Call it a repulsive habit or blame the humidity, but public scratching of the scrotal sack is a common sight in a tropical country like India.
We put this long-standing discipline into the spotlight with a satirical take of our own.
First came the thematic film to set context. It captured the essence of homegrown champions all over. Ugghhh...
It had known billiard shots woven into the narrative, complemented by some great guerilla footage of ingenious scratching. And introduced it as an organized league of chumps - The Indian Pocket Billiards League or The IPBL (India's IPL is a massive cricket league so we used something similar sounding, ha).
Once that was established, I wanted to go deeper and carve out some folklore heroes. Basically, we created marquee players, local legends, and made IPBL promo films for each.
First up, a son of the soil, rooted in the chawls of Mumbai (residential buildings for lower socio-economic communities), Carromball Kamble aka The Brute, grew up playing carrom in
his community and went on to implement the same technique to pocket billiards.
First up, a son of the soil, rooted in the chawls of Mumbai (residential buildings for lower socio-economic communities), Carromball Kamble aka The Brute, grew up playing carrom in
his community and went on to implement the same technique to pocket billiards.
Secondly, we have The Monk. Some say he didn't scratch his scrotum for a thousand years as he was meditating, until one day, he scratched with his mind. Insane.
SURROUND CONTENT
The films were supported by plenty of ridiculous lists and articles on the portal itself.
First up, the holy books.
First up, the holy books.
Secondly, trading cards! We created these ancient and modern legends. Heard of the terrible twins, Dang Lin & Jang Lin?
Lastly, many top players push the boundaries of pocket billiards, so we put out a list of moves to be banned by the authorities. Who is this authority, you ask? Keep asking.
Agency - 101 India Digital Services Private Limited
Creative Director - Cyrus Oshidar (The Bigg O)
Art Director - Rajni Gadhvi
Writer - Ramiz Shaikh
Director - Surjo Deb
Production House - Ubik Films
Creative Director - Cyrus Oshidar (The Bigg O)
Art Director - Rajni Gadhvi
Writer - Ramiz Shaikh
Director - Surjo Deb
Production House - Ubik Films
I loved working on this fantastic project, big thanks my mentor, Cyrus. He always said, "a ball in hand is worth two..." never mind.
