Search Results

Would be great if you could answer at least one of these When I learned that my favourite director Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster Tenet was streaming on Amazon Prime Video, I had to be the happiest person on Earth. I’d been waiting for that moment since months ago. It was a cinephile’s best dream come true. Brimming with curiosity, interest, and excitement, I tuned into the film. I generally avoid switching on the subtitles for English- and Hindi- language content. I prefer to let the actors, their expressions, and their body language do the talking. Also, it was easy to understand Nolan’s previous works such as Inception and The Dark Knight without any subtitles when I watched them recently after years and had completely forgotten the details of the plot. I never thought in my wildest dreams that Tenet would leave me so thoroughly confused. I had hardly any idea of what was going on in the film. I got the broad gist, though—a mission meant to thwart the attempts of an evil power, who’s using a special technology called “inversion” to attack the past and present from the future. But the details were lost on me. I could understand the film a little bit on my second viewing, with the subtitles switched on. But I still had too many questions by the end of it. I tried the third time. Instead of any substantial improvement in my understanding, I was only left with more queries than before. In order to reduce their mindfuck effect by trying to source their answers, I’ve created a list of all these doubts and questions. Don’t get me wrong, Tenet’s an amazing film. I salute Nolan and his larger-than-life vision. Never before have we seen the present and future versions of the same person fight it out on the screen. John David Washington as the protagonist (who’s actually called the Protagonist) was brilliant, and Robert Pattinson as his ally Neil was the best thing about the movie. It was great to see him do his bit to save the world in a far cry from his Twilight days. He should opt for more such roles now. The only issue with the film is that the maturity level expected of audiences for the story’s details is way too high, and we’ve just started to get there. Or if we look at it this way, it’s so confusing that it feels real. What if it is? So, that was my review of Tenet. It’s now time for the list of Qs that need clarity on priority. Do hit the comments section with your answers and theories. Yes, the questions contain spoilers, so read through them only if you’ve watched the film at least once here. Meanwhile, here’s Tenet’s official trailer: Does the Protagonist disguise himself as a member of the Kyiv police/armed force or a part of Andrei Sator’s terrorist team during the opera siege at the beginning of the film? How does the Protagonist find out which clothing at the opera theatre’s coat-check room has “the package”? What is the meaning of “knowledge divided”? Does it refer to information split among different people so they don’t know everything? Why is the Protagonist made to wait and stay in what looks like a windmill after his discharge and conversation with Fay? Is it all part of Fay’s briefing? Still, why? Barbara, the scientist, shows the Protagonist the inverted remnants of a war from the future. What war is it? Is it the same one from the climax? If it is another war, then who starts it? Should we expect another story here? It comes to light that these inverted remnants belong to India. How come they are traced specifically to Sanjay Singh in Mumbai? Is “entropy” the same as “direction”? If it is, why don’t the characters use the word “direction” instead? If the British Intelligence gets hold of the second fake Goya painting by Tomas Arepo, how is it that Kat doesn’t know about it or try to find it, given her closeness with Arepo? Didn’t Arepo tell Kat he made two fakes? And how is Arepo related to the Kyiv opera, given “Arepo” is the reverse spelling of “opera”? How is Freeport, a warehouse for storing objects to save them from taxation, perfectly legal? How is it that there are two versions of the Protagonist—one inverted, the other regular—that fight off with him in the Freeport facility during the plane-crash scene? How come the halide gas disappears from the artwork chamber soon after during the plane-crash fight scene? Does the Protagonist actually agree to get Sator the plutonium, for which he receives the bloodied gold bar on Sator’s yacht? What is Kat’s role supposed to be here? How does the material end up with the inverted Sator during the past-version of the car-chase scene? How does an injured Kat heal by going into the past? Why do the Protagonist and Neil have to pass Kat, who’s recovering on a stretcher, through the Oslo Freeport? Is it to pass her through the turnstile in there so the three can start the forward movement from the past into the future? How do the three then resume their reverse journey a scene later—to the rally point offshore at Trondheim? Why does Ives instruct the red team—the army unit in forward movement, including the Protagonist—to not defuse the bomb at Stalsk-12? Kat jumps the gun in killing Sator, and the bomb explodes in Stalsk-12. Why doesn’t the world come to an end? Does Kat destroy Sator’s suicide pill in the climax by emptying the capsule on the floor and pouring sunscreen over its contents? What exact rationale does Kat provide for jumping the gun to kill Sator? How is it that Kat and Mahir don’t need the breathing apparatus for their supposedly inverted lungs when they go back to the past during the climax to kill Sator? How is the red team able to breathe and act like normal beings in the past, while the blue team needs the apparatus? How is Neil able to switch from inversion to normalcy of his own accord in the climax? Did Priya know all the algorithms? Was she the one to give them to Sator? Or does Sator find them out by himself? If he does, how? If the bomb is deactivated in the end, does it mean the incident at the Kyiv opera, where the plutonium was located, never happened? Does Priya think it’s a good thing if Sator has all 9 algorithms? Why? Why does Priya try to kill Kat in the end? What does she mean by “tying up the loose ends”? Who does she work for? How exactly does the Protagonist find out Priya is trying to kill Kat? WTF does “We live in a twilight world... and there are no friends at dusk” mean? Is it a code language? Or is it meant to tease Robert Pattinson? If Neil claims the Protagonist recruited him in the future, how come the Protagonist has no idea about “Tenet” or inversion in the present? Is it because Neil has travelled from the future? Where does he end up then? Let’s see how much of a Tenet expert you are. Do share your answers in the comments. Remaining cast key: Andrei Sator: Kenneth Branagh Fay: Martin Donovan Barbara: Clémence Poésy Sanjay Singh: Denzel Smith Tomas Arepo: uncast Kat, or Katherine Barton: Elizabeth Debicki Priya Singh: Dimple Kapadia Mahir: Himesh Patel Ives: Aaron-Taylor Johnson

From food-delivery f***-ups to canal choke-ups, here’s a round-up for you of the news and highlights that took place in the content, writing, and media world in March 2021 and the takeaways from them all Image credits: (From L to R) Screenshot of video by Instagram user neetguide, Wikipedia, Joanna Lobo March was my birthday month. At the same time, there was quite a lot going on in the universe of content, writing, media, and creativity. Here’s a round-up of 7 of them. Do ensure you read up to the end because there’s some personal news below the last one: Zomato delivers it on time On 10 March, Bengaluru resident Hitesha Chandranee posted an Instagram video, accusing a Zomato delivery executive of assaulting her after her refusal to pay the bill due to her order being delayed. A day later, Kamaraj Kandaswamy, the delivery executive in question, countered the allegations in a media interview. He said it was Hitesha who abused him instead of the other way round as she claimed it to be. A viral video of a crying Kamaraj pleading for a return to his normal life is also doing the rounds (see cover image #1). A number of netizens—many of whom earlier sided with Hitesha—began favouring Kamaraj. Actors Parineeti Chopra and Kamya Punjabi, too, expressed their sympathies for him. Amid these developments, Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal tweeted a neutral statement that refrained from taking sides. He assured support for both parties and coverage of their expenses: Here’s a well-written perspective on how this statement got it right and how it’s a lesson in formal corp-comm writing. The incident also brings to question promotions such as “30 minutes or free”, which are seen to put undue pressure on delivery personnel amid unpleasant weather conditions, difficult traffic situations, fuel-price fluctuations, and the ongoing pandemic. What is needed is a solution-oriented 360-degree holistic plan that prioritises consumers, workers, restaurants, and delivery partners, all at the same time. Facebook launching a new Medium? If all goes well, Facebook will roll out a new free-to-use publishing platform. Indie writers, journalists, and bloggers like me will then be able to build our websites and send out newsletters from here. The integration with Facebook Pages means we can put out live videos and our Facebook Stories, too. And there’s, of course, monetisation being considered as well. More details here. Currently, the rollout is slated mainly for the US, so there’s no clarity yet on the service’s availability on our shores. Still, there’s no denying the uptick in the trend of self-publishing platforms, especially with this development. I can sense a major disruption awaiting the publishing world. Looking forward! Will popularity predict pay now? In a shocking development, The Guardian revealed it has seen an email by the Daily Telegraph, which says it is considering linking some part of journalists’ pay with the popularity of their stories. A special system will rank articles based on the number of clicks and subscriptions they drive. There’s no mention yet of the minimum target for payment. Needless to say, staff members have objected to the plan, and so have journalists from around the world. Professionals need to be compensated for their efforts, regardless of the outcome of their work. A popularity-based payment model will bring down the quality of journalism by placing clickbaity pieces on the forefront and sidelining the more important stories. Let’s not even get to the point about the mental and financial agony in store for talented, dedicated journalists with the implementation of such ill-conceived moves. Here’s hoping this idea never takes off. Suez Canal leads to long traffic of memes On 23 March, a large container ship by the name of Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal and blocked it for nearly a week while on the way to the Netherlands from China. When images surfaced of a relatively tiny excavator brought in to free up the path for the 1,300-ft ship, the internet took to its usual way of expressing its amusement: memes. The result: a barrage of jokes taking potshots at the oddity of the situation. The memes didn’t stop even after the ship was refloated. Sharing some of my favourites. Every freelancer’s story: I now seek the ship in my own plate: The stuck ship rekindled a cherished memory: And here’s an attempt by yours truly: Brands, too, weren’t far behind: And CNN interviewed kids for their suggested solutions: Can there be any more “evergreen” content than all this? Burger King grilled What was supposed to be the announcement of a wonderful initiative on International Women’s Day by Burger King turned into a much-condemned clickbaity campaign on Twitter. The fast-food giant intended to award culinary scholarships to women to bridge the gap in the UK’s professional kitchens, where only 20% of chefs are women, as per Burger King’s figures. But it ended up starting its announcement thread with a choice of clearly sexist words: “Women belong in the kitchen.” The grilling it received was inevitable, and the brand had to delete its tweet and tender an apology. Advertisers need to exercise sensitivity and empathy while crafting campaigns for occasions as critical as Women’s Day. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts for them. Bombay Begums irks some citizens Image credit: Wikipedia Netflix show Bombay Begums faced a backlash last month and got a legal notice from NCPCR (National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights) over “inappropriate portrayal” of children, including the depiction of substance abuse by minors. The show’s critics say the Pooja Bhatt-starrer has glorified such practices, while its defenders believe the context of these scenes hasn’t been highlighted in the process. The conversation has also veered to the quality of Indian web series, especially those where city-based modern, progressive women are painted in stereotyped ways. Well-written, content-rich shows with plenty of takeaways, strong and memorable characters, and rich, emotional experiences are always needed. I haven’t watched Bombay Begums yet, and it probably is a good show. But even if it isn’t, is censorship or banning the solution? As far as I know, it only adds to the show’s intrigue. Too many times, I have ended up watching controversy-riddled films out of sheer curiosity, only to be thoroughly disappointed with the experience, which more or less turns out to be less than average and meh. My solution: don’t like it, don’t watch it. It’s a better way for one to convey their displeasure, apart from constructive criticism, of course. Art is subjective anyway. And finally, Meghan and Harry tell all to Oprah Clearly, this one is among the biggest highlights of the month. I’m still in the process of reading the transcript in the absence of the video. I’m also looking for the full script of Oprah’s interview with Priyanka Chopra, which, too, was done in March. What I’ve learned so far are Meghan’s revelations about the deterioration of her mental health in her marital life and the obsession over her son Archie’s skin colour. While it’d be difficult for many of us to get sit-down space with Oprah, that shouldn’t stop us from telling our stories to the world, like how I’ve done through my book. So, pick up the pen, type away, or record a video. Or do all three if you can, but please tell your story, openly and candidly. And now, news from the personal front: I’m on Blogchatter! I finally made my Blogchatter debut last month; you can start “rolling” my posts here. It’s a great platform to find interesting content and learn from some amazing bloggers. Can’t wait to explore it more!

A first-hand account of where my New Year resolution has taken me My New Year resolution for 2021 was to practise blog writing and push out a blog post on my website every week. Thankfully, I’ve kept up with my resolve so far and fully intend to continue doing so. Phew. In a first-hand account of my experience this quarter, here are the 18 things that happened when I blogged every week for the first 3 months of this year. Hopefully, this post will encourage you to keep exploring your blogging journey, regardless of the result, whether you are deliberating how to start a blogging practice or have already published a couple of posts: 1) At first, I was obsessed with page views—now, it’s something else My blogging resolution started off as an experiment, meant to see what would happen to my website if I put out a blog post every week. Despite only a few posts up, I kept seeking results in the form of page views, unique visits, and other metrics of success. Needless to say, I was never satisfied with the outcomes and was mostly unhappy, unsatisfied, and unmotivated. Gradually, I realised that even if I knew how to write a blog post and optimise it for the most effective choice of keywords, I would never be successful until I cultivated the discipline for regular posting first. It’s only once I’ve crossed that level that my mind can define, focus, and start to work on the next step of my blogging success. Thus, my main aim now is regularity and consistency. In order to meet this goal, I have to execute every post idea that pops up in my head and do it quickly. Else, I’d be staring at huge time gaps between two consecutive blog posts. I instinctively know I cannot afford to have even one of these lapses. This reminder is enough motivation for me to spring into action. I’m now in the process of finalising a content calendar so I can create a bank of posts and hit my targets on time. 2) I was horrified to see how much I’m actually capable of procrastinating Most New Year resolutions end as dust because of this devil named procrastination and its evil twin, perfectionism. Trust me when I say I had to deal a LOT MORE with these two bastards in the past 3 months. I don’t think the battle’s over even now. It’s extremely tricky to figure out what form these two would take. You can rarely identify them. Sometimes, they show up as: “You’re not blogging right, so you need some training or classes before you proceed.” Then, there’s the classic: “Can’t we do something else instead? Like binge-watching or online shopping? We’re not even getting the page views, so what’s the point in blogging regularly now? Besides, movies and shows will also give us blog-post ideas.” (Contradictory points, I know.) And there’s: “We’re not even getting paid to write this. Let’s pitch to a publication instead or author a book on this topic.” Finally, the most convincing, yet disastrous: “None of these posts look neat, so we need to put our blogging on hold until we fix them all.” Thankfully, there’s a force within me that reminds me of the benefits of regular posting, even if the content is far from perfect. It also emphasises the consequences of missing a week’s post—what if my blog suffers through some sort of penalisation or indifferent behaviour by search engines? That fear—even if far-fetched—is reason enough for me to spring into action. 3) I had doubts about who my target audience was The profile of my blog’s true readership began to emerge on my analytics dashboard only recently, with more and more posting. (A majority of my audience are professionals trying to make a living out of writing and editing, especially content marketing.) So, that’s another advantage of regular and consistent blogging. Also, I’ve realised that even if you start out with a specific reader persona in mind, you might end up with a different set of audiences from the one you expected. And it’s a good thing because it means you’re fulfilling an unaddressed need and doing it well. You’ll then begin to tailor your content accordingly. 4) I learned to rely less on social media Through my analytics data, I’ve learned that my target readers land on my website while seeking tips and advice from search engines. So, I need to scale up my SEO and choose topics and content accordingly, instead of merely posting on social media for an assorted crowd. 5) I instinctively began to understand what headlines work This is majorly thanks to the intense training in headline writing I’ve received from my previous jobs. Apart from optimising them for SEO, I keep questioning and revising my headlines so I can make them more exciting and relevant for my target readers. For instance, would 10 business lessons from an influential book by a respected personality be as impactful as 50 for my reader? These headline decisions, thus, also shape my content. It’s still a hit-and-miss at times, as headline writing is more of an art than science. 6) I realised I couldn’t escape marketing Even if you know how to write a kickass blog post and your content checks the boxes of value addition and writing experience, it’s still no good if it doesn’t reach the right audience. So, my strategy now is to find the avenues where these readers gather and create targeted content for them. SEO and emailers are two ways—I need to look for more. (Do join my mailing list, BTW, in the Contact section of this website.) 7) I noticed I wrote better on my phone The key to feeling miserable in my blogging practice and making myself quit even before I begin is to stare at a blank computer screen when the time would come for writing a post. So, I now make it a point to take as many notes as possible on my phone, jot down my thoughts, and even bang out a rough draft for one or more posts in advance. That way, I’m never lost for ideas or content and I have something to work with for a particular week’s post. The bonus: using a phone for writing means autocorrect simply reduces typing time and effort :) 8) I started to think of ways to make my posts personal I try as much as possible to promote my blog posts on social media using pictures of myself related to the story angle. Personal touches like these help increase engagement at interesting levels. I channel my feelings and emotions, too, for the content—like how I did in this post when I was running out of motivation for my blogging. 9) I swore to write creative, unique content that nobody else could As I mentioned, most of my blogging content comes from my own life experiences that I channel into creating unique blog posts. Sometimes, I take inspiration from sites like BuzzFeed for interesting and innovative content formats, trying to mix writing resources with huge doses of fun. In case my idea is already covered by other blogs or websites, I think of ways to inject my own personal touch to it and add more value. I include my own lessons and experiences, and try to simplify, streamline, and demystify the content even more. 10) I started to envision recruiters watching me I sometimes assume there’s a Bigg Boss-like camera prospective clients and companies have hitched onto me to have it constantly trained on me and following me. So, I better stick to my resolution and post every week to increase my chances of bagging jobs and gigs. 11) I began learning a lot Take, for instance, my Women’s Day post. It was partly research-based, and in the process, I’ve learned so much more about tone-deaf messaging and how to identify it even in veiled form. I also have to read a lot more—including popular blogs by prolific writers—so I can find more things to share my perspective on. And I’m figuring out how to add multimedia to my posts. 12) I’ve also had to unlearn a lot When I started out with my weekly blogging, I was still following the ways of my previous clients and recruiters. I concluded that what worked for them at that time may not necessarily work for me. They may have the pressure to generate page views, but I have to build my discipline muscles first. They may feel the need to make me do more to justify my employment, whereas I need to do less but achieve more to conserve my energy, especially to read and live my life, which is how I’d get my content and story ideas. They may have plenty of resources at their end, while I’m just starting out. In short, I had to come up with my own rules and personalise my routine. 13) I rediscovered my own voice When you’re a writer working for a company, you have to churn out work that’s in line with the company’s voice. It’s understandable for a business entity to want to keep its voice consistent across all its literature. You have to meet briefs there and stick to a particular style and tone. But when it comes to your own work—be it a blog, book, or script—there are no limits. Compare your blog posts with a colleague’s and you’ll see how unique the two of you are otherwise in terms of style, tone, content, and personality. This is what it means to find your own voice. 14) I began to sense content and ideas all around me Image: Screengrab from YouTube video by Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films Even a shopping list is a potential blog post for me now. For those seeking blog-writing topics, formats, and niches, here’s a handy list you could use. 15) I saw why one post a week is better than blogging every day I would sometimes debate whether I should post more than one day a week. But I’m now convinced that one post a week is good enough. Firstly, it helps my post gain traction for a good amount of time. It also buys me enough time to collect ideas, as well as write first drafts for more than one story. I can then afford to give more time to my blog posts and better them over multiple drafts instead of just a couple of them. All this improves the quality of my content. Also, wouldn’t you look forward to something more often if you have to wait for it? :) 16) Blog writing gave me a purpose My blogging practice has kept me anchored. No matter how unexpected a life event may be, I no longer let it make me drift aimlessly to the tune of my emotions. I know I cannot afford to mope for long and have to get back in action for my weekly posting. Of course, I do face the occasional mental-health issues such as anxiety. But thanks to blogging, I’m learning to cope with them better. In addition, the mental-health issues and unpredictability of life events further underline the importance of having a bank of blog posts ready, so I’m working full-speed to get it in place. 17) Blog writing became my job Blogging may not be a paid pursuit in the short term, and so, I still need to explore paid writing opportunities. But when it comes to work that keeps me constructively occupied in the absence of a paid assignment, I don’t have to seek it from someone else. Thanks to blogging, I already have my work cut out for me, whether or not I have paid gigs in my kitty. Blogging also takes care of my regular writing practice and helps build my writing muscles, while paving the way for a good source of income in the future. It’s truly an investment. 18) I started searching for gigs with a different mindset While money is still a criterion for my job and gig search, a learning curve for my blogging practice is equally important to me now. What have your experiences been from blogging every day, week, or month? Are you facing any issues w.r.t. consistency and discipline? Or have you successfully crossed these hurdles? Or are you someone contemplating blogging but don’t know how to start? Let me know in the Comments.

5 content-marketing and copywriting tips for cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting products, minus any fear-mongering Image: Karolina Grabowska | Pexels In the backdrop of the sudden inexplicable spike in Covid-19 cases in Mumbai (think 3,000+ positive detections on Friday), my phone beeped a notification. I clicked on the link, and an advertorial in a popular magazine loaded before my eyes. The write-up was a promotion for a bestselling disinfectant spray, complete with a celebrity endorsement, explaining how it needs to be used on every possible corner of our homes. What concerned me about the ad was the combination of its timing and messaging. I’m sure the brand’s intentions were noble, but the part of me struggling with anxiety and a little bit of OCD interpreted it as an implication that cleanliness needs to be practised exclusively and even more aggressively at this time of our lives, i.e. the pandemic. Whereas we all know, deep down, that it should be a consistent, regular affair, regardless of the health situation around. Besides, there’s increasing consensus among medical experts that surfaces have little or no role to play in the spread of Covid-19. Apart from adding to the confusion, wouldn’t an excessive obsession with cleaning and disinfecting surfaces take the focus off more important measures such as wearing masks, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, and vaccinating? The advert, thus, got me thinking about what makes for responsible and sensitive content when it comes to cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting products. Based on some research and reflection, here are my 5 tips that can help you clean up your copy: Focus on general cleanliness and hygiene Talk about how your product aids all-round cleanliness and sanitation, without giving the spotlight to any particular pathogen. Agreed, the coronavirus is dangerous and contagious, but the likes of bacteria or E. coli are just as bad if not worse. If you target your product’s efficacy against only a specific pathogen like the coronavirus, especially by animating it to life on the screen, you may end up contributing a lot of unnecessary paranoia around it in the process. Advertise your product all year round The key is consistent communication. It would be imprudent on the part of the advertiser to intensify promotions or roll out or announce a new product when there’s a sudden spike in positive cases. Else, they risk being seen as an opportunist waiting to make a killing out of a pandemic of all things. Refrain from making unverified claims Image: Aurélia Dubois | Unsplash While highlighting your brand’s efficacy against the various kinds of germs, ensure these claims are proven, backed, and certified by a valid authority. Else, just stick to mentioning their usual benefits, please. Soaps are anyway effective against germs in general, so there’s no need to accord them with special superpowers. For sure, a “fruit and vegetable cleaner” is a futile invention when experts say water and high-temperature cooking are more than enough. Calling your product “immunity-boosting” is a big no-no. And I’d rather listen to the opinion of a reputed medical authority than the endorsement of a celebrity with questionable knowledge on these matters. Stay updated with current research Studies on diseases, medicines, and pathogens are ongoing, digging up something new every day. Ensure you keep abreast of these developments by reading articles, papers, and journals penned by medical experts. Apart from updates by WHO, The Lancet is one such resource. You don’t want to stay mired in the obsolete information of, say, early 2020. In the case of promotional blog posts and online articles, you may need to update your old content, if possible, or simply mention that this is dated stuff possibly irrelevant in the light of current knowledge. Try to provide links and references to some of these medical resources within your content copy to make it more credible. And before you think of depicting or describing a vegetable vendor sneezing or coughing on their bounty in your ad, ensure you find out whether infections even happen or spread like that in the first place. Keep it simple and steer clear of dramatics Stick to showing the basic, essential benefits of your cleaning or disinfecting product in a creative, engaging manner without going overboard. Spraying disinfectant on the packaging of that online order or even on one’s hands, when you can wash your hands with soap and water after discarding the packaging material, is too much. Besides, I’m sure you know very well that disinfectants can be harmful if accidentally ingested and even the best of soaps can irritate the skin. You need to be mindful of all these factors while creating your campaigns and content plans. #SwipeFiles is dedicated to copywriting resources and case studies. If there’s anything specific you’d like featured in this section, share your thoughts in the Comments. Access these resources here for your advertising and marketing needs.

Putting these wishes out there for you and the Universe Image: Adi Goldstein | Unsplash Back in 2015, I had a rudimentary blog in which I created a slideshow of my travel bucket list for the year. Though I’ve lost the link to that post, something interesting resulted from it. Over the next few years, I ended up visiting 3–4 of the 7 destinations featured in it! These were either self-funded, self-planned trips the Universe helped made happen or work trips sponsored by my previous employer. That experience taught me the power of spelling out what you want in writing or images. I wonder whether I’d have been able to tour so many places if I wouldn’t have taken the time to figure out my dream destinations. So, while contemplating a blog post for my birthday this year, I thought why not put out my wish-list itself as an entry. What if you’d like to create your own? I have another birthday-related blog post ready, but I’m rescheduling it for another week or perhaps the next year itself in order to focus on this exercise. Agreed, it’s a big list. But then why not ask for whatever’s on your mind and heart, without worrying about the cost, time, or effort involved? That’s why here’s my list in no particular order for the year until my next birthday, which is when I turn 35. I’ve tried to be as specific as possible where it wasn’t too revelatory, but let’s not worry about that for now and just get our wants and desires out. Also, no pressure on fulfilling every single one of them—even if one gets done, I’d count it as a huge achievement, though I’ll put in as much amount of work as is possible for me: 1) Learning film and video editing 2) Reaching or crossing my dream income, ideally by collaborating with the best clients 3) Moving into a new home and planning its décor—preferably, a duplex apartment on rent for my family and me Image: Nathan Van Egmond | Unsplash 4) Investing in my financial education and building a strong bank of assets (and finding out how this can be done without money necessarily going out) 5) Seeing my blog visits cross the 10,000-mark—coming up with a strategy for it and implementing it 6) Learning acting, creating a portfolio, and auditioning as much as I can Image: Kyle Head | Unsplash 7) Giving more than taking—finding out a cause I believe in and contributing to it 8) Seeing my book PiKu & ViRu (buy or download here) turned into a major motion picture (or at least optioned by a big studio) 9) Learning improv comedy and performing stand-up acts Image: Bogomil Mihaylov | Unsplash 10) Writing and publishing PiKu & ViRu 2 (or at least getting the manuscript ready and approaching publishers) and drafting a strong marketing strategy for it 11) Seeing one more story of mine go into production—creating a bank of 20+ screenplays to increase my chances 12) Prioritising skin- and haircare Image: Hemptouch CBD | Unsplash 13) Streamlining my business and becoming more organised 14) Starting web publications of my own 15) Travelling to Kashmir and the Himalayas once the pandemic situation improves Image: prayer flags | Unsplash 16) Reading at least one page of a book per day 17) Writing a short story and submitting it to a publication or anthology 18) Meditating every night Image: Ksenia Makagonova | Unsplash 19) Writing essays and travelogues for publications 20) Conducting writing/blogging workshops 21) Investing in an oven and learning baking Image: Hello I'm Nik 🍔 | Unsplash 22) Checking emails and social media only on certain fixed hours 23) Hiring a manager or assistant 24) Going on a hike and spending more time in nature Image: Jake Melara | Unsplash 25) Reading a screenplay every 2–4 weeks 26) Reaching 2,000 Twitter followers, 1,000 Instagram followers, and getting a blue check on Twitter, plus planning and putting out content that helps me achieve these and doing that @ one post/story per day 27) Meeting my dream man Image: Jonathan Borba | Unsplash 28) Networking more, especially in the film industry—frequenting movie hubs such as Versova and Juhu once it’s safer to go 29) Finding out ways to work/do less and achieve more and implementing them—maybe by scheduling only ONE to-do per day 30) Catching up with the content on Netflix, Hotstar, Zee5, Eros Now (already doing that for Amazon Prime Video) Image: Matt Wildbore | Unsplash 31) Chewing every morsel 32+ times and enjoying it mindfully 32) Heading out more often for walks and jogs—at least once a week for an hour 33) Netting 6–8 hours of sleep every night Image: Alexander Possingham | Unsplash 34) Getting >100 reviews each on Amazon and Goodreads for P&V 35) Guest-posting on blogs, as well as inviting guest posts on this blog What’s on your wish-list for the time until your next birthday? Tell me in the comments.

To all those advertisers who bombard us with these messages on and around 8 March, here’s what I have to say to them Background image: Amy Tran | Unsplash I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to look forward to International Women’s Day or dread it. It’s a powerful, historic occasion, dating back to the social and labour movements of the early 20th century. There exists every reason to celebrate it, and everyone, including brands, has all the right to do so. Unfortunately, for many brands, 8 March has become just another Valentine’s Day-style commercial festival. The significance of this day has been crushed under the weight of tone-deaf marketing and virtue signalling that does little for women’s movements. It’s appalling to see many of the companies that offer us discounts and freebies treat their women workers with disrespect, apathy, and disdain. So, how should brands responsibly observe International Women’s Day? Let me start with a list of things I don’t want to hear from them. Later, I spell out what they need to do first before embarking on Women’s Day campaigns. Because Women’s Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s work that needs to be done all year round, not only on and around a single day. There’s still a long way to go, so it’s important for brands to ensure they do their homework first, without saying these things and making a prick out of themselves: “You’re special.” Hell, I know that. “You’re beautiful.” Umm, everyone is beautiful and nobody needs your validation or stamp of approval, TYVM. “You need to pamper yourself.” Why would I do that with your effin’ product when I can get the same feeling by reading or writing a book? “We have a limited, once-in-a-lifetime offer for you this Women’s Day.” That’s awesome, but are you also deploying your billion-dollar revenues and cash reserves to a worthy long-term cause? “We believe in women’s safety and welfare.” Great. Pay all your coworkers fairly first, hear them out, listen to them, and treat them with respect. Wait, you don’t have a woman coworker? Not even one? “We’re turning our product pink for this day.” Eww, no. “We care about you.” Let’s be honest, you only care about my money, dammit. “Follow us and post your selfies with our ‘carefully created’ hashtag.” Only to have you hound me with your irrelevant messages all year? Absolutely NO. “We’re launching a limited-edition ‘feminine’ version of our otherwise man-only product.” Oh, how thoughtful. #SarcasmAlert (To the men) “Treat the women in your house with our product on this day.” REALLY?!?!?! (Also to the men) “Take some load off her plate and help her out this Women’s Day.” In our family at least, we’ve been dividing our tasks between ourselves and working as a team well before you dropped this BS on the world. “You don’t need a man; you only need our product.” I have no words for this. “Our product/brand will empower you on this day.” You need to fire all those who came up with and approved this s**t. “Our product will solve all your problems and make your life easier.” I give up. “You’re a superhero.” No, I’m neither a superhero nor do I want to be one. I’m happy being normal and human and want to be treated fairly and portrayed realistically. Is that too much to ask for? Definitely not. What brands can and should do for us Give more than take Invest in long-term causes Work with grassroots organisations Practise equality at the workplace, respect everyone, treat everyone with dignity, ensure a fair representation and participation of women workers Donate a good percentage of their overall revenues and reserves—not just proceeds from Women’s Day campaigns—to causes Invite us to share our voices and provide an accessible platform for it Educate themselves first, especially about the origins and meaning of International Women’s Day, before spreading social awareness Take a stand for us without worrying about sales figures Go beyond discounts and freebies—for instance, without an ergonomic design, welcoming and inclusive environment, and safe location, a coffee chain brand’s free-beverage announcement for Women’s Day can fall flat on its face, so it needs to work hard on these basics first Do all this work all year round, not just on International Women’s Day, and definitely not part of some lip-service CSR #SwipeFiles is dedicated to copywriting resources and case studies. If there’s anything specific you’d like featured in this section, share your thoughts in the Comments. Access these resources here for your advertising and marketing needs.

Is blog writing becoming a chore for you instead of an exciting brand-building exercise? Here are 11 symptoms of your blogging fatigue, along with their remedies Image: Priscilla Du Preez | Unsplash It’s a story as common as you may think. You create a resolution at the start of the year to write and publish a blog post every day, week, fortnight, or month. You bang out a few posts, and each of them gets a lot of love from your readers. But soon, your motivation starts wearing out. The reason could be anything. Maybe it’s life coming in the way. Perhaps, it’s your disappointing blog stats. Your promotions are probably not working. The point is you lose interest. Your analytics page begins to reflect your faltering passion because your followers can smell it through your blog posts. And then it becomes a vicious cycle. You think nobody’s interested in your blog, so you curse the world, starting with your impassive friends. Soon, you stop caring. You go a week without blog writing and posting, and then a month. One month turns to two, and eventually a year. If this is you, you’re not alone, my friend. This is more or less my situation right now. I currently feel anything’s better than blogging, though nothing can remotely compete with throwing everything away and running for the hills. (Better if those hills are devoid of any internet connectivity so I just cannot post anything and find a valid excuse for it.) But giving up isn’t the solution, I remind myself. Not even if blogging is worth swapping for something else. So, let’s sit for some introspection together, shall we? Inspired by my own condition, here are 11 signs you’re getting bored of blogging. I also list out some potential solutions, so be sure to give them a shot. Hopefully, you’ll get your enthusiasm back in time. For now, let’s mull these symptoms over and nip them in the bud before it gets too late: 1. You have to push yourself to blog Writing should ideally be smooth, easy-breezy, effortless, and organic. Your blog post should preferably emerge from your own life and activities, through note-taking and the like. But if you have to block out a specific window for blogging (meaning, writing + editing multiple times + inserting tags and keywords + publishing + promoting), you’re only going to run out of motivation when the time arrives. (Fun fact: This happens with me more often than you think.) Some experts say creating a bank of posts is the solution. But then again, it can only work if you have the necessary discipline and willpower, which are already scant in the first place. Solution: Don’t wait to write until your stipulated blogging time. Jot down your thoughts as and when they occur. Rants, vents, musings—anything. It’s always better to show up armed with notes during your blogging time than staring at a blank Word page with an ominously blinking cursor. Mine out a useful post from them, and you’d have found a gem amid the stones. (How do you think this particular blog post was born, eh?) Here’s an example of a blog post I rustled up from one of my life situations—after being snubbed by the lead actor of a movie at its premiere. My original plan was to review the film, but I ended up with this unforgettable story instead. 2. You want to do anything but blog You want to cook, party, binge-watch the latest season of any show in existence, read anything you can lay your hands on. You’re game to poring over even the most yawn-inducing annual reports on Earth than thinking of writing your next blog post (which is quite a serious symptom of blogging fatigue, I must admit). The mere thought of putting out a post and promoting it makes you cringe. But then you have a commitment to honour, so how do we fix this? Solution: Combine blogging with the activities you enjoy. Trying a new recipe? Print it out or copy it down and take notes against it after testing it out. Have some party-planning tips? Spell out a few for the rest of us mortals. Binge-watching shows? Review them and share your watch-list and why you’re so excitedly looking forward to these series. Annual reports? Decipher them for the crowd. You get the drift. Your blogging niche should correspond with the activities you truly enjoy and automatically carve out time for. Only then can your readers sense your passion, too. Oh, and here’s a handy list of blog topics to pick from. 3. You get an inferiority complex on seeing other people’s blogs You check out other bloggers’ websites and their social-media numbers and blue ticks and then you look at your own. You feel a pit in your stomach as your subconscious mind compares these stats and symbols in a jiffy. You believe you seriously have a long way to go, and you wonder how much time it would take and whether it’s even worth the effort. You might even contemplate switching your niche for a widely read one. These feelings are completely natural, but at the same time, can be quite toxic if you let them take over you. We need to realise that nobody’s perfect and that every established blogger has had their share of struggles before they’ve reached the position they’re at. Even at present, not all their days are equal. Besides, we miss out on some vital learning by avoiding reading other blogs. Solution: Wear blinkers. Post your blog, promote it, and get out. There’s nothing else in our control, nor can we do anything else about it. Learn more about blogging and promoting—the internet is a clubhouse of resources, after all. Talk to your blogger friends. Ask them lots of questions, be willing to learn. They may have just the gold you so desperately seek. Don’t forget to check with them about guest-posting opportunities. (Tip from a YouTube sensation I once spoke to: Be regular and consistent. There’s no other way to stardom.) If nobody wants to talk to you or help you, it’s their karma, so leave them to their devices, get back to your business, make Google your guru, and run your own race. 4. Your feel overwhelmed by the plethora of blogging resources out there The best part about blogging is learning something new and sharing it with the world. Also, amping up your blog’s stats using whatever you’ve learned from blogging tutorials and resources. But if the countless articles and pieces of advice out there on blogging feel like a never-ending deluge of files on an office desk, it’s understandable. Some of these nuggets may even contradict each other, and that may obviously add to your confusion. In this case, it’s natural to feel you’re doing something wrong or not doing enough and, so, want to give up. So, how do we work this out? Solution: Take each resource one day or week at a time. Apply the fix, observe and monitor, then document the results. You’ll automatically have a blog post out of these experiments, too. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nor will your blog. Don’t overthink SEO, SEM, search engine ranking, keywords, blogging niche, etc. Just do your best and whatever you can and whatever’s convenient for you. Keep it simple. Keep making mistakes and learning from them. And most importantly, trust your inner wisdom. 5. You defer starting or continuing a blog until you have a plan, strategy, or niche in place Many a marketing and blogging whiz come up with lists such as the 10 things we need to do before starting a blog. While their intentions are noble and well placed, they don’t really help the cause, especially if, after chancing upon one of them, you end up putting your WIP on hold out of fright or hesitation. Or worse, just don’t push out that blog post at all. Solution: Don’t wait—just start and keep going. Learn along the way. The only thing you may want to do before you roll out your blog is keeping a bank of posts handy, but again, don’t wait too long. Even if you don’t have a paid blog website right now, it’s alright. Just start with a free one—the paid upgrade will happen when it has to. 6. You’re asking yourself why you blog I know it’s important to have your purpose figured out for whatever you do. If you find one for your blogging pursuit, great. Else, let there be only two: writing practice and personal brand building. What you can offer, nobody else can. Solution: Think of your blog as the documentation of your life. Any books or articles you read, you recommend and dissect them. Any lists you make, you put them up. Any unpopular opinions, you get them out. This is the best way to create your USP—by making your blog personal. Your life has plenty more material than you think. 7. You only want to earn money from your blog We all have this ultimate aim, don’t we? Blog monetisation. Ads. The lucrative project offers. Perhaps even a book or movie or Netflix deal. But here’s some news for you: for any of these to materialise, you have to be a persistent blogger, who never gives up, no matter what their analytics dashboard shows. Solution: As much as I have my issues with this movie, I’d recommend plastering Aamir Khan’s iconic dialogue from 3 Idiots as your wallpaper: “Chase excellence, not success.” 8. Your blogging analytics dictate your emotional state I know of bloggers and web editors who lose sleep over their analytics numbers. Nothing on Earth can be more important than your physical and mental health, so please don’t do this to yourselves. It’s not even in your control in the first place. And if you obsess too much, you’ll simply bow out of blogging soon enough. Solution: Try different times for social media promotions, analyse your data, see what works and what doesn’t. Do as much as you can. And then, step back and chill. The keys to your happiness should lie with you, not with your analytics dashboard. May I also suggest rewarding your failures? That every time you miss your targets, you treat yourself to a cupcake? Or a luxurious bath if you’re calorie-conscious? Always works for me, though. 9. You’re a perfectionist, and your blog feels too raw and messy for you Hate that you still haven’t found your niche and your blog posts seem scattered and all over the place? Want to delete your previous posts out of sheer disgust? Feel like taking down your current blog and starting another one? These are signs of perfectionism, a phenomenon said to only lead to stress, procrastination, and the untimely death of your passion before something fruitful can come out of it. I suffer from this problem most of the time, so I completely understand what it’s like. Solution: Don’t nitpick. As my sister says, done is better than perfect. As long as you’re blogging as per your commitment, as well as learning and improving with every post, you’re doing great. Updating your old posts one at a time is also an idea. 10. You rush through your blog writing Instead of slowing down and relishing the process of blogging, you’re always in a haste to get your posts out. You don’t pause or take breaks. You even skip your meals. Flow and mindfulness go out of the window, and your posts begin to show your hurried tone. If this is you, it’s probably your inner taskmaster at play, so let’s sort them out. Solution: Mindfulness, mindfulness, mindfulness. There are plenty of articles on the subject, so do peruse and practise focusing on the present moment as much as possible so you can enjoy blogging instead of dreading or speeding through it. Try The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. 11. You want people to read your blog Wait, don’t we write so people can read? Isn’t that the primary goal of every piece of written work, including blogs? Actually, that’s not how it should work. We write so we can express, not impress, and create a record of our lives. We don’t want to give any Fs about who reads and who doesn’t. If people read, great. If they don’t, we’re still happy. And that’s how it should ideally be. Solution: Your blog readership isn’t really in your hands, even if you do all the keyword research in the world. Write, publish, share, promote, learn, relax, repeat—that’s all I can say here. Best of luck.

Don’t be stumped for ideas—here’s a full list of all the subjects and verticals you can cover in your articles, books, and blogs Images (clockwise from top left): Jakob Owens, Spencer Davis, Yogendra Singh, Daria Nepriakhina, Brooke Lark, Eaters Collective | Unsplash Looking to start a blog but don’t know what your niche should be? Running out of ideas for your blog? Seeking a topic of focus for the publication you dream of owning? Don’t know whether to be a generalist or specialist in your writing? (Short answer: definitely generalist. These are crazy, iffy times we’re living in, so you’ll need to build expertise in more than one beat.) Here’s just the list you need. Get experimental with it. Mix and match the sphere you’ve been writing on with an unfamiliar one so you can think of hybrid ideas (e.g. mixing ‘personal finance’ and ‘technology’ to come up with stories on online banking, mobile wallets, cryptocurrencies, etc.) or create entirely distinct niches (e.g. by combining ‘travel’ with ‘pets’, ‘parenting’, or ‘disability’). For now, here’s a full round-up of the broad content genres, topics, and niches for your writing and blogging: 1) Politics 2) News & current affairs 3) Travel - Destinations & attractions - Aviation & air travel - Hotels & hospitality - Adventure & outdoors 4) Food & drink - Cooking & recipes - Dining out - Culture, customs, traditions - Kitchen & equipment 5) Film, TV, cinema, theatre, drama 6) Showbiz, celebrity, entertainment 7) Global health 8) Personal health - Body & physiology - Wellness - Fitness - Nutrition - Mental health - Medicine - Addictions & substance abuse 9) Memes & internet culture 10) Language & vocabulary 11) Kids 12) Pets 13) Cars & automobiles 14) Technology - Gadgets - Inventions & innovations - Communication - Internet - Cybersecurity 15) Gaming 16) Science 17) Journalism 18) Advertising & media 19) Literature, books, publishing 20) Arts - Painting & sculpture - Performing arts 21) Fashion 22) Architecture, interiors, furniture, design, heritage 23) Business, finance, markets, economics 24) Personal finance & money 25) Shopping, retail, commerce 26) Entrepreneurship 27) Music 28) Parenting 29) Spirituality 30) Dating, sex & relationships 31) Beauty 32) Humour 33) Culture 34) Pop culture 35) Feminism & gender identity 36) People, personalities, human interest 37) History 38) Fiction (see the full list of genres here) - Short story, flash fiction - Novel - Script 39) Men 40) Women 41) LGBTQI+ 42) Illness, aging, disability 43) Sports 44) Environment & sustainability 45) Wildlife 46) Education 47) Agriculture & farming 48) Law & policy 49) Poetry 50) Data & research 51) Space & astronomy 52) Astrology 53) Local & community news, events, updates 54) Oddities 55) Craft & DIY 56) Jobs, careers, work, workplaces, HR 57) Personal growth & development 58) Lifestyle & leisure 59) Real estate, building, construction 60) Business management & entrepreneurship 61) Home, home management & improvement, cleaning 62) Trade & B2B 63) Industry & manufacturing 64) Rural 65) Urban 66) Writing craft & technique 67) Self-help & motivation

Love stories are just one of them (Image: Kelly Sikkema | Unsplash) Be it Valentine’s Day or any other time of the year, nothing expresses love better than putting it down on the page. That’s why you could do with these 8 writing exercises. Whether you’re single or otherwise, you can use these methods to express your love, as well as your idea of love, and give rise to your own romance stories. Here are my awesome 8 for you. Write away! Love letters Who says love letters are supposed to be written only by those in romantic relationships? (Though, in this day of the internet and quick messenger apps, love letters are a dying form of art and communication anyway.) A single could write a letter to their future partner (like how I do at times). It helps you map out your ideal person. Or you could express appreciation or admiration for someone who’s touched your life. You could also write a letter addressed to your partner, without sending it to them. There are endless possibilities here, so make the most of them and express what’s in your heart. Love stories Get your imagination going by plotting and crafting your own romance stories. If writing a long novel or script sounds tedious to you, there’s no stopping you from penning down short stories or clips. Romance may not be the only central theme of your story. Friendship is an equally important but underrated relationship, so celebrate that, too. If you need some inspiration, why not read some books and watch some films for ideas? May I recommend my own book, PiKu & ViRu? It also has self-love as a theme, by the way. (Buy/download, read, and review here.) And if you wish to change the ending of a work of fiction or write its sequel, prequel, or spin-off, fan-fiction is your best bet. Love poems For those who like to pour out their thoughts in rhyme and verse or quotes, this is the perfect medium for their expression of love. If you’re recovering from heartache, accelerate your healing by using this art form. Soulmate criteria Before you download a dating app, you’re going to have to be clear about the kind of partner you seek. So, make a list of what you’re looking for in a partner. Turn to mind-mapping for the task—it helps you capture the scattered bits of information, knowledge, and imagery in your brain on this topic. And if you’re the artistic type, go crazy with a collage instead. You can also list out your fiction crushes and the qualities you admire in them! Bucket list Here’s a fun way to have clarity on the kind of relationship you wish to share with your partner. Compile a list of all the experiences, to-dos, and other things you’d like to enjoy with your SO. To make it more colourful and picturesque, create a scrapbook of magazine pictures, movie posters, food shots—whatever you may find. You may also go digital and do it on the likes of Pinterest. Screenshot hotel rooms, adventure sports, restaurant tables—wherever you see yourself with your partner—and make your own private vision board. Don’t worry about the budget of these experiences—just list out whatever catches your fancy, no matter what the price. Wish list Don’t be stumped for gifting choices on Valentine’s Day or any other occasion. Ensure you have a list of your favourite products, foods, styles, and services ready—even your choice of haircuts counts. After all, you deserve to treat yourself, too, on this day. If you know what your loved ones like or need, ensure you note it down somewhere so you have a handy list to refer to when the time for gifting arrives. Document your dating life Record your dating adventures and misadventures, as well as romance stories, and compile them into a book. Ditto for any lessons you learn in the process; you could also create a step-by-step dating manual for beginners. The world surely needs guides like these! Visualise your next Valentine’s Day If this Valentine’s Day hasn’t been of your liking, why not jot down a vision for the next one? It’s so cool to live life by design than by default, so why not write out how you want your next Valentine’s Day to go? Even a paragraph consisting of a few lines is more than enough. There is no right or wrong here. If you want a romance, ask for it. If you’re aiming to do some soul-searching but don’t have the time or bandwidth for it, mention it. Written goals tend to materialise better than those in the head, so leverage the power of writing to create the Valentine’s Day of your dreams and have your own romance story!

I review the week’s latest release Mike Cahill’s Bliss begins with Greg Wittle (Owen Wilson) drawing sketches of his dream home in his office cabin. Initially, it seems he’s suffering from some disorder, as he looks zoned out. But then we realise he’s floating in the placid waters of his dreams. This self-made inner tranquility of Wittle’s is contrasted by the chaos in the outer office, the main action area of a call centre interestingly and succinctly named ‘Technical Difficulties’. Wittle’s dream state is interrupted by constant telephonic reminders from the boss through his secretary, insisting on Wittle’s immediate attendance, to which Wittle pays little heed. He continues to perfect the outline of his penciled creations instead of heading out. For those of us accustomed to immediately dashing to the boss’s office at their orders with a belly-flopping heart, Wittle’s deliberate delay is teeth-grinding. Meanwhile, Wittle also phones for refills of prescription drugs, which are unavailable at the moment. And we discover that his dreamy state is an escape from his wrecked marital life as well. Wittle eventually heads to the boss’s office (much to our relief), but with a disastrous outcome. A few moments later, he finds himself in the company of a strange woman (Salma Hayek), whose name we later learn is Isabel. Initially, Isabel appears to be a psychic—after making a light fixture flicker, she helps Wittle miraculously dodge the repercussions of the disaster he encountered in his boss’s office. Realising he’s in the best company given the circumstances, Wittle tags along with Isabel and moves into her shanty. Thus begins a love story where Isabel tells Wittle that they’re the only two on Earth who are real—nothing else is. Not even Wittle’s daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper), who frantically searches for her father when he doesn’t show up for her graduation as promised. Throw in some yellow and blue “crystals” Isabel gets Wittle hooked to, and we know what analogy the movie’s trying to go for. Bliss is a commentary on the so-called purveyors of bliss—drug peddlers and manufacturers, miracle-cure promisers, even the billion-dollar law-of-attraction industry if you think about it—but it takes some shaky filmmaking for it to come to the point. For most of the movie, we have no idea what’s happening story-wise. It’s only when the penny drops for Wittle towards the end that we take away the film’s message—that life is perfect in its imperfections. Alas, we wonder why it took so long and so many complicated twists for the narrative to reach this simple point. Bliss is reminiscent of Inception, where, too, it gets difficult to differentiate between reality and otherwise. The novelty of Inception’s concept was bound to leave a lot of us confused. But Inception infused us with the curiosity and inclination to revisit it as many times as we’d want to in the almost 11 years of its release. Bliss, unfortunately, has no such repeat value, not even if we want to fill the holes in our understanding of it. Its storytelling is too draining, too tiresome, with too many unanswered questions in its wake. For those who watch movies for their takeaways, Bliss is just what you’re seeking. But only if you don’t mind the jumpy storytelling. Else, it’s better you give Bliss a miss. Bliss is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes.

A review of the newest book on the block The protagonist of Arjun Raj Gaind’s latest coming-of-age novel, The Anatomy of Scars, is a young boy named Himmat. Ironically, Himmat comes across as a whiny, ungrateful guy. I’m not the only one who feels this way. Several characters in the book have pointed that to him; these include his girlfriend Soraya. In fact, Himmat, too, is aware of his problem but, for some reason, is unable to act on resolving it. What’s wrong with Himmat? What is his problem? What’s the cause of his whining? And what’s stopping him from working on his issues? It all dates back to 1984. An 8-year-old Himmat was in Punjab at the time instead of his hometown Bombay, visiting his maternal grandparents. First came Operation Blue Star, and then Indira Gandhi’s assassination. In the aftermath of 31 October 1984, which led to a tense environment across the state, Himmat witnessed his grandfather do something that he labelled as an “unforgivable” lapse of courage and morality. While the act by itself wasn’t entirely wrong, Himmat, who idolised his grandfather, saw his “feet of clay”, judged him (quite unfairly, IMO) as a “liar” and “coward”, and refused to talk or clear things out with him. The result: a painful life marred and scarred by hatred, resentment, and bitterness, first in Bombay and later in London, which forms the setting for the book’s second act. As a demonstration of the negative effects of hatred and blame games on one’s psyche and life, this book succeeds exceptionally. In the process, however, Himmat’s whining got to me and I found it grating and jarring after a point. And while the denouement contains a wholesome takeaway, the realisation he finally gets at this stage is something I feel could have happened way earlier in the book. So, should you invest in this book? Of course! Gaind’s poetical prose is always a treat, and the other characters, especially Himmat’s Nana and Nani, are truly engaging. The beginning of the book is particularly its best part. It details the beautiful relationship Himmat shares with his maternal grandparents as a child and provides a vivid, chilling description of the state of Punjab in 1984. Even in the second act, despite its issues, Gaind manages to keep things interesting, as well as humorous, with his distinctive style. The Anatomy of Scars is a profound depiction of a young man’s mindset following a horrific event and how it affects his life and relationships. If you think you won’t mind the whiny bits, you can guarantee a rich, rewarding reading experience for yourself. The Anatomy of Scars is currently available for purchase/download on Amazon. Kindle ebook price: ₹99; free on Kindle Unlimited.

How brands celebrated the epic India vs Australia Test cricket win, and what we can learn about copywriting from their ads I’m still kicking myself for missing this event like a dropped wicket. Tuesday, 19 January 2021, was a historic moment for the Indian cricket team. Not only did they clinch the Border–Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Brisbane by 2–1. They also got Australia their first defeat at the Gabba after more than 3 decades with this Test match. And by acing the target of 328 runs, India also recorded its highest successful chase at the stadium. The highlight of the match, however, was Rishabh Pant. His 89 not out, along with Shubhman Gill’s 91, channeled India to a momentous victory. As expected, brands were quick to make the most of this opportunity. The result: an array of creative, interesting ads all over—some not even sparing the Australian side. A few, like Fevikwik, especially took potshots at Australia skipper Tim Paine, mainly to mock his sledging incident during the third Test, which was held at Sydney. Here are a few of the best posts from Instagram that are already giving me #CopywritingGoals: (For a list of all the kinds of writing you can do professionally, click here.) Eye Boutique The pun game here is simple, yet clever. Gigzoe Simplicity in this case, too, makes for a convincing message. Ishq 104.8 FM Ravi Shastri’s expression, as if listening to a quaint ghazal, totally matches this radio network’s ishq positioning. PharmEasy The words “positive test” shed their fearful connotation when given a catchy spin. Park Square Mall Rishabh Pant’s name used for expected but interesting results here. The #SpidermanSpiderman hashtag, an ode to the star cricketer’s crooning moment on the field, livens up things even more. Dunzo Inserting ‘Paine’ in ‘pandemic’, depicting Band-Aid strips as cricket stumps—Dunzo knows what it’s going for. Fevikwik Fevikwik at its sassiest as usual. Bumble This dating-cum-networking app has nailed the profile bio of the moment! Rampur Distillery, ManForce, Aakash tutorials, Hindware A couple of these taglines hail cricketer Washington Sundar as well. Dream11, Tinder, Durex, Fevikwik, Swiggy, ManForce, JioSaavn, KFC, Vodafone Idea, McDonald's Some clever copywriting on display. Tide, Kimaye, Pepsi, Fevicol, ixigo, Amul Butter, Pass Pass Pulse, Cure.fit, IndiGo Some more examples of creative topicals. Tide’s is my favourite among these. Zee5 The OTT network does a play on the film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, which is available on its platform. #SwipeFiles is dedicated to copywriting resources and case studies. If there’s anything specific you’d like featured in this section, share your thoughts in the Comments. Access these resources here for your advertising and marketing education.