The Real Taste

Bournvita Quiz Contest was my favourite Sunday show in mid-nineties. I loved the commercial breaks even more - simply because Cadbury's blocked most of the slots to advertise their entire range of goodies. From Bournvita to Dairy Milk to Five Star to Perk to Picnic (anybody remember this fruit and nut bar?). Cadbury's Dairy Milk commercials (along with Fevicol) might be the most delightful thing ever to happen to Indian television.

All but one of those wonderful Dairy Milk ads can be found in YouTube. Having said that, I will be very happy if someone can discover that commercial on the web. This post is about that missing 'One'. A commercial that was aired for only a couple of months.

It was way smarter than any of the Dairy Milk commercials ever made. This Ad showed various activities going on inside an Elevator, as seen through a CCTV placed close to the ceiling. The activities involved protagonists indulging themselves with - obviously - Dairy Milk bars and consequences. There were no dialogues or dances or omnipresent superstars - just common people doing common stuff as if no one's watching them. I don't remember the commercial frame-by-frame, and would like readers to fill in the blanks wherever they can :)

The commercial began like this: A guy is carrying cartons of Dairy Milk out of a lift. Another person enters the Lift and bumps into the cartons kept on the floor. Some Chocolate bars fall out in impact. It is implied that the carton carrier overlooks the misplaced chocolates. The real story begins here.

A multitude of characters move in and out of the lift. In between, they find the chocolate bars scattered on the floor and gets busy. I can recall a bunch of kids, a biker dude with a helmet in his arm, and also a footballer. The footballer picks up one of the bars, starts eating it, and suddenly discovers the CCTV watching him. So, he hides the half-eaten chocolate behind his back, with a very embarrassed expression.

Then, there was a lovey-dovey couple having fun with the Dairy Milks. The guy, unwraps one Dairy Milk, holds half of it in his mouth and welcomes his girl to bite off the remaining half . Destiny doesn't like Dairy Milk, so the door slides apart at this Kodak moment, and a tough-looking grandma steps in. The couple splits up instantly, in literal sense. I do not remember if the grandma does something with the Chocolate bar sticking out of the boy's mouth. Does she break a piece and tastes it herself?

Towards the end of the Ad, the lift gets very crowded. The crowd includes office goers, college students, a senior guy and his cute daughter. Everyone is facing the door except one young guy. Not having enough space to turn around, he stands with his back to the door. He holds one just-opened bar of Dairy Milk in his hand. The senior man stands opposite to him, whose existence he is completely unaware of, been mesmerized by his beautiful daughter standing in his right. The guy kept ogling at the girl, so lost- that he forgot his Chocolate.

All the while, the Dad observes the scenario with a stony-but-helpless expression. The Lift reaches the floor where Dad-Daughter duo would alight. The daughter squeezes out of the lift, the guy's thirsty eyes following her, leaving his chocolate bar totally unguarded. The Dad utilizes this golden opportunity to take a sweet revenge. On his way out, while passing by the guy - he bites off a huge chunk of the Dairy Milk. On re-focusing , the youngster was stunned by the sudden shrinking of his bar, as everybody in the lift bursts out in laughter.

What was so exciting about this Commercial that made me write a 8+ para post?

1) Nothing exciting, actually. It didn't bank upon unreal-ish event like a middle-aged guy completing graduation (Pappu Pass Ho Gaya ad) or a donkey winning a beauty contest (Miss Palampur ad). Rather, this ad celebrated the most trifle incidents of life as natural sources of pure pleasure. And, Pure Pleasure = Cadbury's Dairy Milk (few would differ).

2) This ad also represented the 'pre-Reality Show' era of Indian Television. An era unscarred by perversion of secret photography and it's growing demand among the voyeuristic Indian audience. A decade ago, we loved the concept of secret camera, because it allowed us to see how people enjoy eating a milk chocolate. Now, we love it even more. Because it allows us to see much more - how politicians sell the country, how cricketers throw the game and how teenagers have sex.

I would really appreciate if anyone can dig up the discussed commercial and send me the link. Till then, grab a Dairy Milk bar, have it your way and don't give a damn if someone photographs you doing so. Firstly because Dairy Milk deserves more attention than a jerk. Secondly, Innocence doesn't sell :)