The Faunlet, Author at Arré

Grindr and My Tales of Technosexual Love

For technosexuals, the potential of digital, photoshopped lovers is more pleasurable than actual interaction with them. We send out dick pics minus faces so it doesn’t get personal.

The Faunlet July 4, 2016

Pop Culture

Lessons in BDSM from Barbie Girl

At first pass, "Barbie Girl" is a song set in a plastic world. But scratch below the surface, and you can read its silent messages about BDSM.

The Faunlet July 1, 2016

Pop Culture

Forty Years Ago, Alien Gave Us the First Female Action Hero

Alien may have been the first of its kind in many ways — not least in terms of the sheer scope of its imagination — but the real victory here was the germination of Ellen Ripley. Her character serves as a beacon of possibility for women in science-fiction to never again to just be an afterthought in a male narrative.

The Faunlet June 4, 2016

Pop Culture

After 20 Years, Do We Need to Reevaluate The Matrix as a Queer Classic?

The humans in the titular matrix have no free will; their journeys are tightly scripted, shackled to the simulation’s code. The inability to narrate one’s own life story resonates heavily with queer audiences. We are Neo, all of us. The responsibility is our burden to bear and to share.

The Faunlet May 26, 2016

Bollywood

20 Years Later: Ram Gopal Varma’s Kaun? Is the Freakiest “Knock Knock” Story of Our Time

Back in 1999, when Ram Gopal Varma shot Kaun, a home-invasion horror with a single set, three characters, loose threads and under 15 days, it seemed like he was courting disaster, or worse, boredom. But 20 years later, the film’s experiments with crafting an atmospheric horror is nothing short of revolutionary.

The Faunlet May 18, 2016

Pop Culture

Deadpool: The Pansexual Superhero of the Queer Universe

Queerness and alternative sexualities are a routine part of the Deadpool 2 universe. I’m thrilled, because stories belong to all of us. We all desire identity and crave to see that identity reflected in the art we love. Enough with the heterosexual romance being rubbed in our faces, I say.

The Faunlet April 26, 2016

Pop Culture

20 Years of Fight Club: How David Fincher Takes a Sharp Jab at the Male Ego in This Nihilistic Film

Fight Club is not meant to be the Gospel of the “modern man”. Instead, it does the complete opposite: it takes a sharp jab at the male ego and its heroic pomposity.

The Faunlet April 22, 2016

POV

What If Gaitonde’s Prophecy Turns True and Mumbai Gets Nuked

Ever since Sacred Games’ terrifying cliffhanger, I’ve been trying to imagine what would happen if Mumbai did actually get nuked? Over 7,00,000 people will be dead within the first 24 hours of impact. A communications blackout, disrupted railway lines and roads will result in widespread panic and riots, leading to more deaths.

The Faunlet March 21, 2016

Bollywood

Ms Hawa Hawai: Shehzaadi of the Meek, the Freak, the Queer

Sridevi’s cavalier reappropriation of filmy womanhood ensured the rise of the “other”, the outliers and the freaks that languish in prisons of self-expression. No wonder she was India’s queer icon.

The Faunlet March 20, 2016