#1 For Starters
I was recently at a popular Chinese restaurant in Calcutta with a friend.
Both of us are vegetarians. Obviously, our options are limited.
“What should we order for starters?” I asked.
“Crispy Chilli Babycorn” he replied quickly.
What? No. That’s the basic. Ugh. That’s not me. Not Crispy Chilli Babycorn.
He could sense the anguish in my eyes. He pulled me close. Breath smelling like kimchi from two days ago.
Then he uttered some words which will stick in my mind for a long time.
“Listen man, you can never go wrong with crispy chilli babycorn. If it’s too sweet, it’s amazing. If it’s too spicy, it’s still amazing. It’s never bland.”
“It’s never bland.” I thought to myself.
We obviously ordered two plates and immediately regretted our decision, but that story is for another time.
But in a nutshell, that’s pop-culture for me.
It’s never bland.
Because if it would be, it wouldn’t be popular.
Welcome to the first edition of shreemail, ladies and gents!
The Round Up: (Where I rate 3 BIG THINGS that happened)
Hip-hop has been the number 1 music genre in the United States since 2017. But really, the roots of hip-hop supremacy were solidified in the late 90’s and early noughts. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and, 50 Cent gave some seeti-maar performances. But did you know that Dr. Dre actually spent millions of his own money to perform on the show?
The soundtrack was a revelation. But the film was quite polarising. I thought the film was a bit flimsy towards the end but had a strong emotional core.
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Check out episode #41 of my podcast ‘That’s What Shree Said’ where I spoke about the ending!
HBO's flagship young drama series was quite the talk of town. I lost interest mid-season, but Euphoria has nonetheless cemented itself as the most influential 'teenange show' of our time, with it's signature aesthetic and soundtrack. And that's visible in the number of memes/reels that have been created around it.
Bharatiya Creator Inc: (Noteworthy stuff in the Indian Creator Economy)
a) Sumaira Shaikh: Released her first special ‘Dongri Danger’ on Amazon Prime. With her signature staccato delivery and astute material on personal loss, the special might not have outright LMAO moments, but it does have several charming observations on life, death, and everything in between. Watch it watch it.
Kudos to the awesome set design. And Sumukhi Suresh’s direction.
b) Ankur Warikoo: Was selected as a mentor for the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program. No surprises there really. But it just goes to show that the platform is doubling down on creators. Even in India.
c. Munawar Faruqi: Is now on TV! He's battling it out with Kangana Ranaut. I don't want to say more.
This Is A Great Song (TIAGS) (Self-Explanatory)
That's all, folks! 👻
This was the first edition, let me know what were your thoughts/feedback?
Hope you enjoyed it though. Please consider subscribing (it's free + biweekly) if you did! 💯
Apologies for the gastronomical metaphor in the beginning. Karna padta hai.
See you soon,
Shreevar Chhotaria
Gianis Atwork | Making people’s lives easier by helping them SitRight | Building the Best and Next Big Furniture Brand in India | La Martiniere | St. Xavier’s College
2yI honestly loved it, not too long, not too short and you kept me hooked at every sentence. Great stuff buddy!