Runjhun Noopur, Author at Arré

Friendship Cancel: Why Breaking Up With BFFs is Worse Than Ending a Romance

Falling out of friendships rarely gets as much attention as falling out of love. A breakup between friends does not carry the weight of the breakup of a romantic relationship. We might be prepared for heartbreak, but nobody tells us about the friends we are going to lose along the way.

Runjhun Noopur July 22, 2016

POV

Why Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar Made Me Stop Glorifying the “Tortured Artist” Trope

The perception of a tortured artist is so glorified that it has become perversely aspirational. There is something highly alluring about the idea of deep sorrow and depression acting as a springboard for great pieces of art. The artists know it, and so does the market. But is this greatness worth it if you become an accomplice in your own exploitation?

Runjhun Noopur July 15, 2016

Bollywood

Chupke Chupke: Parimal Tripathi & Family Are the Perfect Antidote to Our Lockdown Blues

If there were in fact a template of what feel-good movies should follow, Chupke Chupke, which turns 46 today, has all the cues

Runjhun Noopur July 13, 2016

Culture

Hum, Tum, Aur Aap: Why the Insipid “You” Can Never Match the Intimacy of Hindi Pronouns

People seeped in the homogeneity of English and its pervading usage of “you” may rarely notice the gravitas that pronouns can lend to a language. But in Hindi, pronouns define more than people: They define regions, cultures, levels of civility, and even intimacy.

Runjhun Noopur July 8, 2016

Bollywood

11 Years of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: How Suri Taught Us Love Is About Letting Go

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which turns 11 today, is often mocked for its simplistic premise. But the film actually overturned quite a few tropes: Taani is the textbook definition of a tortured hero, while Suri’s “hep” alter-ego Raj is like the manic pixie dream girl, instrumental in triggering the hero’s profound transformation.

Runjhun Noopur July 5, 2016

Bollywood

The Celebrity Death Syndrome: Mortality on Our Minds

Death happens. We ignore it, if we can. When we can’t, as is in the case of celebrities like Sridevi or a loved one, we rush deep into denial, frantically looking for scapegoats to explain the freak occurrence. And then we move on.

Runjhun Noopur July 2, 2016

Earth

Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai: Our Weather is the Great Indian Unifier

Weather in India is as contentious as our language, cuisine, and politics. It is not just a conversation starter, it is where our differences go to die and find a new life. If we didn’t have the weather, how would we discuss our government’s corruption and apathy, based on that one pothole, with perfect strangers?

Runjhun Noopur June 30, 2016

Bollywood

Amar Akbar Anthony: Why We Need Manmohan Desai’s Diverse India Now More than Ever

In the world that we live in today, which is marred by discrimination toward minorities and a breathless demand for proof of citizenship, Amar Akbar Anthony’s secular universe almost seems utopian. It’s funny because Manmohan Desai’s portrait of India is actually the India that our ancestors fought for.

Runjhun Noopur June 19, 2016

Pop Culture

Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is a Prophetic Film in a Post-Truth World

Watching Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is a reminder that while the internet may have exposed the many facets of our “heroes” in the recent times, the system, including the media has always been diabolical and self-serving. Integrity has always been an exception, and will perhaps forever be.

Runjhun Noopur June 19, 2016

Pop Culture

7 Years of Queen: The Complicated Legacy of the Film that Celebrated Feminism

Rewatching Queen is a surreal experience. For once, it isn’t because a movie has aged so horribly, you question your own sensibility and past self for ever liking it. On the contrary, Queen is a rare legit classic, as relevant today as it was in 2014. Queen’s legacy, however, is a complicated mess.

Runjhun Noopur June 6, 2016