Saturday, June 18, 2016

What’s with this 'Bitchy' Trend?


There is a plain absurd trend in buzz, which is too tangy to bite and gulp down all in one breath. The reason it is too absurd is why I was compelled to take up for a long rant. The social media, where unless we are active people won’t believe we are alive, has actually become a battleground for people to show how they stand out. In this mad struggle, they have started choosing roads which are one-way and have no rules for treading whatsoever.

The new trend of reveling in calling oneself a ‘bitch’ seems inexplicable under every circumstance. So, you see pictures of girls pouting, posing weird and putting on a virtual gothic aura, trying to look like a rebel who must have done something extremely weird, calling themselves ‘bitches’. So, these new age bitches feel it is some sort of honor they have given themselves, something which makes them shine out from the crowd, giving them a distinct identity.

Mind you, this road is all one-way, for this passes like a breeze only till they use this cussword for themselves. They tend to make huge hue and cry out of situations where they are apparently called the same by people around them; for instance, strangers they bump into, hawkers they keep haggling with, drivers whose cars they keep ramming, guards who they demean or their parents, for that matter, who they don’t budge before misbehaving with. Under all these contexts, the cuss injures their ego to the point they are compelled to fill their eyes to the brim with kohl and then cry it all out. In fact, this whole drama is also accompanied by situational roleplaying of 'I-was-abused' that it takes days for them to get back to their usual ‘I-am-still-a-bitch’ self.

Call it generation gap or that I have passed the age to tune out any bullshit, I simply don’t get why wouldn’t one call herself a slut, for that matter, if it does no derogation to her image or reputation?
*slow slap (oops, clap)*
I see.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Book Review: The Wedding Photographer

My rating: ●●○○
Sakshama Puri Dhariwal
The Wedding Photographer
India: Penguin Books Ltd, 2016
219 pp. ₹299
ISBN: 9789386057266

Summary: This rom-com by the debutante Sakshama Puri Dhariwal would sound tad too clichéd if you’ve been fascinated by Fifty Shades and likes; also, if you are looking for some offbeat storyline or out-of-the-box romanticism, I am afraid this would not prove to be your cup-of-tea. This one is brief, simple, straightforward no-brainer, which will also occasionally make you laugh along the way.

My take: Risha, on her flight from LA to Delhi, ends up meeting ‘a billionaire with a Greek bod’ Arjun and this meeting ends in a flash with both of them taking some part of it sown inside them while they part. Risha, who is a full-time journalist and a part-time wedding photographer starts working on an assignment of covering Arjun’s sister’s wedding which turns out to be not only an extravagant but also a fun-filled affair. A typical Punjabi wedding that it is, Risha comes across various characters with distinctive features to their personalities and, also, gets to know Arjun too good to stay away from. A few other characters like Nidhi (Risha’s friend), Vikram (Nidhi’s husband and a famous cricketer), Rishabh (Risha’s gay friend) and Nani, too, have strong roles to play, helping the story shape to a perfect, predictable end.

A lot of readers have claimed this book to be an ideal script for a Bollywood flick and I dare to differ here. I think this will make for a stereotypical story heard over a million times, since you cannot really balance the entire story on occasional jokes you crack. I find the story well-researched, backed with relevant details and I particularly liked the writing style of the author – too good for a first timer! The language is on-point and the words all flow in perfect rhythm while making sense and not overdoing it at any point.

This book should interest teens as much as it would do the adults, for the author has cautiously refrained from including any adult content. The title fits perfectly fine, for the entire book is about this protagonist and her way with how her love life comes across her through the story. The cover would make a perfect poster for a movie; in fact, I find it vaguely similar to the poster of Hum Apke Hain Kaun! Putting it all together, you won’t really get bored if you’d pick this one for a quick read, but it surely would not be a great option if you love reading fresh every time you get your hands on any book.

Final word: The plot of a billionaire boy falling for a not-so-rich girl has been beaten shit out of following Fifty Shades success, yet this rom-com by the author promises to bring some fresh air to the room. I liked her writing style in particular, the one that keeps you glued till the last page, but unfortunately she chose the path which has been, I think, trodden on a million times. May be, that is why it all sounded tad too predictable and boring towards the end. Nevertheless, this brief read serves as an ideal recipe for a Prem-Suman-sort of Bollywood masala flick, the only difference being the female protagonist here has a knack for photography and socializing!   
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