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Problematic Characters We Have All Loved  

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When the story unravels, a new episode comes out, your favourite actor plays the character, often the best of us make the wrong judgement and internalise these problematic characters from our favourite movies and TV Series. Here is a piece deconstructing and splitting the problematic image of the character away from the actor.

A tragic past, a bright mind or a great sense of humour are a few of the many things that blind us when it comes to characters from one’s favourite TV shows, series or novels. They are highly relevant to the story; their charming grin or the caring attitude almost makes one forget their problematic behaviour. The constant reaffirmations that they receive from the other characters of the show help hide their sexist, condescending or manipulative behaviour. It then becomes extremely important to question one’s love for the character and see them with a fresh and woke perspective. Here is a list of how the behaviours of some of the most popular characters are the most problematic ones.

  1. Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother

Barney Stinson is probably one of the most loved characters of the series. He’s charming and quirky. His bro-code and tricks almost make him too likeable. However, it must not be forgotten that he was a sex-obsessed womaniser who treated women like objects, who tricked and mislead them into sleeping with him. Even when he and Robin (another character from the show and his wife later on) were together he lied to her under the guise of good intentions and romantic gestures. It’s amazing he didn’t have multiple rape charges against him.

  1. Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City 

The leading character of Sex and the City was a selfish, manipulative and condescending friend. However, her writing the edgy fashion column makes us love her so much. The entire series revolve around four independent women in New York City and their strong friendship, however when her friends tell her about intimate and celebratory events in their life like pregnancy, miscarriage or cancer, she somehow made the situation about herself. Let’s not even get started on how badly she treated Aidan when he forgave her again and again.

  1. Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl

The tragic past of Chuck Bass and the pseudo-character development shown by the writers perfectly hide the fact, that Chuck Bass was a rapist. The worst part is that he’s marketed to young girls as a “hot bad-boy type” and we all bought into it.

In the episode premier, he first tries to force himself on his drunk friend, Serena and then on a 14-year old freshman, Jenny.  He even calls Serena a “slut” for stopping him to molest Jenny.

Chuck Bass is womaniser, who treats women like trophies and all that matters to him is the chase. He takes Blair’s virginity in the back of a limo mere hours after she breaks up with his best friend. However, he’s always saved by how Blair appreciates him and eggs him on.

Are we supposed to believe that Chuck was just going around assaulting women because he hadn’t yet found the right one? That he just needed someone who could challenge him, and he would see the error of his ways?

  1. Ezra Fitz, Pretty Little Liars

When you think about it, it’s gross how he’s celebrated as a great writer and literature professor and so justified for having an affair with his student, a minor.

His vocabulary and grammar syntax act as a perfect medium to hide how he acts all innocent dating a teenage girl. He never once shows remorse for his actions and expects to be appreciated for his epic love story and blames everyone else who finds a problem with his affair.

  1. Edward Cullen, Twilight 

The dream man of all teenage girl is well very problematic. The guy wanted to possess his girlfriend and control every aspect of her life. Few of the things you might’ve ignored were, the idea that Edward was initially attracted to Bella because he wanted to bite her, his teenage mood swings and how scares Bella to woo her. Not romantic, but creepy how he watches Bella while sleeping when he barely knew her. He follows her everywhere around and underestimates her in every situation. One must realise that love is not supposed to be a prison with your partner as the guard, isolating you from everyone else in the world.

  1. Patty Bladell, Insatiable 

All the characters are problematic as hell, but she is on another level. She tried to break up the marriage of her coach who was 20 years older to her and was the father of her crush. She kidnapped a girl, exposed a gay relationship, killed a guy, and when she had a teratoma she thought she’d eaten her twin. She was not some girl we pity for being bullied — she literally destroyed the lives of everyone around her.

  1. Ross Geller, Friends 

Ross Geller coming from the beloved show Friends often is saved because of the love he receives on screen from all the other cast members. If seen in a different way perspective, here are few things he has done. He lied to Rachel about getting their marriage annulled, for his own satisfaction. He tried to kiss his own cousin, and said, “she wants the same things you do” just because she requested to open a bottle of wine. Not only this, he’s extremely dismissive of Rachel’s career and in the last few episodes even convinced her to give up on a great opportunity. It’s ironical how his pervert nature of making his and Rachel’s sex tape without her consent, is applauded by his friends to act as an evidence. He doesn’t value consent, and feels that Rachel being naked is an invitation to him for sex. He’s a jerk who made us internalise “she was asking for it”.

With this article, there’s a hope we become more receptive to the kind of content we receive and consume. Let’s call out what’s wrong and problematic. We’ve had enough jokes on the identities of people.

It’s time to make everyone aware.

Stay woke, friends!

 

Feature Image Credits: What Would Bale Do

Chhavi Bahmba 

[email protected]

 

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Netflix, Hotstar, and Amazon Prime – Subscription Fees and Heavy Carbon Dimes

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When was the last time when we managed an escapade from the fascinating content provided by the creative OTT platforms that literally has its subscribers glued to the screens? Perhaps it would be a matter of prior engagements, over the last four years the over-the-top media service has seen a significant consumption, especially with respect to the Indian market which as of now values around INR 3,500 crores and is estimated to rise by many folds to dethrone the television industry and environment altogether. An endless supply of level original content in high definition quality is easily available with an affordable subscription fee, that seems really economical from our recreational budget matrix but the cost that the environment suffers seems extremely exorbitant.

Although streaming platforms like Netflix are extremely cautious with the provision of spectator data, their ‘Prime’ presence everywhere is as shining as a ‘hot-Star’ and hence cannot be ignored like a bad ‘Spotify’ playlist. Millions of people on a daily basis consume a large amount of data on these on-demand content platforms which is binge-watched for hours, inducing a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere we actually need. According to the Shift Project, a French think-tank that claims to advance the shift to a post-carbon economy, ‘Watching a half-hour show would lead to emissions of around 1.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide, that’s equivalent to driving a car for 6.28 kilometres.’

‘Digital videos come in very large file sizes and (are) getting bigger with each new generation of higher-definition video,’ said Gary Cook from Greenpeace, which is administered to look on the IT sector’s energy footprint.

Cook further adds, ‘More data equals more energy needed to maintain a system that is ready to stream this video to your device at a moment’s notice.’

Much of the energy needed for streaming services is consumed by the data centres, which further provides data to our computers and handsets. Reportedly, the centres contribute about 0.3 per cent of all carbon emissions and the ever-increasing steadfast demand for better technologies has stressed our energy sources substantially.

As matters of fact, screens with 4K resolution use about 30 per cent more energy than high-definition screens; upgraded devices and technologies require more amounts of energy to store, process, and share data and further corresponds for increased production and consumption wastes at every level of test and research development praxis.

On the contrary, we are ought to agree that these platforms are extremely entertaining and provide a good dose of change from our monotonous lives but the stringent fact remains that in such hard times where our cities like Kanpur, Gurugram, and Delhi as heavy ‘cyber-hubs’, they also hold the title for the most polluted cities on the planet. The carbon emissions caused by the digital media markers which are expected to rise and expand significantly needs alternative renewable energy sources and judicious sustainable management.

But it won’t be enough for us to rue the online platforms and their capitalist endeavors hindering the environment without realising these suggestions that are put forth by Professor Chris Priest and Dr Dan Schien of the University of Bristol who advocate terrestrial Broadcast TV to be lot more efficient than network streaming, whereas mobile phones continue to be more energy-efficient than a TV or a PC. Professor Priest even underlines the fact that a Wi-Fi connection can be more efficient than a 3G or 4G connection; downloading videos rather than viewing it online could pose as a much better alternative in terms of energy preservation.

Significant steps, conventions and debate continue to stall at the global level with increased stress and collective responsibility being observed worldwide it would continue to be an incomplete effort if small things like these go unnoticed and are not corrected or duly accounted for.

 

Feature Image Credits: Lighthouse insight

Faizan Salik

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Ghoul and Typewriter: Revolutionising the Indian Horror Scenario through Netflix

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Since the inception of over-the-top (OTT) media services, the Indian audience is spoilt for choices under all regards. With the growth of Netflix and its revolutionary content, the Indian entertainment landscape is undergoing a significant positive change.  

Netflix India released its first originals Lust Stories and Sacred Games in 2018,  establishing its venture into the Indian online space. This carved a new niche and standard for the Indian viewership; from exploring female sexuality to the Bombay underworld, the viewers were left with no complaints! The rapid growth of OTT media has led to a significant decrease in television viewership, which has time and again succumbed to the age-old formula of saas-bahu and reaffirming gender roles. With not much variety to cater to the interested viewer’s space, other than clichécliche romance or hyper-realistic action films, both on Hindi cinema and television, the emergence of Netflix felt like a breath of fresh air. 

In search of better content and quality cinema, especially in genres like thriller, crime, and horror, the Indian viewership shifted from Bollywood to Hollywood. An audience which has grown up with Ram Gopal Verma and the much silenced,  yet talked about, ‘sex-horror’, found refuge in the Conjuring Universe. With Netflix producing back-to-back quality content, the announcement of Ghoul with an astounding star-cast of Radhika Apte and Manav Kaul, put aside all the previous hatred towards Hindi media. 

Lying under the grounds of a dystopian world with classification on the basis of religion and dealing with sacrilegious texts, Patrick Graham’s Ghoul keeps you on the edge, constantly. Vinitha Singh, a first-year Journalism student at Kamala Nehru College, says, “I have watched Ghoul and I liked the fact that it was so mysterious. At every episode you are scared, but then, you keep on binge-watching because you cannot be patient enough. With so many twists and turns, it makes it hard to predict. I kinda loved it!” Indian viewers love the idea of ‘experimentation’ and Ghoul fits into this sphere perfectly. Religious myths and age-old narratives in a dystopia makes one a little more than simply existential. 

Following the huge success of Ghoul in 2018, Netflix released the much-awaited Typewriter by Sujoy Ghosh in 2019. Commonly referred to as India’s sasta (downgraded) Stranger Things, Typewriter is a roller-coaster ride with a bunch of 10-year-olds. The possession of an inanimate object leads to a series of drastic consequences due to a deep historical significance. Tightly packed with another set of the notable star-cast of Purab Kohli, Palomi Ghosh, and Jisshu Sengupta, Typewriter was welcomed by a lot of mixed reviews. Accusations of rushing into the climax by destroying the build-up is a common critique. Sarah Susan Varkey, a Political Science student at Jesus and Mary college states, “ I was very excited for the release of Typewriter after Ghoul and Stranger Things Season 3. But my happiness was short-lived as I didn’t really feel the horror other than a few jumpscares. I had high expectations, mostly due to the premise and the star-cast.”

With the massive success of both Ghoul and Typewriter, the Indian audience has increased its expectations, and would not bow down to nonsensica horror from Bollywood. Netflix India’s new horror original, Bulbul is all set to take wings within a few weeks; until then, happy binge-watching!

Feature Image Credits: Livemint

Anandi Sen 

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Fandom

Oh Boy! Do ‘Things’ get ‘Stranger’ in Season 3

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Stranger Things streamed its Season 3 on Netflix last week. Here is my take on this weird and mysterious season that certainly lived up to its hype.

Familiar faces return to our laptop screens when yet again, the mind-flayer is down to do the dirty. Amidst great publicity, promotion and production, Stranger Things Season 3 dropped with an engaging plotline and larger than life monster crises. The success story of this show’s popularity comes from its advantage of being a certified binge-watch. With just eight episodes, almost all of us sit and finish them, watching one after the other, playing it out like an eight-hour long movie rather than eight separate episodes.

This time around, the monster is bigger and better; American capitalism is growing, the show engages national level security crises where the Soviet Union is involved, the kids are now teenagers with priority issues and the mind flayer has a personal grudge against Eleven. These plotlines lead to a few kids and adults actually saving their country from not only an otherworldly being but also a Soviet Union infiltration of America.

Despite how absurd it always sounds, the Duffer Brothers make you buy it. Even if their story and imagination go off rails, their always loved characters bring the story back to its place and keep the viewers engaged. The emotional entanglement between the characters always pulls at your heartstrings, makes you laugh at places, and cry at others.

Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven is as adorable as it can get, she is still learning and exploring, she is naive when it comes to human relations but fierce when fighting monsters and throwing cars with her mind. She gets a confidant in the sassy out-going Max which works superbly well. There is Mike and Lucas, who are entwined in girl problems, Will who is feeling left out and Dustin, who is mostly away with a new gang of hooligans. This party with our beloved Steve and new faces Robin and Erica is the most fun to watch.

On the other hand, Joyce and Hopper have switched places with Nancy and Jonathan from Season 2 by undertaking the bickering-old-couple persona in their separate journey. Just like the past two seasons, it all culminates with one last fight, where all of these separate bands come together.

Another commendable moment was Robin coming out. We get to know little about this new character, but she remains fresh and boldly away from stereotypical gay representation. Steve again steals our hearts with his platonic friendship goals. Another aspect that Duffer Brother’s might explore in the next season can be Will’s sexuality. I strongly feel that he might come out as an asexual but his unwillingness to enter into romantic angles can also just be another aspect of him clinging to his childhood.

The show ends at a definitive cliff hanger which is absolutely heartbreaking for all of us, but it also makes many of us excited and already come up with fan theories about what will happen in the next season. Looking forward to Season 4, till then, keep the door open 3 inches!

 

 

Image Credits: YouTube

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

 

 

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A Beginners Guide to Indian Podcasts

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New to Podcasts? This guide will help you with a list of four Indian podcasts that will open your eyes and of course your ears to this incredibly informative platform.

There’s a war going on and it’s being fought for your attention. Every day, new applications mushroom in dorm rooms across the world. Existing tech behemoths are spending millions to convince you to spend just a few more minutes on their product. Your attention has never been valued as highly as it is today and the corporations will do just about anything to grab a larger portion of the cake.

In a war like this, you are the sole protectors of your attention and your brain, in extension. There are myriad options and you can choose where to spend that attention. It’s safe to say that for a lot of us, books have gradually disappeared as contenders and the video format is emerging as a strong winner in this race. When we’re not watching Netflix, we’re watching Prime Video.

The podcast, while being a widely known format is surprisingly not widely used. It’s probably because we as a generation have been bombarded with so much visual content that it has become our standard for stimulus. Shifting to a new format of receiving information can require a little time and effort. But, the podcast universe has plenty to offer, it has something for everybody and it’ll be nice of you to give your eyes some rest during the long metro rides to college.

The Indian podcast scene is booming with new ideas and discussions and with some research you can find what suits you best. However, to get you started, here’s a list of four Indian podcasts that will open your eyes and of course your ears to this incredibly informative platform.

  • Ask Aakar Anyhing

Mr. Aakar Patel is a writer and a columnist who has an answer to every question. The weekly show witnesses Aakar answering questions that readers send from across the country. Their topics of concern cover everything from architecture to pornography. The show is out of the ordinary, it teaches you and  makes you think. The answers are witty and insightful and without realizing it, twenty minutes later you’re an expert conversationalist on Japanese architecture.

Image credits: Ask Aakar Anything
Image Credits: Ask Aakar Anything

You can find it here- http://www.audiomatic.in/category/ask-aakar/. It is also available on iTunes.

  • The Intersection

Two young and extremely intelligent journalists take you through a journey about India, its rich history and cultural complexities. This podcast talks about seemingly random things with global implications. Unlike the two podcasts above which talks about multiple things in one episode, the intersection chooses to focus on one topic and both the hosts have substantial and well researched material to assist their arguments. The topics range from India’s homegrown dog breeds to fundamental errors in the Taj Mahal. Random? I warned you.

Image Credits: The Intersection
Image Credits: The Intersection

You can find it here- http://www.audiomatic.in/category/the-intersection/. Also available on- SoundCloud.

  • Our Last Week

Our last week is a weekly comedy podcast hosted by comedian Anuvab Pal and actor Kunaal Roy Kapur. In every episode, they discuss the week that went by in terms of the news and the events that occurred in their personal lives as well. They describe themselves as “just two guys trying to make sense of it all.”

Image Credits:Our Last Week
Image Credits:Our Last Week

You can find it here- http://www.audiomatic.in/category/our-last-week/. Also available on SoundCloud.

  • Cyrus Says

This show can be considered a veteran in the Indian Podcast scene; it has been on air for the past six years and is hosted by well-known comedian and political satirist, Cyrus Broacha. Every week the hosts invites other Indian personalities pursuing their hatke careers and another segment  follows where a panel is formed to discuss news, politics, culture, and urban life in India.

Image Credits: Cyrus Says
Image Credits: Cyrus Says

You can find it here- http://ivmpodcasts.com/cyrussays. Also available on Spotify and Soundcloud.

Feature Image Credits:The College Investor

Pragati Thapa

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Netflix: A Market of its Own

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The current generation seems to be getting too engaged with the virtual world of web-series and movies. How has it really affected us, as a generation?

Netflix was launched in India in the beginning of 2016, and though it has not been earning any profits until now, it has managed to become a part of the daily lives of the people who have used it. This article aims to look into the various effects that the coming of Netflix to India has had upon the generation of today.

  • The addiction

Not only has Netflix seeped into our lives with trendy shows and movies, but it has become a part of us. There are shows that have created their own set of fan-base (like Sacred Games, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Riverdale, etc.) and have come up with multiple seasons, only to hook the audience to their respective screens. Where on one hand, it has opened up multiple possibilities for creative minds to explore the realm of filmmaking and content-writing, it has also – in many ways – taken the form of a habit in the present generation.

The association of millennials (especially Indians) with web series and movies is an interesting thing to explore and analyse. A recent study in psychology has shown that the present generation is showing extremely high levels of stress and anxiety. Watching shows online relieves us from this stress, lifts us from our stressful lives, and gives us a glimpse of the world that we yearn to live in. When the casual watching turns into an activity the day seems incomplete without – that is hard to tell. A teacher from the English Department of Daulat Ram College expressed her concern regarding the same by saying, “I’m concerned about sleep deprivation and a neglect of important responsibilities in millennials, which stem as a result of binge-watching the series available on Netflix and other such platforms.” There have been cases of video addiction in recent times where teenagers were reported to be going crazy if they were not allowed to watch something.

  • The procrastination

A second-year student had this to say about procrastination and Netflix- “Both are- to a great extent- proportionate.” This sums up the whole argument of how once one is absorbed by a series, it is difficult to let go of it and, by extension, it results in procrastination. Another second-year student expressed how once when she started watching a particular show, she just couldn’t stop herself as she was overwhelmed by the feeling of getting over with it, and this feeling was intertwined with a fear of spoilers.

It is overwhelming indeed, when the mystery keeps one going incessantly and to a point where it’s hard to tell if we are controlling Netflix, or if Netflix is controlling us. This is exactly where the capitalist approach of the times comes in. Our procrastination is governed by a platform that is basically feeding on our own money.

  • Peer pressure

A major issue in today’s time of Game of Thrones, Sacred Games, 13 Reasons Why, etc. is that one tends to automatically feel left out if one has not watched the shows and the friends cannot stop referring to/talking about it. Subconsciously, we are inclined to think that there is something wrong with us, we are lacking something, or are behind when people all around us make constant allusions to virtual scenarios we are too distant from. It is only natural to think in that way, but at times it compels you to follow in the same old, worn out trend of watching a show just so you can relate better with your peers. The real question to ask here is: what is your relationship based upon, if it depends solely on what somebody else thought about something and how they interpreted it?

The ‘moving with the mob’ mentality has sadly seeped into our brains, and we have been victimised into mere objects for the capitalism-driven world. It is now up to us to decide if we want to step out of it right now, or let it take control of our time and being.

Feature Image Credits: TODAY

Akshada Shrotryia

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A Review: Shlok Sharma's Zoo

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From the director of Haramkhor (2015), ‘Zoo’ takes you on a journey from the ghettos of Bombay to its elite societies and drug addiction. Addiction is a disease; it occupies your mind and soul. Drug addiction amongst the Indian youth is a rising concern for the nation. According to a 2015-survey conducted in Punjab, over 83% of drug users were employed, and 89% were literate, showing that drug addiction affects all social classes and, unfortunately, very few get the help they need to battle addiction. Shlok Sharma’s Zoo, shot entirely on an iPhone 6 Plus, explores drug addiction and identity in the city of Mumbai through the central storyline involving five protagonists, two brothers, two wannabe rappers from the slums of Mumbai, and a girl who refuses to leave her house. The only things connecting their storylines are drug addiction and trade, and their personal conflict with their own identities. The characters involuntarily succumb to their weaknesses. Shashank Arora, who was the lead in Brahman Naman, plays Bicky, a coffee shop worker who pretends to be mute and runs a drug business on the side. His brother who goes by ‘Messi’ (we never learn his real name) is a young, hot-headed footballer who ends up being fascinated with his older brother’s profession. The third protagonist, Misha (played by Shweta Tripathi) is an under-age girl who resorts to drugs in order to deal with her past. She never leaves her apartment, and she refuses to meet her family. [caption id="attachment_62159" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Image from Netflix. Image from Netflix[/caption] Towards the end of the film, we find the reason behind her addiction and a glimpse into her dark past. Two rappers from the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai seem slightly alien to the storyline as  they are in search of their big breakthrough, while the world around them fails to understand their craft. Prince Daniel and Yogesh Kurme deliver excellent performances throughout the film. The four storylines run parallel to each other, but the characters lack depth. Emotional outbursts and monologues fail to deliver to the potential of the film. We see the bond between the two brothers grow and Bicky’s rising concern for his younger brother, but his emotions fail to make the movie stand out. Misha’s character seems rather bland, as the audience is taken through the journey through relapses and mood-swings, but one is left wondering if there is more to her character.   In my perspective, the film would have progressed better if there were fewer protagonists, and the audience would also be able to emotionally connect with the characters. As the movie progresses and delves into the story-line focusing on the extremes of Mumbai, one fails to emotionally connect to a character and root for their victory for there are way too many story-lines and emotions to follow. For a film shot on an iPhone, the cinematography is excellent. Most of the film is shot in natural light which adds to its rawness. Since the film focuses on love, loss, and addiction, I would love it if there was a separate film revolving around the story of the two rappers, Yoku and Prince. The film ends on a bittersweet note, where a few characters gain the closure they desperately seek, while others meet an untimely (and abrupt) end. Feature Image Credits: Netflix Jaishree Kumar [email protected]]]>

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A Review: Shlok Sharma’s Zoo

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From the director of Haramkhor (2015), ‘Zoo’ takes you on a journey from the ghettos of Bombay to its elite societies and drug addiction.

Addiction is a disease; it occupies your mind and soul. Drug addiction amongst the Indian youth is a rising concern for the nation. According to a 2015-survey conducted in Punjab, over 83% of drug users were employed, and 89% were literate, showing that drug addiction affects all social classes and, unfortunately, very few get the help they need to battle addiction.

Shlok Sharma’s Zoo, shot entirely on an iPhone 6 Plus, explores drug addiction and identity in the city of Mumbai through the central storyline involving five protagonists, two brothers, two wannabe rappers from the slums of Mumbai, and a girl who refuses to leave her house. The only things connecting their storylines are drug addiction and trade, and their personal conflict with their own identities. The characters involuntarily succumb to their weaknesses.

Shashank Arora, who was the lead in Brahman Naman, plays Bicky, a coffee shop worker who pretends to be mute and runs a drug business on the side. His brother who goes by ‘Messi’ (we never learn his real name) is a young, hot-headed footballer who ends up being fascinated with his older brother’s profession. The third protagonist, Misha (played by Shweta Tripathi) is an under-age girl who resorts to drugs in order to deal with her past. She never leaves her apartment, and she refuses to meet her family.

Image from Netflix.
Image from Netflix

Towards the end of the film, we find the reason behind her addiction and a glimpse into her dark past. Two rappers from the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai seem slightly alien to the storyline as  they are in search of their big breakthrough, while the world around them fails to understand their craft. Prince Daniel and Yogesh Kurme deliver excellent performances throughout the film.
The four storylines run parallel to each other, but the characters lack depth. Emotional outbursts and monologues fail to deliver to the potential of the film. We see the bond between the two brothers grow and Bicky’s rising concern for his younger brother, but his emotions fail to make the movie stand out. Misha’s character seems rather bland, as the audience is taken through the journey through relapses and mood-swings, but one is left wondering if there is more to her character.

 

In my perspective, the film would have progressed better if there were fewer protagonists, and the audience would also be able to emotionally connect with the characters. As the movie progresses and delves into the story-line focusing on the extremes of Mumbai, one fails to emotionally connect to a character and root for their victory for there are way too many story-lines and emotions to follow.

For a film shot on an iPhone, the cinematography is excellent. Most of the film is shot in natural light which adds to its rawness. Since the film focuses on love, loss, and addiction, I would love it if there was a separate film revolving around the story of the two rappers, Yoku and Prince. The film ends on a bittersweet note, where a few characters gain the closure they desperately seek, while others meet an untimely (and abrupt) end.

Feature Image Credits: Netflix

Jaishree Kumar

[email protected]

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Weekend Planner 101

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This September, there seem to be too many long weekends at our disposal, to utilise efficiently or to laze away. While long weekends bring with them promises of productivity, more often than not, they end up being spent in bed.

DU beat brings you ways of making your long weekend a memorable one.

  • Plan a trip to a nearby hill station

Delhi boasts of being just a few hours’ drives away from some of the most quaint and beautiful hill stations in the country, like Lansdowne, Dalhousie, and Kasol etc. Make the most of this opportunity, get your gang onboard, stuff your backpack and head out on a road trip. It will help you get a time off from the hustle bustle of the city and would surely be a respite from Delhi’s humid weather.

  • Catch up with some old friends

While we all know that college and work hardly ever gives us the time to social, it is equally important to nurture our old friendships. Meeting up with old school friends might just give you an opportunity to rewind and reminisce of much simpler times. It works just as good as a time turner!

  • Head out to Old Delhi

 Getting lost in the streets of Daryaganj and Chandni Chowk, gorging on paranthas and kebabs and visiting the iconic Jama Masjid and Lal Qila; the list just seems to go on. Make a day out of it and explore Old Delhi in all its glory.

  • Netflix and Chill

This one might just seem like an ideal (and the most common) way of spending your weekend and it sure doesn’t hurt to watch all the newly released shows or even some old ones for that matter. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, fret not, the dark web is filled with crevices with sites that have almost all kinds of shows to offer.

  •  Finish unfinished business

It might strike out as a tad bit serious, but honestly, it can be as simple as completing that assignment that was due last week, or a book, or a painting you haven’t touched in the last two weeks. It might just help you begin from scratch.

While there seems to be no fixed formula on how to spend your weekend, it never hurts to strive for personal fulfillment and make memories along the way. Best of luck figuring out your weekend.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Culture Trip

 Anoushka Singh
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THE ANTI COMEDY: NANETTE

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Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette is riveting and brilliant. Her powerful social commentary would leave you in splits, but at the same time leaves you with something to think about.

In the early days of July, I received tons of texts telling me to watch Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special Nanette. Truth be told, I had watched the Netflix specials of a lot of outstanding comedians ranging from Ali Wong’s Hard Knock Wife to Sarah Silverman’s A Speck of Dust, not to forget John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous. However, no comedy special had been so highly recommended by my pop culture enthusiastic friends.

I watched it and instead of leaving it with a smile, there I was, bawling my eyes out, crying. I closed the tab and I sat there, motionless, thinking. I had changed. I had never felt so validated as a bisexual woman. Hannah Gadsby’s every sentence makes you question the world we live in, questions the very essence of comedy.

Nanette beautifully weaves a story and talks about gender, sexuality, art history, and the power of storytelling. In the first few minutes, it appears to be any other comedy special full of anecdotes and self- deprecating humor. She spoke about growing up in a small town in Tasmania, Australia in the 90s where homosexuality was a crime. She also spoke about the repercussions of her coming out, full of hysterically funny one-liners. Minute 17th, the switch flips, and Hannah announces she’s quitting comedy. The atmosphere shifts dramatically and everything gets real.

Hannah Gadsby starts with telling her audience that she’s done with self- deprecating humor as for a person who already belongs to a marginalised community, it’s not humility its humiliation. It’s causing distress and harm to the people who identify with her. She was taught her entire life that she was not supposed to take spaces and that one should be punished if they are different. All that ever Hannah wanted to do was to be invisible; her confused childhood filled her with shame and self- hatred. In order to make people laugh, she had repackaged her traumatic memories, tinged it with humor and sold it to a straight audience for their comfort, for the sake of not upsetting the status quo. She had denied herself by repeating the story in a form of a joke, the lived experience of the reality. Now, she refuses to do it anymore. She’s tired and believes that it is time to tell the real, actual story whose setup would have tension but there would no punchline to diffuse it.

Gadsby very bravely talks about the time she was sexually abused as a kid and as a woman in her early 20’s. She was brutally beaten up by a homophobic man who believed that it was his right to do so by the powers vested to him by patriarchy. She, very honestly says that she didn’t report it to the police because she believed that she deserved it. The homophobia made her scared to even come out to her own grandmother. Hannah questions comedy, the way it is unable to bring out the true stories. She, through the perspective of art history, breaks the illusion that the art should be separated from the artist and that a man’s reputation is above everything else, even a woman’s humanity. Hannah breaks every notion promoted by sexism from ‘locker room talks’ to ‘don’t be so sensitive, learn to take a joke’, one hilarious joke at a time. She promptly breaks the myth that only suffering can create art.

You can feel her anger as she pleads for men to have empathy, and to understand the fear women have of them and if they really can’t, to ask the women in their lives. People who think they have the right to render another person powerless are weak, she states, and rightfully so. She rightfully speaks how women are what misogynists hate, but want.

Nanette might make you uneasy, uncomfortable. Hannah with her devastating delivery oratory will leave you speechless. The quiver in her voice and rawness, the vulnerability of her words will break your heart. It is undoubtedly one of the most profoundly illuminating specials. The hype is real, watch it and at the end of it, you would want to gif every moment of it.

Disha Saxena
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Feature Image Credits: Netflix

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