Adland Rockstars: Umma Saini

This week's rockstar is Umma Saini, copywriter, Saints & Warriors
 
Why did you get into advertising?
My interest in advertising started after I enrolled for my Bachelors in Mass Media course. That’s when I really started observing ads and began reading about them. One of our professors Mr Avinash Mantri, who taught us the subject, encouraged us a lot and I was hooked. Neither was there a childhood dream of being in advertising nor was it an ambition. My parents wanted me to become a doctor.
 
What is the best thing about your job?
I think it’s the process of seeing a simple thought take form into something bigger and going on to find its place in media and eventually in people’s minds. This job allows me to be myself. I’m not bound by strict rules. I don’t like confinement or adherence to procedures. A corporate job is not my cup of tea.
 
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what is that one thing you would like to have with you?

Would you believe it, I actually was stranded in the middle of a desert! I belong to Rajasthan and in my summer vacations, I’d wandered off once. I was paranoid! But to answer your question, I’d like to have enough food with me. If there’s a second option, a mobile phone would be great.
 
What is the one book you can read any number of times?
I usually read books once and that’s about it. But Sidney Sheldon’s Master of the Game got me interested for a second round. I also like The Kite Runner, but it’s too depressing to read another time.
 
Who is the one person in advertising you’d like to have dinner with?
Piyush Pandey. He is to advertising what Amitabh Bachchan is to Bollywood. I’d seen him at the Ad Club’s Young Achievers Awards and I just kept staring!
 
Who is the one person outside advertising you’d like to have dinner with?
At the risk of sounding like a teenybopper, let me say this: Shah Rukh Khan. He’s charming and despite having spent so many years in the industry, he has had no flings.