How Alyque Padamsee got the idea for the Lalitaji ad

The inspiration came from his mother says K V Sridhar, aka Pops, his colleague and former chief creative officer at Leo Burnett. "Alyque noticed that his mother used to go to buy vegetables in a Mercedes and then bargain with the vegetable lady. So, he asked her why did she bargain? She explained to him that there's difference between quality and value.She said, 'Beta, achchi cheez aur sasti cheez mein farak hota hai'. Alyque took this idea and turned it into the Lalitaji Surf campaign," says Sridhar who was hired by Padamsee as creative director for Lintas in the 1980s. His mother's sasti-cheez-achchi-cheez line, in fact, made it to the advertisement. "Alyque borrowed from life, and not from international advertising," he adds.
Sridhar’s book, 30 Second Thrillers, contains a number of anecdotes about Padamsee. For example, how he convinced the Raymonds group to give him the go ahead for the steamy KamaSutra condom ad featuring Marc Robinson and Pooja Bedi. The clients were uncomfortable with the ad's overt sexuality. “Alyque told them that business is in pleasure, not in pain. They should position themselves as a pleasure product. The campaign needed to sexually excite people," narrates Sridhar. The clients were convinced but then Doordarshan didn't want to run it because of its bold theme. "Alyque went to meet the Doordarshan director and tried to convince him that the ad had to show sex because condoms are for sex and not blowing balloons. And it's in the national interest. He even told him that they should run it at half the cost," Sridhar recalls laughing. “Alyque had a strong sense of conviction. Once convinced of an idea, he would go to any length to convince others,” he adds.
Padamsee’s love for details was also legendary. Before a presentation to the client he would seek details even about the conference room. In which room will the presentation take place? How many plug points does it have, how many windows and light bulbs? Does it have curtains? What time is the presentation and what kind of lighting would be there? "One hour before the presentation he would make everyone rehearse. Everything was decided, who will sit where, who will speak when and what. It was his theater background that made him so particular about details," says Sridhar.