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popcorrrrnn's review against another edition
4.0
I did not realise how a book heavy with data can be my companion and validate so many of my emotions. As a SRK fan this book not just validates me but my takes on modern romance, economy and everyday changes India is seeing.
Too much data can be taxing for someone who used to work on data as a profession but this one soothes me on so many level which I myself didn’t know existed. The author’s take on women in particular have given a fresh perspective on SRK fandom. The fantasy we probably have as luxury with him is so rare.
You cannot love him at this point of his career, you didn’t grow up like us obsessing over him lip syncing to Udit Narayan or Sonu Nigam, or romancing Juhi, Kajol, Madhuri.
As his age and career progressed into easing himself on Bollywood, our idea of Shahrukh also shifted from movies to him as a person. We discovered him in more reality and in less of an actor, more of a human. His interviews and public appearances made us fall in love again with him but now as Shahrukh and not as Raj, Rahul or Devdas.
My idea of Shahrukh is the human he is and Shrayana Bhattacharya helps me immensely in this journey of discovering the one favourite actor of my life.
I may or may not agree with author’s feminism, politics and religious takes but on the journey she takes me with women across India, while seeking Shahrukh, I find home in all of them :)
Too much data can be taxing for someone who used to work on data as a profession but this one soothes me on so many level which I myself didn’t know existed. The author’s take on women in particular have given a fresh perspective on SRK fandom. The fantasy we probably have as luxury with him is so rare.
You cannot love him at this point of his career, you didn’t grow up like us obsessing over him lip syncing to Udit Narayan or Sonu Nigam, or romancing Juhi, Kajol, Madhuri.
As his age and career progressed into easing himself on Bollywood, our idea of Shahrukh also shifted from movies to him as a person. We discovered him in more reality and in less of an actor, more of a human. His interviews and public appearances made us fall in love again with him but now as Shahrukh and not as Raj, Rahul or Devdas.
My idea of Shahrukh is the human he is and Shrayana Bhattacharya helps me immensely in this journey of discovering the one favourite actor of my life.
I may or may not agree with author’s feminism, politics and religious takes but on the journey she takes me with women across India, while seeking Shahrukh, I find home in all of them :)
k_m967's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
“.. in telling me about when, how and why they turn to Shah Rukh, they’re telling us about when, how and why the world breaks their hearts.”
I never fully understood Shah Rukh Khan’s popularity and success. So when I reached for this book, I wanted answers— I got them and so much more. Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh is a meticulously researched, albeit very accessible read about the lives of Indian women from different classes, castes, and religious backgrounds united by Shah Rukh fandom. Through the personal narratives of these women, the writer paints a picture of modern Indian society, and what it means to search for happiness, success, love, independence, and intimacy (all of which are intertwined) within a socio-economic system designed to disadvantage them.
Amidst all of this, Shah Rukh comes to represent their hopes, aspirations, and desires, and Bhattacharya (herself a fan) deftly examines the contexts in which this came to be.
This book is equal parts ethnography, social commentary, memoir, and academic study, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into reading more nonfiction. There were some narrative choices that I did not enjoy (one segment is written in the 2nd person, which is kind of my pet peeve), at times, Shah Rukh does seem a little shoehorned into the narrative, and sometimes the writing starts sounding a bit too much like *those* anglophone SA writers works. I won’t say more because I have friends reading this, and to be honest, none of these minor complaints outweigh the book’s brilliance
“.. in telling me about when, how and why they turn to Shah Rukh, they’re telling us about when, how and why the world breaks their hearts.”
I never fully understood Shah Rukh Khan’s popularity and success. So when I reached for this book, I wanted answers— I got them and so much more. Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh is a meticulously researched, albeit very accessible read about the lives of Indian women from different classes, castes, and religious backgrounds united by Shah Rukh fandom. Through the personal narratives of these women, the writer paints a picture of modern Indian society, and what it means to search for happiness, success, love, independence, and intimacy (all of which are intertwined) within a socio-economic system designed to disadvantage them.
Amidst all of this, Shah Rukh comes to represent their hopes, aspirations, and desires, and Bhattacharya (herself a fan) deftly examines the contexts in which this came to be.
This book is equal parts ethnography, social commentary, memoir, and academic study, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into reading more nonfiction. There were some narrative choices that I did not enjoy (one segment is written in the 2nd person, which is kind of my pet peeve), at times, Shah Rukh does seem a little shoehorned into the narrative, and sometimes the writing starts sounding a bit too much like *those* anglophone SA writers works. I won’t say more because I have friends reading this, and to be honest, none of these minor complaints outweigh the book’s brilliance
chitra1111's review against another edition
3.0
The book is on the gender inequality but I felt it is a bit dragged.
inoirita's review
4.0
Do you remember the first time you saw the King of Romance on screen? Did you instantly get a smile when he said his cheesy dialogues and smiled his half smile that is accompanied with a soft boyish charm? Do you remember the first time you saw this man love a woman on screen and you felt that you needed a love like that in your life?
From a very young age, the indian woman has no other option but to fall in love with Shah Rukh Khan hopelessly! I've met people with different actors as their favourites, actually even I'm not one of those top fans of King Khan, but I know most women feel a different kind of peace of while watching the movies of this talented human being. In his characters they find a man who has defied the standards of the archetypical masculine hero and they get to dream about a man with whom they can share their deepest thoughts. Khan's characters immediately do not jump to the rescue, but they listen to what the woman opposite him has to say which is such a rare trait of the indian hero on screen. His characters truly think of women as equals which is interpreted by Indian men as impossible standards that women set up while dating. I'm sure many women has had to go through the suggestions to stop watching these impossibly romantic bollywood movies that'll ruin their expectations of a realistic partner. But what men don't get is women don't really want a man who's going to chase her through different countries, they merely want a man who wouldn't feel insecure talking about life while giving them a hand with chopping vegetables.
Khan has a shadow on the lives of women of all ages in India despite the economical challenges that they undergo. While only a tiny section of the women in India are able to access the comfort of a multiplex, many do not have the permission to indulge in movies that might ruin their mind and most of them simply cannot afford to watch his movies. Their love for him lies through that one time they watched DDLJ and his songs that appear on their broken radios. But it is a love that has survived decades of terrible bollywood movies and derogatory item numbers and Khan's legacy will still challenge many generations of lovers.
From a very young age, the indian woman has no other option but to fall in love with Shah Rukh Khan hopelessly! I've met people with different actors as their favourites, actually even I'm not one of those top fans of King Khan, but I know most women feel a different kind of peace of while watching the movies of this talented human being. In his characters they find a man who has defied the standards of the archetypical masculine hero and they get to dream about a man with whom they can share their deepest thoughts. Khan's characters immediately do not jump to the rescue, but they listen to what the woman opposite him has to say which is such a rare trait of the indian hero on screen. His characters truly think of women as equals which is interpreted by Indian men as impossible standards that women set up while dating. I'm sure many women has had to go through the suggestions to stop watching these impossibly romantic bollywood movies that'll ruin their expectations of a realistic partner. But what men don't get is women don't really want a man who's going to chase her through different countries, they merely want a man who wouldn't feel insecure talking about life while giving them a hand with chopping vegetables.
Khan has a shadow on the lives of women of all ages in India despite the economical challenges that they undergo. While only a tiny section of the women in India are able to access the comfort of a multiplex, many do not have the permission to indulge in movies that might ruin their mind and most of them simply cannot afford to watch his movies. Their love for him lies through that one time they watched DDLJ and his songs that appear on their broken radios. But it is a love that has survived decades of terrible bollywood movies and derogatory item numbers and Khan's legacy will still challenge many generations of lovers.
vsanghadia's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully researched and written, the author links labour market data and insights effectively to tell stories of Indian women from different generations, regions, religions and socio economic backgrounds. It maps their aspirations, needs, wants, expectations, disappointments - in work, love, family and community - through SRK and all that he represents. Makes for a wonderful read. This book has indelibly changed the way I will view his interviews and movies going forward.
moumita's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
An incredibly insightful book on the fandom of Shah Rukh Khan and the economics of being a woman in India.
shubagar's review
5.0
A very knowledgeable book from a very articulate person. Important lessons in economics, the politics of gender, social and economic conditions of various women across India.
roshni51's review against another edition
4.0
Insightful, although needs an editor to cut certain sections and structure it a bit better