He’s one of Indian advertising’s sharpest minds and one of Bollywood’s most distinctive filmmakers — R. Balki joins Cyrus for an unfiltered, hilarious, deeply insightful episode.

Balki takes us through his iconic campaigns (Hoodibaba, Surf Excel Ha Na, Idea), the mistakes that taught him everything, the famous suitcase incident, and how a Lifebuoy brainstorm accidentally led to Cheeni Kum.

From Amitabh Bachchan’s reaction to a terrible car, to clients who swear sweetly, to why one idea is always better than twenty, this is a storytelling masterclass.

They dive into:

How Balki stumbled into advertising

The Mudra ‘100-word ad’ that changed his life

The Maruti Versa disaster featuring the Bachchans

The birth of the ‘Idea’ & ‘Surf Excel Ha Na’ campaigns

Why Hoodibaba was one word that saved an entire account

Film inspirations & his move to cinema

His funniest client fights & pitch room meltdowns

It's witty, nostalgic, and loaded with brilliant insights.

A must-watch for anyone who loves ads, films, or madness.

He&rsquo;s one of Indian advertising&rsquo;s sharpest minds and one of Bollywood&rsquo;s most distinctive filmmakers &mdash; R. Balki joins Cyrus for an unfiltered, hilarious, deeply insightful episode.
Balki takes us through his iconic campaigns (Hoodibaba, Surf Excel Ha Na, Idea), the mistakes that taught him everything, the famous suitcase incident, and how a Lifebuoy brainstorm accidentally led to Cheeni Kum.
From Amitabh Bachchan&rsquo;s reaction to a terrible car, to clients who swear sweetly, to why one idea is always better than twenty, this is a storytelling masterclass.
They dive into:
How Balki stumbled into advertising
The Mudra &lsquo;100-word ad&rsquo; that changed his life
The Maruti Versa disaster featuring the Bachchans
The birth of the &lsquo;Idea&rsquo; &amp; &lsquo;Surf Excel Ha Na&rsquo; campaigns
Why Hoodibaba was one word that saved an entire account
Film inspirations &amp; his move to cinema
His funniest client fights &amp; pitch room meltdowns
It's witty, nostalgic, and loaded with brilliant insights.
A must-watch for anyone who loves ads, films, or madness.

Broadcasting through the week with a rotating panel of guests, Cyrus Says is the definitive show on life in urban India, politics, sports, civic sense, traffic, kids, food, and everything that matters. Mostly.

Broadcasting through the week with a rotating panel of guests, Cyrus Says is the definitive show on life in urban India, politics, sports, civic sense, traffic, kids, food, and everything that matters. Mostly.