Posted inPop Culture
Milind Soman and Subtle Art of Male Elegance
Almost three decades apart, Soman plays the prize with pride, and embodies the kind of masculinity, both on screen and off it, that is rare to see.
Posted inPOV
Mard Ko Dard Hoga: How Ripped Male Bodies Became a Joke
There was a phase in Indian cinema when our beefy leading men were both, the poster and the song – the hero and the wit. But the sun is setting on the ripped male form. For a cross section of audiences, the sculpted male body is now an object of ridicule.
Posted inPOV
How to Spot a Launda or Desi Frat Boy
The Desi Frat Boy has a superiority complex. He’s misogynistic, vile, and homophobic. Should we blame him for being a douchebag or our patriarchy?
Posted inPop Culture
Pushpa, KGF and How Massive Beards Came to Replace Hairy Chests as a Sign of Masculinity
There was time a when our heroes carried hair on their chest as a sign of restrained heroism. It’s absurd really, but films like Pushpa and KGF imply the arrival of the most explicit and visible evidence yet of a man’s virility, troublingly told through violence – his overgrown beard.
Posted inPeople
Champi… Tel Malish for the Complete Indian Mard
Indian men do not usually indulge in pedicures and facials. Who and what then gives us succour from the relentless onslaught of life? The answer, my friends, is in the strong, virile, and skilful hands of the neighbourhood barber and his vigorous champi.
Posted inLove and Sex
Kya Ek Ladka Aur Ek Ladki Kabhi IRL Dost Nahi Ho Sakte?
Indian children are taught many cardinal lessons, like touching our grandparents’ feet and returning dabbas to mom in pristine condition. The prime one is that girls and boys can never be friends. As a girl with seven close male friends, I’m often the centre of curiosity and judgment.
Posted inGender
What’s Making Us Happy: The Decline in India’s Maternal Mortality Rate
Here’s a reason to cheer on a gloomy day: Our Maternal Mortality Rate has dropped by 22 per cent. That means nearly 1,000 fewer women die because of pregnancy-related complications in the country each month.
