Throwback Thursday: Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea's musical repositioning

Today is International Tea Day. On this hallowed occasion, we reviewed a hallowed ad from the annals of Indian advertising that celebrates the most hallowed drink of India. It's possibly the most memorable Indian tea ad from the days of yore. We're talking about the iconic Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea ad with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain.

Released in 1988, the ad shows a spirited Hussain playing the tabla in front of the eponymous Taj Mahal interspersed with shots of a tea master checking tea leaves for colour, aroma and overall quality. The rising crescendo of the maestro's tabla is the only accompanying music in the film. The ad ends with someone complimenting Hussain's performance by saying "Wah Ustaad," to which he replies, "Arey huzoor, wah Taj boliye."


Before 1988, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea was meant for the elite Indian tea connoisseurs with a western bent of mind. Launched in 1966, the brand roped in celebrities like Zeenat Aman and Malavika Tiwari, who were quite western in their outlook, to endorse the product. The objective is to project the brand as an aspirational, elite product.

Something changed in the 80s when the makers of the brand realised that the tea was also quite popular among the aspirational middle class. They then decided to expand the market and reach out to this hitherto ignored section of consumers.

Quantum, a research agency, was roped in to gather consumer feedback on the brand. They noted that the Taj Mahal tea leaves were different from the others in the market, and consumers praised them for their unique brown colour and heady aroma.

In need of repositioning, Brooke Bond tasked Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA) and asked them to look at the brand through a fresh pair of eyes.

HTA, in their research, also found that the process of vetting tea leaves was crucial in deciding the flavour and colour of the beverage, a job done by the tea master. They felt it was important to let the audience know the care taken by the company in bringing the finest tea to the consumers.

The agency felt it necessary to realign the brand's identity with its Indian consumers. To do that, the campaign will need a brand ambassador with a strong Indian connection and western sensibilities.

HTA's KS Chakravarthy (Chax), who was a fan of the tabla, thought this was a job cut out for Ustad Hussain, who was flown down from San Fransisco to Agra for the ad. The rest was history. According to internet lore, Hussain was so delighted by the idea that he paid for his own airfares to come to India. The iconic ad equated Hussain's discipline and rigour to become an accomplished tabla player to Brooke Bond Taj Mahal's own commitment towards perfecting tea leaves.

Two years later, the Ustad would go on to star in another Taj Mahal Tea ad but this time with his own disciple, a young Aditya Kalyanpur. The two would perform an unforgettable jugalbandi against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal.



In 2021, food delivery app Swiggy also tipped its hat to the ad for its Instamart service.


In the coming years, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal stayed true to its association with musical artists and featured famous musicians such as santoor player Rahul Sharma, sitar maestro Niladri Kumar and more recently, singer Nirali Karthik.