Down Memory Lane
The Torn Screen
By Rafiq Ebrahim Valjee
IL
Late Mr S. M. Akhlaque, Chief Executive of ADCOM, had a bright idea for a commercial fo
r Honda 125 cc Motorcycle. He called a meeting which was attended by a copywriter, the producer and me. He expressed his idea. We were silent for a moment, imagining how it would be possible to film such a shot. “Mr Akhlaque how can a bike speed through a paper screen?” asked the producer.
The boss just smiled and said, “The paper used for the screen will be extremely brittle, and there will be a hidden slit in the middle which would tear up and give room to the bike to pass through.”
The idea seemed workable. Our pretty copywriter was asked to prepare a script, the art director would be making a visual.
I took the story board to the client when it was completed. It was immediately approved, with only one remark from the CEO. “Will that be possible?”
“Sir,” I said, “Our boss is a creative genius, and very rarely he fails in his endeavors.”
“Go ahead. Inform me about the date and location and I’ll try to be present there.”
Our production manager was asked to get the screen made with two strong iron poles on the sides. In a couple of days, we were ready. The unit went to a football field, the screen was firmly rooted. The client also came to witness the shot. The producer was ready with the camera, and a motorcyclist on his bike was about to make a dash.
As soon as the ‘Camera, Action” call was made, a strong wind blew and tore open the brittle screen, before the motorcyclist even started. There was a pin-drop silence. Mr Akhlaque slumped down on a chair, catching his forehead with his hand. We all controlled our laughter.
The shoot was cancelled.
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