Posted:
Hello! This is my 3rd OS & it is a consequence of excessive procrastination & my love for chocolates. Two confessions before that:
1. I have not watched The Devil's Advocate & have only used the quote from it.
2. I am a Medical student & my limited knowledge of advertising comes from reading too much of popular fiction. So, any mistake on that front, please, ignore.
The two other OSs I have posted:
1. Coloured Halos:https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/iss-pyaar-ko-kya-naam-doon/4335656/os-coloured-halos
The advertising team at the conference table smiled at her in reassurance. Her mobile beeped a message alert for the hundredth time that day & Khushi ignored it. Then, one voice spoke up. It raised her hackles.
"I thought we had a xerox machine installed in every floor of this building?" said the person. It was a rhetoric. Khushi saw red while her assistant cowered.
Khushi lifted her head & looked at the source of the voice. The source was sitting at the other end of the glass conference table, dressed to the nines in a 3-piece suit & Italian loafers, one foot propped on the opposite knee, & basically, looking like he owned the freakin' place. Technically, Arnav Singh Raizada did own AR. But, Khushi mentally pointed out, technically, she wasn't at fault, either. It was her assistant's fault. Wait, make that, Raizada's fault for saddling her with a trainee in place of her previous assistant who was on a maternity leave. But, Khushi didn't have the heart to throw her assistant to the wolves. The poor girl was a mess, but she was improving. Sigh, this meant, she had to take the bull by its horns & deal with him.
"Well, one in every floor, yes. But, I guess, installing them isn't sufficient. Machines require maintenance, too." she said & saw the shot hit bull's eye when Arnav raised an eyebrow at her audacity. Too bad. He had asked for it. As one of AR's chief ad designers & now, VP of Advertising & Marketing, she often butted heads with him. This was a routine show for most of their colleagues. Before Arnav could retort to that, there came a not quite discrete cough from next to him. It was Aman Mathur. Aman didn't have an exact job description. He stayed in the capacity of Legal Adviser, but his area of expertise was 'miscellaneous'. He basically was the troubleshooting machinery of AR. The pair that had almost begun their sparring match focused on the task on hearing the cough, realising they had an audience.
Khushi, dressed in a cream coloured skirt suit opened her laptop while her assistant fumbled with connecting it to the projector. When that was, finally accomplished, the assistant took a seat to move the slides as Khushi took over the presentation.
"Ok. This is the primary look of the ad that we have designed for Cadbury chocolates." Khushi started & continued as her assistant changed the slides accordingly. AR had recently forayed into Advertising for brands beyond its own. Arnav was present to oversee their first big ad campaign.
"Since, the target audience we have been provided is American, we decided with the following idea. It's the conversation between Lomax & Milton.
Lomax: Milton what do you think of love?
Milton: Love is overrated & is, biochemically no different from consuming large quantities of chocolate.
So, after the conversation, we have a voice over running with the visual of the melting chocolate. The voiceover will say, 'Have Cadbury chocolate. Feel the love that comes with no heartbreak.' We can show a couple breaking up, & one dealing with heartbreak by eating chocolate, but that's only an option." she concluded as she looked at the faces of the members of the advertising & statistics teams sitting in the room, trying to gauge their response. Quite a lot of them gave her a thumb's up & some others a reassuring smile. That didn't count for jack because they could eventually, discard her idea if they didn't think it fit, but it was still better than nothing.
"Why 'The Devil's Advocate'?" asked Arnav. Predictably, he was the first to question her.
Khushi had thought he would shut up after that, but it looked like he was only getting started. A boss had every right to question his team's decisions, but Arnav Raizada had been annoying Khushi since morning, sometimes about the ad & sometimes about something else.
"So, yes, we have the Americans as the target audience, but what's the tone of this ad supposed to be? Romantic because it is telling them to feel the love or cynical because it is telling them a chocolate high is better than love?" he asked. The others realising what had started, looked from one end of the conference room to the other, following it like a tennis match.
"Well, it is a little bit of both when you put it that way. But, I guess, it's open to interpretation." Khushi responded as she took a seat at the other end of the table. She might as well get comfortable. She had a feeling this was going to be elaborate. Arnav's area of expertise was Finance. He would ask more annoying questions to her, nevertheless, she knew. The others in the room seemed to be satisfied with the presentation & the printed overview that they had been given by her secretary, the very same that made them late for the meeting because they had to make photo-copies of it. Arnav, probably had even glanced at the overview, but he liked asking questions to his team, to see if they knew what the hell they were doing. And, with Khushi, he seemed to take extreme pleasure in interrogating.
"So, whom are you targeting? The romantics or the cynics?" he asked bending forward to rest his elbows on the table.
"Both & neither, I suppose. It's just targeting chocolate lovers." she explained.
"Khushi, chocolate lovers are going to buy chocolates, anyway." Arnav pointed out. Khushi shook her head at that.
"No offense, but you know that's rubbish, Arnav & not to forget, naive." she paused for a moment, as if to say, of course, she meant to offend. she had just called him naive, for Pete's sake! Arnav was tempted to roll his eyes at her. Then, she continued.
"People who won't have chocolate, won't have Cadbury, no matter what you do. People who have chocolate are being directed towards buying Cadbury over other brands. Simple as that." she said.
"So, are we promoting love or single-status?" he asked, his eyes twinkling at her growing irritation. It wasn't visible for a stranger's eyes, but he had seen her agitated, been the cause of it too often to not see it in the way she cracked a knuckle, pushed her hair behind her ear, & the like.
"A little bit of both, you could say." she said & he cut her off saying, "well, 'little bit of both' seems to be your mantra for today."
"Honestly, we are promoting just the chocolate, not giving love advice." she said, tersely, making it clear to him to stop asking ridiculous questions. He smiled at her response.
Arnav relaxed against the back of the chair & said, "Ok, then. That's all the questions from my side."
"So, you are ok with the concept of the ad or you want changes?" she asked when he didn't say anything about that.
"A little bit of both." he said tongue-in-cheek & the others watching the verbal rally laughed. Khushi rolled her eyes at that.
"I suppose, the concept is pretty interesting. The details & viability of such a campaign, I'll let the experts here decide. Can I get a report on it, tomorrow, then?" he said, directing the question at the other employees in the room. When they all nodded in the affirmative, Arnav said a thank you in the general direction of the others & left the conference room, followed by Aman.
As the others left to discuss the ad, Khushi wrapped up her things. Her phone beeped with another message alert. She checked it & frowned even as a blush rose along her neck & face. She tucked the phone in her suit jacket & composed herself before her assistant noticed her expression.
After another exhausting day in the office, Arnav parked his car in his luxury high rise apartment parking lot. He pulled his laptop bag & a small box the size of a shoe box with him & carried it to the elevator.
Arnav got off the lift on the 10th floor & went to his apartment. He managed to unlock the door & entered his house. The curtains were open & the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for a great visual of the lit up skyline of New Delhi. He left his laptop bag on the sofa & walked into the kitchen, following the sounds coming from there.
Arnav kept the box on the dining table & went straight to the woman in the kitchen standing with her back to him & wrapped his arms around her. She yelped a little, surprised by the action.
"It's me. Relax." he said pressing a kiss to her ear. She relaxed for a moment before tensing up again, & trying to elbow him in the ribs. He had expected it & expertly restrained her hands.
"Go away." she said.
"Khushi Gupta. You've been teasing me all day with that skirt suit of yours. And, now, you say, go away!" he said still holding onto her.
"Well, I am in PJs, now. So, let me go. And, that skirt suit was ordinary. You're just horny, Arnav Singh Raizada." she said trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
Arnav looked at the vessel on the stove over her shoulder. She was frying jalebis. She was pissed off. He sighed & placed his forehead on her shoulder.
"Ordinary? I barely got over all the leg that you were showing before that shirt did me in. You had three top buttons open. Have some mercy on your husband!" he said, exasperated.
"My husband is an annoying man who comes up with innovative ways to irritate me." she said huffing.
"Really, what has the poor man done to deserve so much of your wrath?" he asked her grazing her earlobe with his teeth. Her breathing got heavy, he noticed, but she was fighting it.
"Well, honey, somebody has got to ask those questions & maybe, he goes overboard sometimes because sparring with you is fun & challenges seem to drive you. And, inappropriate text messages? Well, his wife is hot to the point of distraction. Who can blame him?" he said.
Khushi turned her head at that & gave him a look that told him to cut the bullshit & stop trying to flatter his way out of this. Arnav just gave her a faux sincere expression. Khushi, finally gave in & laughed.
"Now, let me fry me some jalebis. Move." she said.
Arnav loosened his hold on her & stood next to her.
"You didn't like the ad." she said, conversationally as she put the batter into the hot oil.
"Well, I thought it was neither here nor there, yes." he agreed.
"Hmmm. Maybe." she conceded.
"But, the team seems to like it. They may just ok it. You can hardly guess what those statisticians will say regarding the viability of an ad." he said as he took in the contrast in her current appearance to that of her when she was in the office. She was dressed in PJs & a tank top, her hair tied up in a messy pony. Her face was scrubbed clean of any make-up & his heart clenched a little as he looked at her. She looked so young. She was saying something in agreement to his statement when he bent over & placed a big wet kiss on her cheek. She was a little surprised.
"What? Did you even hear what I said?" she said looking at him quizzically.
Arnav just shook his head smiling. He moved away from the counter to the dining table & brought the box that he had carried home & placed it next to the stove.
"What are you doing? Are you ignoring me?" she asked not understanding his strange behaviour.
"Shut up & have some patience." he said softly & turned off the stove.
"Open the box. It is for you." Arnav said.
Khushi gave an exasperated look & turned to him. "Do you have to be so dramatic! You could have just told what is there in the box." she said & started opening the plasters that sealed the box.
"Must you be such a wet blanket? Just open it." he said.
Khushi finally managed to open the box & looked inside to find the entire box to be filled with chocolates. There were all kinds of chocolates ranging from Kisses, Ferrero Rocher to Toblerones!
She looked dumbfounded at the contents & then at him.
"So?" he asked her, prodding her to say something.
"You want me to put on weight, don't you?" she asked.
Arnav rolled his eyes at her reaction.
"These chocolates are so that you associate your chocolate high with me. I have your love. I thought I'll demand a share in your chocolate high, too." he explained.
Khushi stared at him uncomprehending, for a moment before blurting out, "You crazy man! The ad inspired this?"
Arnav laughed. His hands wound around her lower back as he pulled her to himself.
"If our Sunday night movie can inspire you into designing an ad that you said you were experiencing a thought block for, this should be ok, too." he said pecking her mouth.
Khushi looked sheepish at that. They had been watching 'The Devil's Advocate' the previous Sunday. She had disappeared into the home office after watching the movie & had emerged only after a couple of hours. He should have guessed what she had been up to but she had kept it under wraps until the presentation, today.
"I can't believe you made use of something like that for your ad." Arnav said.
"And, you still didn't like it." Khushi responded, pointedly.
"But, the team may like it." Arnav pointed out.
"Yes." Khushi said circling her arms around his neck & kissing his jaw.
"So, Milton, what's love?" Arnav asked smiling down at her.
Khushi smiled & said, "Well, Lomax, it's biochemically no different from consuming large quantities of chocolate."
"And, what does having large quantities of chocolates remind you of?" he asked kissing her behind her ear.
Her voice turned breathy & her eyes drifted closed as she responded. "A certain devil of a man."
And, he abruptly raised his face away from hers & asked as if struck by a sudden thought, "You are Milton & I am the devil? That doesn't even make sense, Khushi. Milton is Satan, remember?" he said.
"And, that matters because?" she asked, annoyed a little at his distraction, making him smile.
"So, you liked this?" Arnav asked referring to the chocolates.
Khushi pulled back & looked up at Arnav's face &, then raised herself on her toes & when she was face to face with him said, "Yes, you are now the major shareholder in my chocolate high. Let's seal the deal with a kiss. What say, Raizada?" & kissed him before he could even respond. Arnav could only hum in agreement as he returned the kiss.
2. Sleepless in New Delhi(Thank you for that awesome response): https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/iss-pyaar-ko-kya-naam-doon/4344189/os-sleepless-in-new-delhi
Now, things you should know about The Devil's Advocate: Milton is Satan/Lucifer in disguise & Lomax is his advocate.(Al Pacino & Keanu Reaves play the characters-why haven't I watched this still!)
Kindly ignore the typos if you find any. So, here's the 3rd OS.
OS: Chocoholics Anonymous
"Hey. Good afternoon. Sorry, I kept you all waiting. Xerox machine troubles." Khushi Gupta said smiling apologetically & breathing heavily as she hurried into the conference room clutching her laptop bag. She was followed by a harried looking assistant. The assistant immediately went on to distribute the photo copies that she was holding, to the people sitting at the conference table.
The advertising team at the conference table smiled at her in reassurance. Her mobile beeped a message alert for the hundredth time that day & Khushi ignored it. Then, one voice spoke up. It raised her hackles.
"I thought we had a xerox machine installed in every floor of this building?" said the person. It was a rhetoric. Khushi saw red while her assistant cowered.
Khushi lifted her head & looked at the source of the voice. The source was sitting at the other end of the glass conference table, dressed to the nines in a 3-piece suit & Italian loafers, one foot propped on the opposite knee, & basically, looking like he owned the freakin' place. Technically, Arnav Singh Raizada did own AR. But, Khushi mentally pointed out, technically, she wasn't at fault, either. It was her assistant's fault. Wait, make that, Raizada's fault for saddling her with a trainee in place of her previous assistant who was on a maternity leave. But, Khushi didn't have the heart to throw her assistant to the wolves. The poor girl was a mess, but she was improving. Sigh, this meant, she had to take the bull by its horns & deal with him.
"Well, one in every floor, yes. But, I guess, installing them isn't sufficient. Machines require maintenance, too." she said & saw the shot hit bull's eye when Arnav raised an eyebrow at her audacity. Too bad. He had asked for it. As one of AR's chief ad designers & now, VP of Advertising & Marketing, she often butted heads with him. This was a routine show for most of their colleagues. Before Arnav could retort to that, there came a not quite discrete cough from next to him. It was Aman Mathur. Aman didn't have an exact job description. He stayed in the capacity of Legal Adviser, but his area of expertise was 'miscellaneous'. He basically was the troubleshooting machinery of AR. The pair that had almost begun their sparring match focused on the task on hearing the cough, realising they had an audience.
Khushi, dressed in a cream coloured skirt suit opened her laptop while her assistant fumbled with connecting it to the projector. When that was, finally accomplished, the assistant took a seat to move the slides as Khushi took over the presentation.
"Ok. This is the primary look of the ad that we have designed for Cadbury chocolates." Khushi started & continued as her assistant changed the slides accordingly. AR had recently forayed into Advertising for brands beyond its own. Arnav was present to oversee their first big ad campaign.
"Since, the target audience we have been provided is American, we decided with the following idea. It's the conversation between Lomax & Milton.
Lomax: Milton what do you think of love?
Milton: Love is overrated & is, biochemically no different from consuming large quantities of chocolate.
So, after the conversation, we have a voice over running with the visual of the melting chocolate. The voiceover will say, 'Have Cadbury chocolate. Feel the love that comes with no heartbreak.' We can show a couple breaking up, & one dealing with heartbreak by eating chocolate, but that's only an option." she concluded as she looked at the faces of the members of the advertising & statistics teams sitting in the room, trying to gauge their response. Quite a lot of them gave her a thumb's up & some others a reassuring smile. That didn't count for jack because they could eventually, discard her idea if they didn't think it fit, but it was still better than nothing.
"Why 'The Devil's Advocate'?" asked Arnav. Predictably, he was the first to question her.
"Well, the quote from the movie fits & it's a movie that is quite popular with the American population." she replied with equanimity.
Khushi had thought he would shut up after that, but it looked like he was only getting started. A boss had every right to question his team's decisions, but Arnav Raizada had been annoying Khushi since morning, sometimes about the ad & sometimes about something else.
"So, yes, we have the Americans as the target audience, but what's the tone of this ad supposed to be? Romantic because it is telling them to feel the love or cynical because it is telling them a chocolate high is better than love?" he asked. The others realising what had started, looked from one end of the conference room to the other, following it like a tennis match.
"Well, it is a little bit of both when you put it that way. But, I guess, it's open to interpretation." Khushi responded as she took a seat at the other end of the table. She might as well get comfortable. She had a feeling this was going to be elaborate. Arnav's area of expertise was Finance. He would ask more annoying questions to her, nevertheless, she knew. The others in the room seemed to be satisfied with the presentation & the printed overview that they had been given by her secretary, the very same that made them late for the meeting because they had to make photo-copies of it. Arnav, probably had even glanced at the overview, but he liked asking questions to his team, to see if they knew what the hell they were doing. And, with Khushi, he seemed to take extreme pleasure in interrogating.
"So, whom are you targeting? The romantics or the cynics?" he asked bending forward to rest his elbows on the table.
"Both & neither, I suppose. It's just targeting chocolate lovers." she explained.
"Khushi, chocolate lovers are going to buy chocolates, anyway." Arnav pointed out. Khushi shook her head at that.
"No offense, but you know that's rubbish, Arnav & not to forget, naive." she paused for a moment, as if to say, of course, she meant to offend. she had just called him naive, for Pete's sake! Arnav was tempted to roll his eyes at her. Then, she continued.
"People who won't have chocolate, won't have Cadbury, no matter what you do. People who have chocolate are being directed towards buying Cadbury over other brands. Simple as that." she said.
"So, are we promoting love or single-status?" he asked, his eyes twinkling at her growing irritation. It wasn't visible for a stranger's eyes, but he had seen her agitated, been the cause of it too often to not see it in the way she cracked a knuckle, pushed her hair behind her ear, & the like.
"A little bit of both, you could say." she said & he cut her off saying, "well, 'little bit of both' seems to be your mantra for today."
"Honestly, we are promoting just the chocolate, not giving love advice." she said, tersely, making it clear to him to stop asking ridiculous questions. He smiled at her response.
Arnav relaxed against the back of the chair & said, "Ok, then. That's all the questions from my side."
"So, you are ok with the concept of the ad or you want changes?" she asked when he didn't say anything about that.
"A little bit of both." he said tongue-in-cheek & the others watching the verbal rally laughed. Khushi rolled her eyes at that.
"I suppose, the concept is pretty interesting. The details & viability of such a campaign, I'll let the experts here decide. Can I get a report on it, tomorrow, then?" he said, directing the question at the other employees in the room. When they all nodded in the affirmative, Arnav said a thank you in the general direction of the others & left the conference room, followed by Aman.
As the others left to discuss the ad, Khushi wrapped up her things. Her phone beeped with another message alert. She checked it & frowned even as a blush rose along her neck & face. She tucked the phone in her suit jacket & composed herself before her assistant noticed her expression.
After another exhausting day in the office, Arnav parked his car in his luxury high rise apartment parking lot. He pulled his laptop bag & a small box the size of a shoe box with him & carried it to the elevator.
Arnav got off the lift on the 10th floor & went to his apartment. He managed to unlock the door & entered his house. The curtains were open & the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for a great visual of the lit up skyline of New Delhi. He left his laptop bag on the sofa & walked into the kitchen, following the sounds coming from there.
Arnav kept the box on the dining table & went straight to the woman in the kitchen standing with her back to him & wrapped his arms around her. She yelped a little, surprised by the action.
"It's me. Relax." he said pressing a kiss to her ear. She relaxed for a moment before tensing up again, & trying to elbow him in the ribs. He had expected it & expertly restrained her hands.
"Go away." she said.
"Khushi Gupta. You've been teasing me all day with that skirt suit of yours. And, now, you say, go away!" he said still holding onto her.
"Well, I am in PJs, now. So, let me go. And, that skirt suit was ordinary. You're just horny, Arnav Singh Raizada." she said trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
Arnav looked at the vessel on the stove over her shoulder. She was frying jalebis. She was pissed off. He sighed & placed his forehead on her shoulder.
"Ordinary? I barely got over all the leg that you were showing before that shirt did me in. You had three top buttons open. Have some mercy on your husband!" he said, exasperated.
"My husband is an annoying man who comes up with innovative ways to irritate me." she said huffing.
"Really, what has the poor man done to deserve so much of your wrath?" he asked her grazing her earlobe with his teeth. Her breathing got heavy, he noticed, but she was fighting it.
"Well, for starters, he asks ridiculous questions about any & every ad that I do, & to top that off, he sends inappropriate text messages at random moments in the office." she said warming up to the topic.
"Well, honey, somebody has got to ask those questions & maybe, he goes overboard sometimes because sparring with you is fun & challenges seem to drive you. And, inappropriate text messages? Well, his wife is hot to the point of distraction. Who can blame him?" he said.
Khushi turned her head at that & gave him a look that told him to cut the bullshit & stop trying to flatter his way out of this. Arnav just gave her a faux sincere expression. Khushi, finally gave in & laughed.
"You annoying man!" she said as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Now, let me fry me some jalebis. Move." she said.
Arnav loosened his hold on her & stood next to her.
"You didn't like the ad." she said, conversationally as she put the batter into the hot oil.
"Well, I thought it was neither here nor there, yes." he agreed.
"Hmmm. Maybe." she conceded.
"But, the team seems to like it. They may just ok it. You can hardly guess what those statisticians will say regarding the viability of an ad." he said as he took in the contrast in her current appearance to that of her when she was in the office. She was dressed in PJs & a tank top, her hair tied up in a messy pony. Her face was scrubbed clean of any make-up & his heart clenched a little as he looked at her. She looked so young. She was saying something in agreement to his statement when he bent over & placed a big wet kiss on her cheek. She was a little surprised.
"What? Did you even hear what I said?" she said looking at him quizzically.
Arnav just shook his head smiling. He moved away from the counter to the dining table & brought the box that he had carried home & placed it next to the stove.
"What are you doing? Are you ignoring me?" she asked not understanding his strange behaviour.
"Shut up & have some patience." he said softly & turned off the stove.
"Open the box. It is for you." Arnav said.
Khushi gave an exasperated look & turned to him. "Do you have to be so dramatic! You could have just told what is there in the box." she said & started opening the plasters that sealed the box.
"Must you be such a wet blanket? Just open it." he said.
Khushi finally managed to open the box & looked inside to find the entire box to be filled with chocolates. There were all kinds of chocolates ranging from Kisses, Ferrero Rocher to Toblerones!
She looked dumbfounded at the contents & then at him.
"So?" he asked her, prodding her to say something.
"You want me to put on weight, don't you?" she asked.
Arnav rolled his eyes at her reaction.
"These chocolates are so that you associate your chocolate high with me. I have your love. I thought I'll demand a share in your chocolate high, too." he explained.
Khushi stared at him uncomprehending, for a moment before blurting out, "You crazy man! The ad inspired this?"
Arnav laughed. His hands wound around her lower back as he pulled her to himself.
"If our Sunday night movie can inspire you into designing an ad that you said you were experiencing a thought block for, this should be ok, too." he said pecking her mouth.
Khushi looked sheepish at that. They had been watching 'The Devil's Advocate' the previous Sunday. She had disappeared into the home office after watching the movie & had emerged only after a couple of hours. He should have guessed what she had been up to but she had kept it under wraps until the presentation, today.
"I can't believe you made use of something like that for your ad." Arnav said.
"And, you still didn't like it." Khushi responded, pointedly.
"But, the team may like it." Arnav pointed out.
"Yes." Khushi said circling her arms around his neck & kissing his jaw.
"So, Milton, what's love?" Arnav asked smiling down at her.
Khushi smiled & said, "Well, Lomax, it's biochemically no different from consuming large quantities of chocolate."
"And, what does having large quantities of chocolates remind you of?" he asked kissing her behind her ear.
Her voice turned breathy & her eyes drifted closed as she responded. "A certain devil of a man."
And, he abruptly raised his face away from hers & asked as if struck by a sudden thought, "You are Milton & I am the devil? That doesn't even make sense, Khushi. Milton is Satan, remember?" he said.
"And, that matters because?" she asked, annoyed a little at his distraction, making him smile.
"So, you liked this?" Arnav asked referring to the chocolates.
Khushi pulled back & looked up at Arnav's face &, then raised herself on her toes & when she was face to face with him said, "Yes, you are now the major shareholder in my chocolate high. Let's seal the deal with a kiss. What say, Raizada?" & kissed him before he could even respond. Arnav could only hum in agreement as he returned the kiss.
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
