A joyride of a lifetime astride a bull in a china shop
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âHe was the glue that kept his lieutenants -Arvind, Ambi, Niteen, Shashi and yours truly- together,â writes Nagesh Alai, in a memoir for Ulkaâs Anil Kapoor, who passed away last week.
Anil Kapoor used to laugh uproariously and use cuss words; in private I used the epithet âBilly the Bullâ, just to needle him. He was a man of extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, candour and leadership.
Going down memory lane, I, as a rookie, met AK for the first time in July 1983, in Boots Pharmaceuticals, in his smoke-filled cabin - a huge figure with a lit cigarette in hand (he used to be a chain smoker). Over the next four years (AK left Boots in October 1986), he was a constant factor in the cabin of my boss, DM Gavaskar, discussing pharma business propositions, plans, pricing and profits and the then incipient launch of the consumer products division. It soon became a reality under AKâs stewardship and made fabulous strides with the launch/re-launch of marquee brands like Coldarin, Strepsils, Burnol, Sweetex, etc., giving sleepless nights to the P&Gs of the world and of course to the agency partners, HTA and Clarion.