Playing for big money with cameras as opponents

The deal, which was struck soon after the World Doubles Championships final in Hartford, puts them in company of Steffi Graf and the likes.

Paes and Bhupathi, like most modern sportspersons, refuse to talk about the money that is going into the bank. But they assure the figures are not a pittance and there are enough zeroes in it to make it attractive. What’s more, there are annual incremental clauses in addition to possible bonuses.

Slogging it out on tennis courts is not something alien to this pair. And they seemed to be doing a good job, diving and returning in near freezing temperatures. They were on the court far longer than what they spend while playing even the toughest of matches. But at the end of the day, the sponsors, as also the cameramen and the visualiser had broad smile on their faces, as they ordered `pack-up’. That smile meant as much, maybe even more, than the trophies they have become accustomed to holding of late.

A break for sandwiches and coke and then back to action. Having become as used to the cameras as being on the court, they were enjoying every bit of it. A few days back, they were in Mumbai doing the promos for the Gold Flake Open in Chennai in April next. It was a couple of days of fun and frolic in front of the camera, with dancing superstar Prabhu Deva’s brother choreographing their sequences.

Soon after the Mumbai shoot, they took a Christmas break in Goa, which included a visit to his ancestral home where almost the entire village came out to receive them. But now its back to tennis in front of cameras.

That things change as soon as success comes along is not lost on Paes, as he sits down with the ad libbers and managers to work out what should be the `signature’ on the `Paes Line’ of apparel that Adidas plans to introduce. It is going to be `LP’. The 24-year-old Calcuttan has indeed come a long way from knocking at sponsors’ doors for similar favours.

The first thing that success does is to rip open the cash registers while you sit back listening to them ringing overtime. It is heart-warming that the duo are finally beginning to get the right kind of support, never mind the hours they spent braving the cold, with the whirring of the cameras and the thought of fat cheques serving as inspiration.

Paes and Bhupathi, while admitting the shoots are fun, will be the first to say that it is also a grind. For instance the director wanted Paes to ensure that he had a similar stubble for as long — more than two days — as the ad-film is being shot. And, Bhupathi was asked to serve any number of times to get the right shot. Not just that, he also had bounce the ball a whole lot more than he usually does before serving. He smiled gamely, as the cameraman shouted instructions on how to bounce the ball! When was the last time somebody taught him how to bounce a tennis ball!

After the movie cameras, the still photographer, seated high up on the umpire’s chair, takes over. And the duo is back to serve and volley, more serve and volleys ….

Lest you believe the duo will be free after the Adidas shoot, there’s another one on the way. This one for a soft drink, but inside the warmth of a studio. That would take up another day before they fly off to Doha for the first tournament of the year.

Meanwhile, Paes has also signed a contract with the United Breweries Group, which means there will be one more logo on his shirt sleeve apart from the present ones.

Walking billboards, alright, but no one’s complaining.