The film has been praised for its entertaining story and performances, and Ayushmann seems thrilled with it. When asked if there were any plans for a success party in ‘Thamma style’, possibly “in the jungle,” the actor couldn’t help but laugh. Created under the Maddock Films banner, Thamma is the fifth film in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, following Stree, Roohi, Bhediya and Munjya. — ANI Grammy Award-winning musician Pitbull is all set to enthral the Indian audience with his gigs in Gurugram and Hyderabad. The Give Me Everything hit-maker will first perform at HUDA Grounds in Gurugram on December 6 and STRANGER THINGS finale to release in theatres The two-hour series finale of Stranger Things is set to release in theatres, also marking the first time for the Netflix show to be exhibited theatrically. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known as The Duffer Brothers, the fifth and final season of the series is set to stream on Netflix and will comprise eight episodes, divided in three parts. The first two volumes will stream on the platform on November 26 and December 25. The finale will release on December 31. The climactic episode, titled The Rightside Up, will also be screened in 350 movie theatres on December 31. Set in the 1980’s, the story c m y b of Stranger Things revolves around the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, after a young girl with psychokinetic abilities opens a gateway between Earth and a hostile alternate dimension. It features Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler and Millie Bobby Brown in the role of Jane Hopper, among others. After the release of the first season in 2016, the horror sci-fi series garnered massive response from the audience, which was followed by the follow-up seasons in 2017, 2019 and 2022, respectively. — PTI then will head to Hyderabad on December 8. Excited about bringing his electrifying I’m Back tour to India, Pitbull said, “It’s truly an honour to perform back in India, we look forward bringing the party back.” — ANI