Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Ugliness of the Indian Male and other propositions
Some years ago I was struck by the contrast between the beauty of Hindi film heroines and the ugliness of Hindi film heroes. After researching the matter I concluded that the explanation was straightforward: leading men in Hindi films were ugly because they were Indian men and Indian men were measurably uglier than Indian women ... While my observation was accurate and the...more
Paperback, 301 pages
Published
2008
by Black Kite
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
47)
The title is the provocative tilt to this collection of 37 essays ranging across political, social and observational writings. The title gives that wit is the style across and moderate secular views is the substance. I personally haven't read all the essays though the ones i sat through were easy read. The opinions may not be agreeable but as they say humour in prose makes for certain agreeableness only if in giving a hear. The ones i enjoyed reading dealt with Konkana Sen, secularism, documenta...more
Someone opened the lid of a pressure cooker and Mukul Kesavan just burst out writing. Social commentary in a short article is something he does regularly (he still writes a column for Telegraph, India) and his comfort with mixing wit and sharp observations shines through. You will be done with his short pieces in one sitting - partly because they are short but mostly because they are damn funny.
The two longish pieces in this collection would require a more patient reading. The one on Indian (Co...more
The two longish pieces in this collection would require a more patient reading. The one on Indian (Co...more
Mukul Kesavan is one the better Thinkers we have. His Book is like a Salad Bowl - good in parts that you like. In a collection of 20 Odd Essays, some are bound to impress you while others you may find hard to agree with. The last Essay - Secular Common Sense, is the longest as well as the best in my opinion.
Mukul Kesavan's depth of knowledge on subjects he chooses is unquestionable. Some of the facts that he reveals with his detailed research are truly stunning. But when he gets into realms of...more
Mukul Kesavan's depth of knowledge on subjects he chooses is unquestionable. Some of the facts that he reveals with his detailed research are truly stunning. But when he gets into realms of...more
I loved this one! Kesavan's voice is steeped in an Indian cynicism, rooted in disregard for the status quo and is refreshing. His perspective on how Cinema has shaped the modern Indian psyche an vice-versa and particularly, the links between Urdu and Hindi cinema made the entire book worth its weight in gold.
May 16, 2013
James Lee
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Ayesha
added it
Apr 24, 2013
Dorian
marked it as to-read
Apr 23, 2013
Surabhi Kochar
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2013
K
marked it as to-read
Apr 13, 2013
Divya Selvaraj
marked it as to-read
Apr 08, 2013
Sumirti
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2013
Guru
marked it as to-read
Mar 16, 2013
Soumya
marked it as to-read
Mar 13, 2013
Joyjeet Das
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2013
Anurasika
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2013
Vipula
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2013
Ayon Dutta
marked it as to-read
Mar 07, 2013
Bart Gajderowicz
marked it as to-read
Feb 26, 2013
Akriti
is currently reading it
Feb 18, 2013
Shilpi Verma
marked it as to-read
Feb 11, 2013
Ankit
marked it as to-read
Nov 27, 2012
Bhimraju Kenchappa
marked it as to-read
Nov 27, 2012
Sreeram Vaidyanathan
marked it as to-read
Nov 03, 2012
Kalyani
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Mukul Kesavan is an Indian writer and essayist. He studied History at the University of Delhi and later at Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he received his MLitt. His first book - Looking Through Glass (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1994) received critical acclaim. He teaches social history at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. He's keen on the game of cricket[1] but in a non-playing way. His credentials f...more
More about Mukul Kesavan...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
