A verve that dwells on indifference and an irreverence that does not necessarily stem from a rebellious mind, Anuja Chauhan is every bit the feisty lady you would look up to as someone headstrong with that defined identity of her own. She very much is, as you might have known by now if you are one of those ardent admirer of hers who never fail to marvel at this one heck of a woman who has been so expressive- and impressive- with her creativity.
She is the mind behind witty and popular campaigns for some of the biggest brands in the industry. Be it Pepsi’s Yeh Dil Maange More, Mera Number Kab Aayega, Nothing official about it and Oye Bubbly or Mountain Dew’s Darr ke Aage Jeet Hai, Kurkure’s Tedha Hai par Mera Hai, Lays’ Be a Little Dillogical and Kitkat’s Break Banta Hai, Chauhan has come up with such remarkable catchphrases every now and then that till now our minds resonate with these jingles every time we are munching on some Lays or gulping down some Pepsi down our parched throats.
Like, how can you not lovingly think about that stick of Kurkure as your very own each time you dig into that packet of tedhas and come up with the one that is just your perfect match? Or how can you not recite with dedicated belief, in perfectly harmonised unison that there in fact exists triumph at the end of the long, dark tunnel of despair and fear? That’s Anuja Chauhan for you. Delving into the deepest recluses of her vivacious imagination and coming up with jargon so simple yet so inventive that you simply can’t resist from giving in to that temptation of thanking her for that much needed KitKat break!
Yeh dil still maange more – @anujachauhan – next guest author @Kalam_South @TajWestEnd #Bengaluru @FoundationPK https://t.co/Vp1I7Flswo
— Sundeep Bhutoria (@sundeepbhutoria) July 16, 2017
But 17 years into advertising and Chauhan felt she had to hold herself back too much- something that’s not particularly easy for someone who has words and thoughts filling each nook and cranny of her being. Even as a young girl, Anuja had forever been spinning stories, inconsequential maybe but that which had definite impact upon her deftness as a writer of the present times. Vibrant romances flowed out from the mind of a young Anuja as fluently as words found their place several years later, oozing oodles of astute inventiveness, brilliant enough to have an entire nation swaying to the pace of just the right feels.
The romance continued unabated though for Chauhan who likes to be vibrant in every thread of her existence. Hues and happiness are just her kind of thing, and inevitably her tales weave together love stories that can leave you starry eyed, even when the entire premise they are set off can get as unsettling and sensitive as they can be.
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Threading words that are not always very delicate into finer strings of intricate emotions comes so naturally to Chauhan that there’s perhaps no other way to rather put her heart in place through writing. Her writings are all things contemporary, even when they can be set in bygone eras. A very discernible mode of Hindi laced conversations in her English books makes them all the more relatable and therefore mass favorites. No wonder Chauhan’s books continue to be fan favorites even years after their release and are continuously among Amazon’s top 100 books in Indian fiction ever since.
However even in the midst of the many accolades and applauds coming her way and the many positive critical reviews for her works, Chauhan risked being labelled a modern day chick- lit writer. Her colloquial writings and very ordinary premises somehow had some people dismissive of her literary eloquence, rather concentrating on how the very conversational tone of her writings left little scope for many things too substantial. Not one to be unfazed with words however, except when they are her own, Chauhan continued stringing stories of hope even when many downplayed the power of her words. She remains unfazed and is resilient enough to want to usher in more and more love into this world through her words, words of whom she would be a little proud.
And proud she can be! Her very first novel The Zoya Factor is being made into an eponymous Bollywood film, starring Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer Salman and would be releasing soon.
Even the latest of her literary venture, Baaz is going to be made into a major motion picture under the banner of Yash Raj Films. While yet another of her bestselling work, Those Pricey Thakur Girls will be churned out in a new avatar through a series on Hotstar!
But even when Chauhan’s dwelling in Bollywood has only gained ground recently,she has been no alien to the people in the glamour world. In fact, it was while shooting a TVC with some of the biggest names in Bollywood that Chauhan became so irritated with the constant culling of her creativity merely so that it can be more appealing that she decided there and then to let her words find a more free flowing ‘nirvana’- one where her ocean of thoughts can be translated with unrestrained liberty, one where the cease exists only when she deems them sufficient enough for the expression of her being.
Exuberant and vibrant, Chauhan’s writings are mainly an extension of herself. She loves color as much in her world as she tries to incorporate in her writings. Indeed, even in the cosiness of her nestling abode you find splashes of color, that flashes in red and pinks, and perks her up just like that. Elegantly simple, minimal yet expansive, and so very rooted in reality even while drifting off to magical wonderlands, of such goodness that the world is supposed to sparkle with, Anuja Chauhan’s literary manifestations are very much a part of herself. Savvy and spirited, Anuja Chauhan and her writings remain indelibly imprinted and is on steady course for greater glory.
