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Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh

Shrayana Bhattacharya

2 Chapters
Bought by 0 people
0 Readers
Completed on 29 March 2023
ISBN : 9789356292147
Also available on Amazon Flipkart

Blowing open the struggles, aspirations, loneliness and lived experiences of Indian women who seek financial independence in one of the most male-dominated economies in the world, Shrayana Bhattacharya’s pathbreaking bestseller shows why women who hold paid jobs form a meagre minority, even in cities. Abandoning traditional modes of social science research, she relies on the fandom of Shah Rukh Khan to glean intimate details of what women think about men, markets, beauty, money and marriage. Discussing Khan’s icon allows a diverse set of women—from upper-caste engineers, tribal migrant domestic workers to Muslim garment workers—to talk about their everyday battles for freedom, revealing how India became one of the world’s most gender-unequal economies. With arresting candour, Bhattacharya also examines her personal anguish against the biases of contemporary India. Funny, furious and fresh, Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh exhorts us towards a true modernity. 

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A very interesting book that deals with such important topics. Shrayana Bhattacharya's ground-breaking bestseller reveals the struggles, aspirations, loneliness, and lived experiences of Indian women who seek financial independence in one of the most male-dominated economies in the world. It also explains why women who hold paid jobs constitute a tiny minority, even in cities. She forgoes the conventional methods of social science research and instead mines Shah Rukh Khan's fan base for personal insights into how women view marriage, markets, beauty, and money. Discussing Khan's emblem enables a broad group of women from high caste engineers to Muslim garment workers to tribal migrant domestic workers to talk about their daily struggles for freedom and reveals how India got to be one of the most economically gender inequal countries in the world. Bhattacharya also addresses her personal struggle with the prejudices of others with piercing candour.