IGNCA EXHIBITION EXPLORES HOW FILM STARS AND ADVERTISING SHAPED INDIA’S CULTURAL MEMORY

The IGNCA Media Centre hosted Stars Shine in Ads: an Unique Ad Exhibition, tracing the role of film stars in Indian advertising and its cultural impact. Featuring discussions on creativity, language and legacy, the exhibition highlighted advertising as a powerful social document and paid tribute to advertising legend Piyush Pandey.  

The Media Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, turned the spotlight on the rich cultural and creative legacy of Indian advertising with a special exhibition titled Stars Shine in Ads: an Unique Ad Exhibition at the Samvet Auditorium. The exhibition brought together advertising professionals, filmmakers, scholars, students and enthusiasts to reflect on how advertising, often seen purely as a commercial activity, has played a defining role in shaping India’s visual culture, popular memory and everyday life.

The exhibition was inaugurated by film and theatre director and author Rama Pandey, IGNCA Member Secretary Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, and communication strategist Sushil Pandit, marking the opening of a carefully curated exploration of advertising’s relationship with cinema and celebrity. Shri Anurag Punetha, Controller of the Media Centre, delivered the inaugural address, setting the context for the initiative, while the exhibition itself was curated by Shri Iqbal Rizvi of the Media Centre, IGNCA. A panel discussion on the subject complemented the exhibition, allowing for deeper engagement with the themes on display.

Moving beyond the glamour of cinema, the exhibition examined how advertising served as a bridge between film stars and everyday life. Long before social media and digital influence, advertising brought cinematic personalities into homes, streets and conversations, making them familiar figures whose presence extended far beyond the silver screen. Film stars shaped public taste, fashion and aspiration, and the trust they inspired among audiences made them powerful voices in the evolution of Indian advertising. Their association with brands and products marked a crucial phase in the country’s visual and cultural history, revealing how popular imagery and commercial communication together influenced social behaviour and consumer culture.

The exhibition also served as a moment of remembrance and tribute to the legendary late Piyush Pandey, whose contribution to Indian advertising reshaped not just campaigns but the very language and imagination of communication in the country. His work demonstrated that advertising could speak in the idiom of ordinary people, drawing from shared emotions, humour and lived experience. In doing so, it transformed advertising into a cultural force that resonated deeply across regions, languages and generations.

Addressing the gathering, Rama Pandey offered a perspective that challenged conventional views of advertising. She said that advertising should not be seen merely as a play of emotions or as the language of the marketplace, but as a new, vibrant and contemporary form of literature. Drawing parallels with poetry, storytelling and drama, she noted that advertising too communicates profound ideas and emotions through a few words, visuals and fleeting moments. Just as poetry can convey deep feelings in a handful of lines and stories give meaning to ordinary life, advertising connects human beings through shared experiences and dialogue, often leaving a lasting impression far beyond the moment of consumption.

Pandey emphasised that the purpose of advertising is not limited to selling products. At its best, it builds trust, a sense of belonging and relationships in the minds of consumers. When advertising speaks in the language of the common person, reflecting everyday experiences, memories and aspirations, it transcends the boundaries of commerce to become a cultural document. This, she suggested, is why many advertisements remain etched in collective memory for years, making people smile, pause and reflect, and often capturing the spirit of an era more vividly than other forms of communication.

As media platforms continue to evolve rapidly—from radio to print, from television to digital and mobile screens—the responsibilities and challenges facing advertising have grown significantly. In such a context, the need to preserve, archive and critically understand advertising becomes increasingly important. Advertising, after all, does not merely chronicle the history of brands; it mirrors changing aspirations, social values and cultural shifts. The exhibition, therefore, offered audiences an opportunity to view advertising as a creative and intellectual form, shaped by emotion and language, and acquiring significance over time much like literature and art.

Sushil Pandit, speaking on the occasion, reflected on advertising from the perspective of journalism and media history. Recalling his years writing for The Indian Express and later The Telegraph, he said he came to realise that advertising has always reflected the social, cultural and economic changes of its time. He pointed out that there was a period when newspapers sold for one or one and a half rupees, a price that did not even cover printing costs. In such circumstances, advertising was the force that sustained print media, enabling editorial independence, continuity of writing and the very survival of newspapers and magazines.

Pandit noted that advertising not only supported the news industry but also gave sustenance to literature, poetry and cultural discourse. From the era of radio and newspapers to the rise of television, advertisements became an integral part of everyday life, gradually embedding themselves in collective memory. Over time, slogans, jingles and visuals crossed the boundary between commerce and culture, becoming shared reference points across society.

Highlighting Piyush Pandey’s legacy, Pandit said his greatest contribution lay in transforming the language of advertising from formal, distant messaging into a simple and intimate style of everyday conversation. It was a language that fostered trust, speaking to consumers as equals rather than targets. He emphasised that while technology, products and facilities can change and even be replicated, the emotional bond between a brand and its consumer is intangible and irreplaceable. The true power of advertising, he said, lies in building this relationship, creating not just need but desire, loyalty and trust.

Reflecting on the digital era, Pandit observed that while advertising mediums have become more targeted and technologically sophisticated, the challenges have also multiplied. The language, aspirations and worldview of the new generation are markedly different, and connecting with them requires an understanding that communication is not only about what is said, but how it is said. Sensitivity, authenticity and cultural awareness, he suggested, are more critical than ever in an age of constant information flow.

Concluding his remarks, Pandit said the exhibition offered a valuable opportunity to understand the long journey of Indian advertising, which has shaped consumer culture, creative expression and social behaviour. He congratulated the organisers for the initiative, noting that it is difficult to chart the direction of the future without understanding the past.

In his inaugural address, Shri Anurag Punetha highlighted IGNCA’s advertising archiving initiative, describing it as a dedicated effort to enrich and expand a vital visual record of India’s creative marketing journey. Through this exhibition, the initiative not only preserves advertisements but also creates a structured archive that captures the aesthetics, language, humour, social impact and nostalgia embedded in them. The presence of advertising students, researchers, enthusiasts and a wider audience underscored the growing recognition of advertising as an important area of cultural study.

Taken together, the exhibition and discussions at IGNCA reaffirmed the idea that advertising is far more than a commercial tool. It is a mirror to society, a record of changing times, and a creative form that continues to influence how people see themselves and the world around them. By bringing this history into focus, Stars Shine in Ads invited audiences to rediscover advertising as an integral part of India’s cultural narrative.