The title of the book Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh, is a lens through which an economic phenomenon is being studied, said Nandini Krishnan, in a conversation with author Shrayana Bhattacharya, on Day 2, of the 11th edition of The Hindu Lit for Life.
In her journey dating back 15 years, when the arc for the book began, Shrayana explained how, when she spoke to women, especially those from society’s marginalised sections, she realised, “They weren’t talking about money and media, but about men. It was brilliant that Shah Rukh enabled women to talk about their stories.”
She also elaborated on how, in the course of her journey, she was made aware of how many women who were Shah Rukh fans, weren’t even aware of the stalker phenomenon in movies such as “Darr” or “Baazigaar”, as they hadn’t watched the full movie, but in parts. “As you, however, move towards upper class woman, there is a distancing from the stalker,” she admitted.
She also spoke of how, “For many migrants in Delhi, there is a link, a sort of attachment from first-generation people, who have moved away from their roots. They are drawn towards Shah Rukh as he too left Delhi to make it big. It has a lot to do with the idea of uprootedness and economic journey.”
One thing that constantly comes up in the book is people use celebrities to describe their own journey. The author added. “What unites all the women in the book is that they want to be independent and just buy a Shah Rukh movie ticket by themselves, without depending on their father/husband/brother.”
The Hindu Lit for Life 2023 is powered by Life Insurance Corporation of India in association with Ajay Toothbrushes. The Associate Partners are NITTE Education Trust, Hindustan Group of Institutions, State Bank of India, Sai University, and Vivek’s. Jewellery Partner: Joyalukkas. The Mobility Partner is Hyundai, Banking Partner is Indian Bank Realty, the Author Lounge Partner is VFS Global, the Realty Partner is Casagrand, the Knowledge Partner is SSVM Institutions, the Bookstore Partner is Higginbothams, the Gift Partner is Anand Prakash, and the Water Partner is Repute.
Published - February 10, 2023 06:10 pm IST
