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The more he began to talk, the more you realised that you wouldn’t want to be associated with him, because he was doing nothing but spewing absolute and utter nonsense.
So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about this ‘reality’ TV series called Love Is Blind that streams on Netflix and aired its last episode last week. And boy! What an episode that was.
Compared to the last season’s reunion, this season’s reunion was much more explosive and dramatic. But at the center of it all was our villain Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee.
If you’re wondering why I am calling him a “villain,” I’ll tell you but before that, let me give you a little background on the show and all that.
So the basic premise is simple – an equal number of men and women are put into two living quarters and they go on dates everyday – they mix and match until they find the ONE. They talk, they laugh, they share their stories and slowly, they fall in love. Sounds good right? Well, here’s the catch!
Until they decide to get married, they cannot see each other; for they are in these ‘pods’ where they can only hear one another. Once they’ve decided to get married, they see each other before they’re whisked away to a week long vacation in Mexico where they meet the other couples and “see if their love survives outside the pods.” Then they’re thrown into the real world before they’ve to get married in less than four weeks.
That’s the basic premise and by the looks of it, there have been at least four couples who are in love and are of the belief that love truly is blind. But I am not here to talk about them, I am here to talk about the scum of earth that Shake is.
When i first saw him, I was glad that there was someone of Indian descent on the show, you know, representation and all? However, the more he began to talk, the more you realised that you wouldn’t want to be associated with him because he was doing nothing but spewing absolute and utter nonsense.
Note: I will be giving spoilers after this point, so I’d suggest that you go check the series out or be okay with the spoilers.
Moving on. So after all this, when Deepti ditches this ShitShake at the altar, trust me, I got up, and did a little dance before I continued watching. And I kid you not, when she said, “I choose myself. I choose me,” like a thousand others, I was weeping like a child. That was the moment I knew why I was rooting for this absolute Queen!
But the next shot showed AbhiFake (yes, I did that and I am hella proud) going and saying, “let’s still celebrate. Let’s party.” That human actually had the gall to say that Deepti’s (DEEPTI’S) decision would’ve been influenced by his. Had he said yes, she’d have too. Ugh. I mean, I just can’t with this guy. To think, I thought he had some hope when he turned tables and touched Deepti’s feet when they first meet; given he does grab her butt on TV.
Enough of my rant about AbhiYuck. Here’s why I genuinely don’t like him.
For one, for YEARS, people of colour have struggled to make their place in the US and we’ve constantly been the brunt of a lot of jokes and racism. We’ve seen our own relatives/friends or even ourselves go through some shit just because we’re from India.
I am not blaming Shake for this. What I am saying, however, is that he kind of fills the shoes of all the stereotypes people associate with Indians. And to add to it, he is like those annoying uncles that every family has who go and crack terrible fatphobic/ sexist/ racist/ homophobic ‘jokes’ and expect everyone to be okay.
Well, we aren’t okay, and to see someone who has such a platform do so, just boils my blood.
It’s no secret that Mr. Trashcan is a sexist, fatphobic entitled cis het man, but the reason he gave for never dating Indian women was so awful! He essentially tells our Queen (Deepti) that when he landed in the US, he saw two things that he’d never seen before – snow and blonde women – and that his reaction to both was the same, “Wow!”
I mean, where do I even begin with this man! Just where! Imagine how he must be in real life!
At the same time, no one was racist to him on the show but if you look at it from a viewer’s perspective, he was the only South Asian male among the people at the reunion, and the people who got engaged (please note, I’ve said male). He was the only one making these horrible comments and interrupting everyone. He was the only one saying REALLY shitty stuff. And to think what we saw was only the “watered down” version of events.
Imagine what the reality must’ve been for everyone and especially Deepti.
So in the end, all I’d want to say is that good on Deepti for ditching this scumbag of a human at the altar because he deserves that and more! And like his mother (I love her!) says, “Deepti deserves nothing less than a complete 100%”
Reader, writer and a strong feminist, I survive on coffee and cuddles from dogs! Pop culture, especially Bollywood, runs in my veins while I crack incredibly lame jokes and puns! read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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