bhinay Ramesh Deo has been involved with ad filmmaking for a dozen years. But 2005 has been big for him: many of the year's most appreciated TV commercials have been made by him. The roll of honour last year includes Surf Excel (little children in a puddle), The Times of India (hockey nostalgia) and perhaps the year's most discussed campaign, the one for the State Bank of India.

An architect by training, Abhinay practised that profession for a few months before joining O&M; in 1993 as a film executive and stayed there till 1997 when he joined Mahesh Mathai's Highlight Films as a film director. In 2000, he joined his family firm (his parents were well known on Marathi stage and in Hindi films), Ramesh Deo Productions, to start an advertising cell there. He has since made more than 200 TVCs, for a whole bunch of big brand names. ... more