Kahini Iyer, Author at Arré

One Pepperoni Pizza, With a Topping of Politics, Please

In an age where everything from sharing a hug on the metro to booking an Ola cab is political fodder, perhaps it was only a matter of time before paying for your Swiggy order would be fraught with similar tensions. Or is it already?

Kahini Iyer June 24, 2016

Pop Culture

Cannes Film Festival: That Time of the Year When B-Grade Bollywood Celebrities Become Relevant Again

There’s no getting away from the fact that Mallika Sherawat’s and Hina Khan’s connection to world cinema is tenuous at best. Yet they are gracing the Cannes red carpet. As for the rest of the Indian delegation? To paraphrase a modern statesman: We’re definitely not sending our best people.

Kahini Iyer June 24, 2016

Bollywood

What Dostana Meant For an India Where Homosexuality Was Still a Crime

Despite its glaring flaws, Dostana played a role in drawing the attention of a nation oblivious to the queer community and its struggles. The film went on to define the mantra of the LGBT community: sexy, fabulous, and deeply individual.

Kahini Iyer June 22, 2016

Bollywood

Move over Koffee With Karan. Simi Garewal, the Grandmother of Celebrity Talk Shows is Back

Rendezvous with Simi Garewal will be back soon and even in this talk show-saturated climate, I’m waiting with bated breath for the return of the queen. The old-fashioned talk show was not bogged down by any “revealing” rapid fires, instead Garewal’s spotless white couch was more like that of a therapist.

Kahini Iyer June 22, 2016

Pop Culture

From Snyder Cut to Cricket, Will Fandom Survive this Pandemic?

United by passion, fandoms are so often the real reason we become fans of anything. Besides the mutual appreciation of a book, film, band, or team, there is the satisfaction of coming together to grieve and celebrate, argue and laugh, form connections and hold post-mortems. But like many things, the pandemic has taken the joy out of fandom.

Kahini Iyer June 20, 2016

Sports

We’ve Become Very Enthu Fans of R Ashwin’s Wife Prithi Narayanan

Like her husband R Ashwin, Prithi Narayanan is a formidable all-rounder. Apart from her wry sense of humour, it’s her honesty that makes her such a favourite.

Kahini Iyer June 20, 2016

Modern Family

My Didi, My Keeper: Did My Illness Steal My Sister’s Childhood?

When I was nine and my sister 13, I was diagnosed with leukaemia. Suddenly, my family’s plans changed overnight. My father gave up a job offer, my mother became my full-time carer. And my sister, always the mature, responsible one who never needed supervision, was left to her own devices.

Kahini Iyer June 20, 2016

Pop Culture

Bigg Boss, Jersey Shore, and the Universal Appeal of Trashy Reality TV

The concept of cramming a bunch of oddballs into a house and filming the fuckery is not exclusive to Bigg Boss. It’s a tried-and-tested reality formula, and it always works. You may consider it low-brow and yet you’ll consume it, as I learned when I discovered Jersey Shore.

Kahini Iyer June 15, 2016

Bollywood

Ranveer Singh: Making Femininity Manly Again

How many Indian men can so lightly embody the many contradictions of Ranveer Singh? In our determinedly binary society, his love of lehengas on anyone else might have garnered epithets of “sissy” or “hijra”. But then, as his infamous t-shirt once declared, Ranveer always makes one thing abundantly clear: he’s got no fucks to give.

Kahini Iyer June 15, 2016

Gender

What the Joe Biden Accusations Tell Us About the Divide Between Women’s Independence and Men’s Intention

What’s been made clear by the entire story surrounding touchy-feely Joe Biden, is that young women will no longer brush their discomfort aside, simply because it doesn’t fall under the definition of harassment. The empathetic, handsy politician is a relic from a more forgiving past — and is now being called out for outdated, soft sexism.

Kahini Iyer June 14, 2016