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Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence

Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence

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  • Create Date：2022-01-27 06:51:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Shrayana Bhattacharya
  • ISBN：9354891934
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Summary

In this pathbreaking work， Shrayana Bhattacharya maps the economic and personal trajectories--the jobs， desires， prayers， love affairs and rivalries--of a diverse group of women。 Divided by class but united in fandom， they remain steadfast in their search for intimacy， independence and fun。 Embracing Hindi film idol Shah Rukh Khan allows them a small respite from an oppressive culture， a fillip to their fantasies of a friendlier masculinity in Indian men。 Most struggle to find the freedom-or income-to follow their favourite actor。

Bobbing along in this stream of multiple lives for more than a decade-from Manju's boredom in 'rurban' Rampur and Gold's anger at having to compete with Western women for male attention in Delhi's nightclubs， to Zahira's break from domestic abuse in Ahmedabad-Bhattacharya gleans the details on what Indian women think about men， money， movies， beauty， helplessness， agency and love。 A most unusual and compelling book on the female gaze， this is the story of how women have experienced post-liberalization India。

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Reviews

Harsha Varma ，

Some of the statistics are damning！1。 Only one-quarter of women engage actively in the labour market in India， one of the lowest participation rates in the world。 2。 6。5% of married women in the wealthiest segment of urban India are employed。3。 An urban Indian woman spends five hours on household chores every day， while an urban man spends twenty-nine minutes on housework！4。 India ranks in the bottom five countries of the world when it comes to the share of men helping in housework， alongside Pa Some of the statistics are damning！1。 Only one-quarter of women engage actively in the labour market in India， one of the lowest participation rates in the world。 2。 6。5% of married women in the wealthiest segment of urban India are employed。3。 An urban Indian woman spends five hours on household chores every day， while an urban man spends twenty-nine minutes on housework！4。 India ranks in the bottom five countries of the world when it comes to the share of men helping in housework， alongside Pakistan， Mali， Cambodia and South Korea。'The mark of a civilized person is the capacity to read a column of numbers and weep'！ And the gender inequality in the above numbers is weep-worthy。 This is the central topic of the book。 The book contains engaging stories of a few urban and rural women across decades， chipping away at their social constraints， finding solace in Shah Rukh films and expanding their rights and horizons along the way。 The book briefly touches on possible solutions: safe hostels and scholarships for women， improving women’s access to jobs but doesn’t go deep enough and frankly might not have been in the scope of the book。 But if it helps in understanding and changing perceptions， it’s an important step in the right direction。The anecdotes from Shah Rukh films were a welcome distraction， the ‘kabhi khushis’ in the mostly ‘gham’ statistics。Quotes:1。 'Yuhin chala chal raahi。 Jeevan gaadi hain， samay paiya' - 'Just keep traveling。 Life is a vehicle and time is a wheel。'2。 She had a complaint: she felt there was far too much of Prime Minister Modi on TV and not enough Shah Rukh。3。 Fantasies are not meant to be tarnished by reality。4。 Bruised and burned， I oscillate along the spectrum of a banal romantic mania。5。 Pragmatism plundered all prospects of emotional exploration and discovery。6。 A few alliterations: Fumbling failure， robotic rituals， poised public persona， mythical meritocracy， wicked white men， bulging belly， perennial peon， beastly Bihari， panoply of platitudes， academic acrobatics， clumsy careless curiosity 。。。more

Meghana Devotta ，

Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh is an all-encompassing take on the female experience in India。Every story is an illustration of how women's social location （age， class， religion， rural/urban setting etc。） determines their ability to dream， hope， negotiate identity and independence in modern day India。 A big takeaway？ Change-making feminism isn't about one big grand conflict or social media friendly statements。 Societal boundaries are pushed through thankless， minute everyday interactions in the ho Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh is an all-encompassing take on the female experience in India。Every story is an illustration of how women's social location （age， class， religion， rural/urban setting etc。） determines their ability to dream， hope， negotiate identity and independence in modern day India。 A big takeaway？ Change-making feminism isn't about one big grand conflict or social media friendly statements。 Societal boundaries are pushed through thankless， minute everyday interactions in the hope of finding brief personal fulfilment or something more radical like- personal enjoyment。 Fighting limitations is about chipping away slowly （as opposed to 'smashing'） patriarchal strictures。 Growing up on a diet of western feminist takes， its wonderful to 'feel seen' in a book rooted in the average Indian experience。 Also who doesn't love reflective pieces on the joys of SRK :P 。。。more

Ranjan ，

A very novel approach towards understanding the intricacies of Indian economics via a study of SRK fans。 Extremely well researched data juxtaposed with some very interesting stories - and some heartbreaking ones too…brilliant read。

Nadha ，

Sociology， Sexism， Statistics and SRK。 What's not to love？ Sociology， Sexism， Statistics and SRK。 What's not to love？ 。。。more

Ron Jack ，

Loved it。 It combines Microeconomics， Sociology， Gender Studies and Bollywood to make for a lovely read。 The writing is clear and free flowing， especially useful when dealing with such a loaded issue of Gender Studies。 The personal arc of narrative makes this both a work of scholarship and memoir。 Strongly recommend this to all

Smit Hinsu ，

“A 2020 World Economic Forum report on gender gaps in economic participation and opportunity placed India in the bottom five countries of the world， with Pakistan， Syria， Yemen and Iraq。”This was a really moving， insightful and brilliant read that was difficult to put down and clearly one of the best books I have read。If there was a book that you wouldn't want to judge based on the cover， this is that book。 It isn’t really about Shah Rukh Khan or lonely women in the literal sense。 At the core， t “A 2020 World Economic Forum report on gender gaps in economic participation and opportunity placed India in the bottom five countries of the world， with Pakistan， Syria， Yemen and Iraq。”This was a really moving， insightful and brilliant read that was difficult to put down and clearly one of the best books I have read。If there was a book that you wouldn't want to judge based on the cover， this is that book。 It isn’t really about Shah Rukh Khan or lonely women in the literal sense。 At the core， this book is about Indian women’s desire to be treated with dignity and fairness and the grim reality faced by them。 The book describes the lives of around ten diverse women of different ages including the author。 The author came across them through her research work and kept in touch over 15 years。 These include women living in one of the poorest areas in the world in Jharkhand jungles， Lutyens' Delhi and everything in between。 Even though their lives may seem to have hardly any similarity from the outside， the issues they face are eerily similar。 Like， one girl got slapped for watching a movie once， another was put under house arrest and some women had to work extra to watch a movie in secrecy。 I used to watch a movie in the theater every Friday during my high school so this really hit home for me and showed how privileged childhood I had。The writing of the book is mindblowing and makes it fun to read despite it covering a lot of dry statistics。 The author amazingly connects the economic data with the personal stories and analyzes the forces shaping the personal lives through the lens of economics， history and some philosophy。 All the characters in the book are so well written that I can clearly see a movie or a Netflix series based on this book。 This book also reminded me of the movie ‘Lajja’ that deals with the same subject in a similar fashion。The way the author connects movies to real life is quite impressive and her critique and analysis seemed better than professional critics。 My impression of Shah Rukh in real life was that he is hard working and driven but a bit arrogant and wasn’t aware that he is a big feminist and treats all women in his life including new actresses exceptionally well。 Like his movies credit the actress before the actor and he still knocks on his wife and daughter to respect their privacy。The best aspect of the book is that it is honest and the author doesn’t let her strong opinions come in the way of giving out the full picture。 The author confronts people on their opinions and also questions poor choices in life including her own。 Also， the author doesn’t shy from covering women who are happy in marriage or whose views on work after marriage differs from the author。The only thing that I didn’t like about the book was the elaborate coverage of Shah Rukh movies in the beginning and some related discussion in the end。 Some women in the book are expecting a person similar to Shah Rukh in their life who is handsome， intelligent， high status， emotionally expressive， can understand them yet kind and loyal。 As the book mentions， this is not possible。 This seemed to dilute the book’s message but it was probably important to cover this to stay honest。If you are interested in developmental economics， feminism or movies， you would love this book and will learn a lot about the other topics。 。。。more

Anisha ，

I am in deep awe of what Shrayana Bhattacharya did with this book， interpreting her research， economic data， and the lives of women in India through their fandom for Shah Rukh。 Through conversations with fans， and her stellar writing， she brought to the fore everyday injustices and the curtailment of simple freedoms （like watching a movie， professing fandom） that women in India have to navigate， and be pitted against， everyday。 Yet the grit， resolve and desires of each of the women she interview I am in deep awe of what Shrayana Bhattacharya did with this book， interpreting her research， economic data， and the lives of women in India through their fandom for Shah Rukh。 Through conversations with fans， and her stellar writing， she brought to the fore everyday injustices and the curtailment of simple freedoms （like watching a movie， professing fandom） that women in India have to navigate， and be pitted against， everyday。 Yet the grit， resolve and desires of each of the women she interviewed shines through in the book and made me smile。 I particularly loved one character， who when asked why she found Shah Rukh so likeable， said， 'meri marzi！' （my wish）。I only wish there were a few more characters from minority and marginalized communities for readers to understand how there is so much more that is stacked against them。Do read this， even if you're not a Shah Rukh fan。 。。。more

Kartik Chauhan ，

An incisive and comprehensive social experiment， this book has featured in many Best Books of 2021 lists， and perhaps it is one。 Exploring Shah Rukh as a "receptacle of so many of our （women's） expectations"， it's a book that documents some ordinary private struggles with an extraordinary public crisis: women's economic power。 Even as it became a bit far-fetched at times with its metaphorical overindulgence in the mythology of SRK， it is an essential read。 An incisive and comprehensive social experiment， this book has featured in many Best Books of 2021 lists， and perhaps it is one。 Exploring Shah Rukh as a "receptacle of so many of our （women's） expectations"， it's a book that documents some ordinary private struggles with an extraordinary public crisis: women's economic power。 Even as it became a bit far-fetched at times with its metaphorical overindulgence in the mythology of SRK， it is an essential read。 。。。more

thebookwormcritic ，

5️⃣ BOOK REVIEW 💛 Book - DESPERATELY SEEKING SHAH RUKHAuthor - Shrayana BhattacharyaPublisher - @harpercollinsin Genre - Nonfiction My rating - 4/5 REVIEW : Shah Rukh ， these two words were enough for me to desperately read this book。 Author Shrayana Bhattacharya ， a journalist ， has done a detailed study with respect to the stats and facts about Shah Rukh Khan ， his fandom and the economic trajectories of the different class of women across India 。 Let me first list down the facts about Shah 5️⃣ BOOK REVIEW 💛 Book - DESPERATELY SEEKING SHAH RUKHAuthor - Shrayana BhattacharyaPublisher - @harpercollinsin Genre - Nonfiction My rating - 4/5 REVIEW : Shah Rukh ， these two words were enough for me to desperately read this book。 Author Shrayana Bhattacharya ， a journalist ， has done a detailed study with respect to the stats and facts about Shah Rukh Khan ， his fandom and the economic trajectories of the different class of women across India 。 Let me first list down the facts about Shah Rukh Khan ， 1。 King of romance 2。 Tremendous fan following 3。 Women > Men ， and let me put this in a better way ; Female > Male 4。 Every girl wants a guy like him 5。 No other actor till date has been the best in Intimacy ， Fun and Respect towards women 。 In this book ， the author nails down stories about different women ， from different classes ， different age groups across India ， but each one of them United in fandom ， United by SRK 。 From his early days ， from playing a hero to playing a villian ， each romantic scene ， and the soothing lyrics of every song he portrayed in ， his dialogues from DDLJ to his obsessed lover image from Darr ， from being the one to sacrifice his love for his bestfriend in Pardes ， to being the one to get back his ex love in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna 。 To change himself from Suri to Raj just to make his wife happy and let her free in love from Rab ne bana di jodi ， to being this autistic lover in My name is Khan ， Shah Rukh Khan ， indeed raised the bar of love to an epitome ， and every girls wants that but none is able to have it all 。 I can just keep on talking about how perfectly this book has captured each and every aspect on women's expectations and their search for intimacy and independence 。 If you are a SRK fan ， i definitely want you to grab this book now 。 Kudos to the author for this brilliant and bold contribution of work。 Thankyou @harpercollinsin for sending me this gifted copy ， i will treasure for lifetime ❤️P。S - My only wish is to meet Shahrukh Khan irl once 🥺 。。。more

Aparajita ，

I just loved this book。 It's intelligent， insightful， engaging， deeply empathetic telling stories of women across India， cutting across class/caste and community - their struggles for dignity， love， economic independence/freedom and their common love for Shah Rukh Khan - someone who portrays a love and gentleness that they cannot find in their real lives。 This is a recurring theme in the book for almost all the women。 For the most part， it is deeply disconcerting and sad to realise the extent of I just loved this book。 It's intelligent， insightful， engaging， deeply empathetic telling stories of women across India， cutting across class/caste and community - their struggles for dignity， love， economic independence/freedom and their common love for Shah Rukh Khan - someone who portrays a love and gentleness that they cannot find in their real lives。 This is a recurring theme in the book for almost all the women。 For the most part， it is deeply disconcerting and sad to realise the extent of the gender gap and the inequality。 For many privileged urban women， things may seem to be so different and better， but the reality is so different。 The last section Mannat is really wonderful for the empathy and the insights， she brings out so eloquently。 Despite the gloom and the facts and figures on the state of India's women， the book is also delightful and life-affirming in the stories of the women she tells - their struggles， their rebellion， their small and big triumphs， their heartbreak and failures， their anxiety and their joys and their resilience。 It's a book that I cannot recommend enough - to be read by women and men alike。 Men， especially -so that they can maybe try to understand women better and to realise the extent of the gender gap。 As yet another woman who adored Shah Rukh Khan in many of his earlier movies， lost him along the way when he did action movies and who has now rediscovered him in middle age and has no qualms about proclaiming being his fan， it also helped that Shah Rukh Khan is there in the book throughout in some way or the other through the women's stories， some of his movies， words and songs and their dreams。 I hope to do a better more thorough review of this later - this was just an initial reaction after finishing the book。 。。。more

Shubhangi ，

Ingenuous in tracing the changes in Indian economy alongside the changes in the desires and aspirations of young women， all through the lens of their favourite actor。 Brilliant in combining personal narratives with macroeconomic trends and cinema， making it an enjoyable read。

Kavya ，

i would be a smarter person if this was a part of my econ or sociology curriculum🙏🏼5/5 because i cant give 6😩

Apurva Mujumdar ，

A bookclub recommendation， I started this year with this book with a lot of doubt。 I am not a non-fiction reader and beginning with this one was one of my 'new year resolutions' and boy was I in for a treat！The book navigates the author's journey to understand the lives of Indian women， their struggles， their feelings and where have we come along when it comes women equality in India。 These women represent the elite Delhi， the bureaucratic India， the tribes of Jharkhand， the artists of Gujarat a A bookclub recommendation， I started this year with this book with a lot of doubt。 I am not a non-fiction reader and beginning with this one was one of my 'new year resolutions' and boy was I in for a treat！The book navigates the author's journey to understand the lives of Indian women， their struggles， their feelings and where have we come along when it comes women equality in India。 These women represent the elite Delhi， the bureaucratic India， the tribes of Jharkhand， the artists of Gujarat among others。 What binds them together is their unwavering love for Shah Rukh Khan。 They all seek solace and support in his movies， songs in the early 90s and his interviews （much like me） since the early 2000s。 They all have seemingly unrealistic expectations from their jobs， partners， families and society probably because this man through his movies made them believe that women deserve nothing but the best。 And why should they not。。。I can see myself going down a rabbit hole of many more of SRK's interviews and documentaries to get many more references in the book。 But for now， I am very happy to have read this brilliant book that marries the world of public policy and the art of story telling！ 。。。more

Sneha Josie ，

💞 The story progresses with the voices of women who belongs to the fandom of Shah Rukh。💞 The social， cultural and economic position of women is dealt with。 💞The dreams， hopes， aspirations and failures is presented as well。💞The scenes and certain characters are witty and resembles to the figures in real life。 💞It is an unusual tale but a compelling read indeed💞The writer covers the depth and concern of the female characters in the book。💞There is humour and pathos which is traced clearly。 💞The boo 💞 The story progresses with the voices of women who belongs to the fandom of Shah Rukh。💞 The social， cultural and economic position of women is dealt with。 💞The dreams， hopes， aspirations and failures is presented as well。💞The scenes and certain characters are witty and resembles to the figures in real life。 💞It is an unusual tale but a compelling read indeed💞The writer covers the depth and concern of the female characters in the book。💞There is humour and pathos which is traced clearly。 💞The book throws light upon the Indian society and it dares to present the beauties and realities of it。💞The theme of gender struggle runs throughout the plot。💞 Recommended to those who loves to view the post-liberalization era in a light hearted manner。 。。。more

Nabeel ，

This author is a magician， a brilliant book。PS: Matters of public policy are super important， but the issues get buried once it's published。 You might not read such papers unless you're a researcher on that topic。 This book deals with gender disparity， migration， income gap and many more important social issues。 All diverging from a common interest - SRK。 PS 2: It's fifteen years of research。 You can find reference of major events till pandemic。 Kochi Biennale， too （I am biased）。PS 3: A great gu This author is a magician， a brilliant book。PS: Matters of public policy are super important， but the issues get buried once it's published。 You might not read such papers unless you're a researcher on that topic。 This book deals with gender disparity， migration， income gap and many more important social issues。 All diverging from a common interest - SRK。 PS 2: It's fifteen years of research。 You can find reference of major events till pandemic。 Kochi Biennale， too （I am biased）。PS 3: A great guide for anyone in public policy / advocacy / health research on how to translate data that connects to people， and tell important stories。 。。。more

Vidushi ，

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。

Mamta ，

I enjoyed this book。 It gives fresh insight what women want from work， family and society in today’s India drawing on extensive interviews conducted by the author。 Really makes one think about how to change the very unequal relations between men and women when the main route （employment） is not an easy door to barge through， and families rarely value a woman’s paid or unpaid contributions fairly。

Sayari Debnath ，

so smart and astute。 full of heart。 this is terrific research。

bookhoarder_neha （ Neha Modi ） ，

The moment I read the blurb of this book， I knew I had to read this one。 And I must say， I am glad to have picked it。 It's not a regular non-fiction with some great life lessons rather it's a witty corollary drawn between the greatest super star and the expectations of women across India。 I think Shah Rukh Khan rules not just the film industry but also the hearts of millions of women and men too。 The book attempts a brilliant analysis of his struggles， the phenomenal success and also the reason The moment I read the blurb of this book， I knew I had to read this one。 And I must say， I am glad to have picked it。 It's not a regular non-fiction with some great life lessons rather it's a witty corollary drawn between the greatest super star and the expectations of women across India。 I think Shah Rukh Khan rules not just the film industry but also the hearts of millions of women and men too。 The book attempts a brilliant analysis of his struggles， the phenomenal success and also the reason why fans relate to him and his journey so much， especially the women。 The book has a lot of numbers to corroborate the research done which will interest the readers。The author studies the life journey of a few women who are fans of Shah Rukh and how his films and his journey to success resonates with their journey。 The book has a nostalgic feel to it where his films are discussed and some dialogues are used。 It took me back to the times I used to watch his films first day， first show。 I could relate to all the women whose journey's were discussed in the book at some point or the other。 But I loved reading the Accountant's story the most since I am also a Chartered Accountant。 It was witty and relatable。 Definitely give this book a try ！！ 。。。more

readers creators ，

As a woman in my twenties who present herself more to the outer world now than she did in her young age， as a person who is always curious about gaining more knowledge and as an active social media user， I am aware to certain depth of gender discrimination in society。 With all the things from our past and changes in them today， status of women in society is changed the least。This book is author’s acquaintances with several women and how despite their professional or personal achievements， they a As a woman in my twenties who present herself more to the outer world now than she did in her young age， as a person who is always curious about gaining more knowledge and as an active social media user， I am aware to certain depth of gender discrimination in society。 With all the things from our past and changes in them today， status of women in society is changed the least。This book is author’s acquaintances with several women and how despite their professional or personal achievements， they are expressing a void in their lives。 These women; liberal or conservative， bold or shy， all of them have at one point in their lives expected a love from their partners like SRK in movies， but as the reality strikes they realised its rather impossible to have a boy like SRK or who treats them like Shah Rukh Khan treats women。 Being a huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan myself， I connected with this book on a wider range。 Author passionately wrote about her and other women’s love for Shah Rukh Khan and its reason， but the thing which hit me hard while reading this book is the discrimination people face in their daily lives， how small yet so big。 I have myself experienced plenty of them and never realised them to being done to me just because I am a woman， because that’s what we see around us， that’s what we are fed from an early age， that’s what expected of us and that’s what we keep doing， doing what’s expected of us as women。I loved the people writer interacted with， I connected with their stories， sympathised with them， bucked them up。 Writing is really great and the concept of book is so extraordinary。 This book lives up to your expectations and my love for SRK， which was so hyped in my teens is awaken again after reading this book， he is a true gentleman and he never fails to prove that。 。。。more

Priyanka Sunjay ，

This book is more about the aspirations， hopes， heartbreaks， failures， feelings， hopes， and lives of Indian women belonging to different socio-economic classes， castes， and religions， and what SRK represents to each one of them than about SRK itself。 It felt like a warm cup of tea on a winter morning， with sun shining on your face。 I wanted to give each one of these women a big big hug， and rooted for each one of them。 As a SRK lover and admirer， and as someone who was turned to him and his movi This book is more about the aspirations， hopes， heartbreaks， failures， feelings， hopes， and lives of Indian women belonging to different socio-economic classes， castes， and religions， and what SRK represents to each one of them than about SRK itself。 It felt like a warm cup of tea on a winter morning， with sun shining on your face。 I wanted to give each one of these women a big big hug， and rooted for each one of them。 As a SRK lover and admirer， and as someone who was turned to him and his movies numerous times， it was exciting to understand why countless other women do the same and made me feel like I was a part of something bigger - a community of aspirational， ambitious， wounded， disappointed， hopeful， hardworking women。 。。。more

Diksha （A Writer's Cauldron） ，

If you’re a feminist and a Shah Rukh fan， you should really give this book a read！ I’ve always loved SRK’s films and it was wonderful to read this brilliant book about how this one actor has changed the way Indian women perceive love and romance in their own lives。Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh by Shrayana Bhattacharya is not about SRK， the actor。 It is about the romantic expectations and lived romantic realities of millions of Indian women who grew up watching and being influenced by Shah Rukh K If you’re a feminist and a Shah Rukh fan， you should really give this book a read！ I’ve always loved SRK’s films and it was wonderful to read this brilliant book about how this one actor has changed the way Indian women perceive love and romance in their own lives。Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh by Shrayana Bhattacharya is not about SRK， the actor。 It is about the romantic expectations and lived romantic realities of millions of Indian women who grew up watching and being influenced by Shah Rukh Khan’s films and even his interviews。 It talks about how the “myth” of Shah Rukh made these women expect a more expressive， romantic and sentimental partner who would treat them like equals。 It also celebrates the many women who took inspiration from SRK’s rise from an ordinary， middle-class Delhi boy to the King of Bollywood and worked to create a great career for themselves， becoming much more independent than their mothers had been。 This book was super educational。 It made me aware of just how far we still need to go when it comes to giving Indian women a better quality of life as well as equal opportunity - and also treating them as more than just “wives” or “mothers”。 Despite being filled with statistics and survey data， Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh never has a dull page。 The numbers only reel you into the book further。Bhattacharya narrates the individual stories of a number of SRK fangirls， all of whom are relatable in their own ways。 But my favourite among these characters was the Accountant。 Choosing to prioritise her education， freely pursuing romantic and sexual relationships and resisting the pressure to get married just for the sake of it， she revolts against the Indian patriarchy。 The fact that she puts her own independence first and refuses to conform really inspired me。 She didn’t just see SRK as the epitome of her romantic fantasy but also her idol， remembering his quotes in every difficult situation in her life and finding inspiration in his life and persona。 Feminist or not， you will take away a lot from this book， I’m sure！ Cannot recommend this enough。 。。。more

Nandana Menon ，

Absolutely loved it-intelligent writing and sharp insights as to why women's status is excruciatingly slow to change here。 She combines dire data and economic theories with Shah Rukh the female icon。 She describes SRK as "masculine poetry" and that really stuck with me。 It also offers a more nuanced perspective on contemporary India that is urgently missing today。For eg， I considered Raj waiting for the father's approval for marriage as an example of toxic patriarchy alone in DDLJ。 But a lot of Absolutely loved it-intelligent writing and sharp insights as to why women's status is excruciatingly slow to change here。 She combines dire data and economic theories with Shah Rukh the female icon。 She describes SRK as "masculine poetry" and that really stuck with me。 It also offers a more nuanced perspective on contemporary India that is urgently missing today。For eg， I considered Raj waiting for the father's approval for marriage as an example of toxic patriarchy alone in DDLJ。 But a lot of women saw that a sign of true love as he knew the importance of familial approval of a marriage in India。 A woman will be left with no support system if the marriage falls apart without her family to fall back on。 I had never considered that aspect。 My privilege bubble broke reading the facts of women's employment and how！ 。。。more

Incomplete ，

I knew I wanted to read this since the first time I spotted a blurb of it on Twitter， and I'm very glad I did， albeit with a glacial pace。 The author writes， rather lyrically， about how a large section of women is besotted by the idea of Shahrukh Khan and how many of us still continue to think of romance in the way he portrayed love on screen。 It makes for a fascinating read。 I knew I wanted to read this since the first time I spotted a blurb of it on Twitter， and I'm very glad I did， albeit with a glacial pace。 The author writes， rather lyrically， about how a large section of women is besotted by the idea of Shahrukh Khan and how many of us still continue to think of romance in the way he portrayed love on screen。 It makes for a fascinating read。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India's Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0