ATV star who became the voice of consumers

She was a commanding presence, whether she was playing a housewife or a police officer.

And yet, Kaveta Chaudhry who died on Thursday, following a cardiac arrest, aged 67 remains best known for a single character she played in a series of TV commercials: Lalita ji, of the Surfads that aired from 1984 on.

Chaudhry would go on to star in and direct the TV series Udaan (1989-91); write, direct and act in the TV series Your Honour (2000-01); write the film Badhaai Ho Badhaai (2002) directed by Satish Kaushik. Yet, when news broke that she had died, it was Lalita ji that people thought of, tweeted about, and mourned.

The rather stern wife and mother was an unusual character for her time. For one thing, homemakers in TV commercials didn't often venture forth to argue with male shopkeepers, alone. They didn't stalk about, speaking sharply of maths; they tended to smile a lot instead.

Lalita ji was so unusual for her time that the idea was initially rejected by the team at Hindustan Lever, says advertising veteran Ambi Parameswaran, author of Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles: India through 50 Years of Advertising.