Driven entrepreneur, devoted marine life conservationist, scuba diving instructor, yoga lover, backbone of the spirited Kakar family… Mitali Kakar is all this and more. We ask her to share her interesting world with us – one built on love, purpose and quiet strength.
By Andrea CostaBir
I’ve known legendary, super successful adman and entrepreneur Prahlad Kakar and his charming, lovely wife Mitali Kakar for close to 30 years. While Prahlad has been the ‘Badshah of the Ball’ at all times, Mitali has always been her beautiful, grounded self who graciously gives him the bandwidth to flourish, while being his unrivalled support system. And the best part is, she always charts her own remarkable course through it all! Let’s get to know her better.
Excerpts from the interview…
When one thinks Mitali Kakar, one thinks of quiet, steely strength that always has the back of legendary ad filmmaker, entrepreneurial genius and author Prahlad Kakar. But Mitali wears many hats too – sharp entrepreneur, devoted marine life conservationist, backbone of the Kakar family. …So, please give us an insight into your core.
I have the privilege of being born to very loving, generous, rooted parents who encouraged our independence and education from a very young age. Having a solid, loving upbringing defines your coping mechanisms in life and gives you the strength and fortitude to deal with anything. I think this helped me overcome obstacles and wear many hats, the most challenging of course being married to and working with a creative genius, Madman Adman. Bringing up my three boys, while juggling demanding deadlines and gruelling schedules, was relatively easier! Doing yoga and pranayam every morning is a way of centering my core and giving me clarity, and this has helped me over the years.
Advertising lore credits you with amazing business acumen that kept Prahlad’s beloved Genesis Film Production, India’s premier ad filmmaking company, super profitable and flying high for decades… did you really crack the whip, while allowing Prahlad to concentrate on his creative pursuits? And more importantly, did you enjoy cracking the whip?! 🙂
Both Prahlad and I are first-generation business people, without any business degree or MBA, so I am not sure about the business acumen you refer to! However, I did learn on the job, and really fast. Prahlad allowed me the freedom to manage budgeting and financials at a very young age. This gave me the confidence and latitude to truly understand numbers, albeit sometimes through trial and error. Having a deep understanding of how my director is visualising the film helped me break down scripts into numbers and negotiate with clients on projects. Even though dealing with clients was challenging, especially collecting balance payments, I did enjoy the work we did, and I can say, we lived in the Golden Era of Advertising – working on some great campaigns and well-written scripts (mostly re-worked on by Prahlad). It was a different time, where he regularly fought for what he believed in and we got to work on some epic campaigns, and clients got the best out of us. Today, a producer would lose the project for disagreeing with a client and not giving him exactly what he wants. Prahlad and I had very clear-cut roles in the business – Prahlad handled the creative side and I managed the business end of Genesis, and it worked for four decades, where we produced some of the most memorable campaigns for Pepsi, Nestle, Britannia and others.
From the glitzy advertising world to the calming deep sea as diving instructor… you balanced both ships with elan. Tell us about your family-owned and run diving institute, Lacadives in the Lakshadweep and now in the Andamans.
Scuba Diving is one of the best things that happened to us, as a family. I did all my training in Mauritius, 1989 onward, trained by my scuba guru, Hugues Vitry, who is the reason I made it to Instructor level after many a struggle! It’s just one of the most transformative, meditative and exciting sports, and everyone should try it once in life. This is the reason Lacadives was born in the early ‘90s. Prahlad and I wanted to share this incredible journey with friends and create a community of divers and ocean lovers in India. Yes, it started as a small family-run business in Kadmat – Lakshadweep, in collaboration with the government and the local islanders, the first of its kind at the time and despite the challenges, it was determination and passion that pushed us to continue. My children and extended family and friends are truly blessed to have experienced these amazing islands in the early ‘90s with such bio diverse, abundant coral reefs and pristine waters. All three boys are divers (our eldest is an Instructor), and two of them work on underwater films and documentaries.
ReefWatch Marine Conservation was an extension of this love for the ocean and the desire to preserve this fragile ecosystem and treasure. More on that later. Today, Lacadives is based in the Andaman Islands and has new partners, and is growing the community of scuba divers every year.
Mitali, please cue us into your NGO ReefWatch Marine Conservation, and all the great work that you’ll have been doing to save our oceans and marine life over the years.
ReefWatch was primarily started with the intention of teaching young children about the ocean – taking them to coral reef areas and showing them the wonders of marine life in and along the coast. I think registering the NGO, explaining to government officers what we wanted to do and why, was the most challenging part. Getting funding for marine conservation projects was next to impossible in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but I just didn’t give up. Today, we have corporate sponsors and donors who support us and make our work possible. Our conservation work spans India along the coastal areas and the islands working on mega fauna, coral reef research, restoration and awareness. During the monsoon months, our marine animal stranding, rescue and rehabilitation project grows with turtles, dolphins and sea birds getting caught in ghost nets and ingesting ocean debris, needing immediate attention. Our Marine Vets and volunteers have had a busy monsoon this year, the accelerating rate of marine pollution affecting our oceans is alarming. It affects each one of us on this planet in more ways than you know. Every one of us is an integral part of the environment and not separate from it; every damaging action affects us directly. The well-being of this planet ensures our own well-being. Nothing is possible without a dedicated team and whether it was our film team, dive team or conservation team, Prahlad and I have always been blessed with dedicated, hardworking, committed people working with us. We are one big tribe, a family that we can count on and which is there to support Gen Next.
The Kakar family has floated various hospitality ventures (restaurants and resorts). Do tell us of your involvement in them.
As you can tell by now, Prahlad is a serial entrepreneur! He would start these new projects knowing he had a safety net in me to manage them. Sometimes, I would be involved initially getting the team together and then the team would run the day-to-day operations. Like the Tea Lounge in Churchgate, remembered to date for its wide selection of fabulous Darjeeling and Assam teas and high tea. Having been born and raised in the lush green tea estates of North Bengal (my father worked for a British tea company, Duncan Brothers), I spent an idyllic childhood in the jungles and rolling verdant hills of Darjeeling, going to the factory and tea tasting sessions with my dad. He was instrumental in influencing Prahlad’s love for fine teas and how the brewing process was so important to savour its flavours. The Tea Lounge was not only a restaurant, it was a tea education center where we ran tea tasting workshops and Japanese tea ceremonies. The only space of its kind in the city, until the Tea Board wanted to run it themselves as a samosa and vada joint.
There were two others (a food cart Sarson da Saaga), Joe de Vivre (restobar, short-lived), and more recently The LoveFools run by Chef Sarita and her team. Chef Sarita rents our bungalow, situated in one of the few cobble street villages left in Bandra, and runs her fine-dining restaurant. I share my ideas and feedback with her, as a friend, and support her whenever she needs it. The restaurant business is tough and you have to be agile and reinvent yourself if something is not working.
Big Tree Resort is a beautiful boutique property we co-own with our partners (we actually sold one of our film offices in Tardeo to invest in land in the Andamans over a decade ago), and it’s probably one of the better investments we made. Hidden in a tropical forest, this Balinese-style, private farm-to-fork property is a jewel built with love and care. The bamboo Yogashala overlooking the rice fields is a peaceful sanctuary to start your mornings. With the Dive Center six minutes away, this is an ideal yoga and diving getaway amidst nature. Currently, the new ayurveda spa is getting its last-minute touches, in time for the high season and a relaxing digital detox retreat. Doing the ayurveda panchkarma treatment during the monsoons is ideal and hopefully, this will be a new revenue stream in the off-season.
You’ve been a yoga practitioner for years. What drew you to yoga, and how has it helped you over the years – both physically and mentally?
For me, yoga is not an exercise of postures; it is my life. This ancient Vedic system of transformation enables you to break through your limitations, chemistry and fundamental nature, opening up endless possibilities. Good health is a by-product of yoga, and yes, having a healthy body and mind is important to me. Having Sadhguru in my life has given me the opportunity to introspect, explore and experience my life energy in the most explosive ways through the programs and practices offered by the Isha Foundation. I am grateful every day for the blessings in my life.
A close aide of Sadhguru and also a part of the team that works with him (you handle the grand yearly Mahashivratri celebrations at the ashram), do share little nuggets of your association with him and your belief in his teachings.
Isha is a volunteer-run organisation and I am just one of the million part-time volunteers. I am on the Western region panel (that is more a planning and strategy group) and yes, am also part of the Artist Care team for Mahashivratri. MSR is one of the largest events in the Isha calendar and I am just a very small contributor to the event; just to clarify, I definitely don’t handle the event! It’s an auspicious moonless night of performances, dance, sound and light and powerful meditations to keep awake and partake of the upsurge of cosmic energies. This recharges our inner battery for the coming year and is a magical experience, not to be missed.
Yes, in the early days, I was part of the core team that helped put together some of the professionals who now help us with the sound, lights, artists and the event management (from my film crew experience), but today we have thousands of volunteers in every department to make this event happen. Without Sadhguru’s guidance, none of this would be possible. Being able to volunteer and do seva in my small way is a way to give back; this is a tradition that is deep within our culture. I think this goes back to my father who taught us the importance of sharing and giving back, and meeting Sadhguru in the early 2000s reinforced this and opened up a whole Universe within me.
Prahlad always credits you for bringing up and keeping in check four raucous boys – the three sons you’ll have and himself! Do give us a glimpse of Mama Kakar holding it all together.
Prahlad never interfered in any of my decisions with the children, their schooling, or their holiday plans. He gave me free rein to grow and never questioned my decisions or diminished me in any way. I think respect and support are extremely important in your primary relationships, and we both have a mutual love and respect. We are like chalk and cheese to people who don’t know us, but our value systems and work ethic are similar, and I guess that is important for a business and/ or relationship to work!
Since both Prahlad and I were working parents, one of us had to take a step back from our gruelling film schedules and be there for the boys. Which is why I took an office five minutes from home and set up my company, Offspring in the late ‘80s. This way, I could manage our international projects, the finances and investments, and be near my kids. Being there for my boys was important to me, especially at school drop time, meal times and bedtime. I had a post-school evening routine: Play 4-6 p.m., bath at 6 p.m., dinner at 6.30 p.m., reading and quiet time before bed at 8 p.m. I believe all children need the security of routine and a framework of time within which they function. Luckily, this was an era before screens and phones, so kids played in the garden, swam, played sports and were exhausted by bedtime!
My friends all knew my kids’ non-negotiable schedule was cast in stone and would make plans with me only after 8 p.m! Having grown up in boarding schools with Irish nuns and a strict regimen of timings, my boys, to date, make fun of me for wanting to reach the airport 2.5 hours before a flight… but that’s just how I roll. I would like to think my boys are emotionally stable, honest, compassionate individuals and I am proud of them.
You share a wonderful equation with your daughters-in-law and grandchildren… what advice would you give other women navigating their way through the lives of their adult children and their families?
Family is important to me; it’s how we were brought up. Being there for my boys and their life partners and friends is second nature to me. My sister and mother live in Calcutta (Kolkata) and I visit them at least three to four times a year; sometimes I wish we lived closer. Luckily, my nieces live very close to us and the older one has two amazing boys who are a ray of sunshine in our lives. We are all close and meet whenever we can. I babysit whenever I am not travelling and am free because I want to be part of their growing years. Besides, I learn so much more from them than they could from me! Bonding with them in our farmhouse, where I experience their free spirit and their boundless energy, is invaluable. Children are like sponges, they absorb through osmosis and observation. The one thing that is a universal language across the planet is love. Too much love never spoilt a child, too little may!
I have a large extended family of friends like family from my childhood to adulthood, and they are a part of a support system I value. It takes a village to raise a child and we are lucky to have that in India. In my experience, women are the glue that holds families together. I cannot advise women, I can only share my experiences which have taught me everything. Self-care is very important both emotionally and physically, so do what works for you – yoga, Tai Chi, walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, counselling, volunteering, panchkarma. One can be there for others only when one is strong, stable and fulfilled. Focus on your inner well-being, it is your best investment.
Now, the grand finale… you cope and keep conquering a challenging yet charmed life with a larger-than-life husband, and all the paraphernalia that comes with him. How do you flourish while doing it?? And what’s your advice for people in similar positions?
Like I said earlier, Prahlad never tried to control me (I think he knew he couldn’t); in fact, he set me free. It takes a secure, confident and intelligent man to do this in a marriage. We both worked very hard in the initial years growing the business and sure, I had to adjust and multitask, but my dad taught me very early in life, “The more you do in life, the more you can do. The less you do, the less you can do.” So just embrace all the opportunities that come your way, even if you fail at some of them; failure is the best teacher. Life has been a rollercoaster and being with someone like Prahlad has not been easy, trust me, but the good part is what you see is what you get. No hidden agenda, no filters!
He is larger-than-life, but he never brought that image home and so the children had a very grounded upbringing, never thinking we were in some glamourous profession where things came easy. Whatever you decide to do in life, give it your 100%, your best. Film production gave us our livelihood and access, but it did not define me. The desire to be something more always resonated within me, and I don’t mean in a material way. Today, I am open to every possibility, I look forward to exploring the joyful adventure that is Life, and I have my guru by my side. I am in grace.
