Thursday Bitches

We couldn't NOT talk about it. Was it sexy? Yes. Was it complicated? Yes. Are we the playthings of manipulative media moguls? Yes yes yes. Purnima breaks down the look into three parts, Genesia thinks married people need to up their game and we blame feminism for all our complicated feelings!

"The future will soon be a thing of the past." ~ George Carlin Well hurry the hell up then. We've never lived 'in the now' like this and frankly it has begun to take its Eckhart Tolle on us. Thanks a ton, Covid. Is dreaming about the future what makes us human? Will being unable to predict what's going to happen... err kill us? Are we gonna get chronophobia? Should we ask a tarot reader for the answers? It's our quickest episode ever because there's no time to waste. The third wave cometh.

"There are fascists, pretending to be humanitarians like cannibals on a healthkick, eating only vegetarians." - Roger McGough Rhymes against crimes, going lyrical (but satirical), the inchoate poets know it - there's verse in the subversive. We present the works of Aamir Aziz, Hussain Haidry, Humraaz... The historical contexts behind Humpty Dumpty, "First they came for the socialists...", Plath, Beckett and Dylan Thomas. Purnima writes a limerick. Genesia recites an impassioned poem to Fascists from memory. And as a special treat, a short interview with upcoming Delhi rap duo Krantike X Dean Swag aka Famous Hona Hai where we also play their track, Notewala Neta. This episode is in English and Hindi. Please watch out for translations where available on our social media.

Do only men come of age? A chat with writer and filmmaker, Vijayeta Kumar. In India, only 6% of films are directed by women. * Result? Women's stories relegated to the 'public service' dept. You have to be a (hot) avenger to get any attention. No one wants to talk about menstruation, menopause (unless there's men involved). And once you've got your stories on screen, the boys don't know how to critique them. We talk about jumping the hoops of fire from presenting your stories to the producer boys' clubs, rustling up all female film crews, how women want to be represented and then listen in on the most polite disagreement between all of us about whether it should fall on women to be inclusive across gender AND caste. We walk that non-toxic talk, bitches. *Chloe Zhao is only the 2nd woman in the history of the Oscars to win one for Best Director.

Can't stop thinking about a coming-of-age film from 10 years ago that encapsulated masculinity both toxic and tender? Neither could we. We talked with writer and director Vikramaditya Motwane about Udaan, everything from Springsteen to Superman, the boys' clubs and brotherhoods, his own relationships with the men and women in his life and why men telling their own truths with authenticity can be heroic. It's unlike anything you've heard about the film or from the director, before. Listen!

Thoughts (and prayers) about getting bolder and wider. The clichés (forties are the new thirties). The lies (YouTube Influencers cannot be 107 years old). The stuff you need to know as a Future Old Lady (drugs, bras, rocks and rolling). Also. Are our moms Pretending they can't hack new tech? We have all the answers, as per usual. Except that one.

What happened to the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara club? Remember when India was being sold the multiculturalism dream? Did it come true? Was it at the expense of some vs others? In the true spirit of multicultural ideals, Genesia and Purnima did not agree on this episode but found their way back via the Indian Constitution, ancient Irish pipes from 2 millennia ago, ghettoised housing, the East India company, Tulsi vs Kamala and what libraries can teach our children. And if that's not enough curry powder in your melting pot, meet the fabulous Juhi Pande, who grew up around this great country as the child of an Air Force pilot, has lived around the world, had to defend her right to a roast beef sandwich, married a half-Chinese, half-American man and now lives in London with her little family and a world of diverse traditions, heritage and customs that are all her own.

If maths has all the problems, chemistry all the solutions and learning about neutrons can be free (because err... they have no charge) then why aren't we more excited about science? Science is everywhere and while Purnima has gone chasing the Higgs-Boson, Genesia found "magic" in her kitchen. And as very special guests, this episode features Nandita Jayaraj and Sayantan Datta from the venerable thelifeofscience.com for actual stories of hope, courage and genius, from the wonderful (and problematic world of Indian science).

Smriti Kiran is seriously under-interviewed. The Creative Director of Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) and the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival prefers to let her work speak for itself. But this force for good is known for her skill at creating incredible media properties, organising one of the world's most dynamic, well-organised and diverse film festivals and leading formidable, mostly female teams. #warriorsnotprincesses In a long overdue personal and professional chat - she tells us about the men who kept the patriarchy away, the work that consumes her, stalking Tilda Swinton, making space at the table for other women and well... that party we have to throw for all the Thursday Bitches #whenthisisover.

The past is a foreign country and all your travel photos are blurry. If you are the sum of all your life experiences, then shapeshifting memory can be a tricksy minx to tie your sense of self to. What do you know of your parents' lives? What do you know of your own history? What's your earliest memory? How do you want to be remembered? Childhood incidents, generational trauma, the inadequacies of documentation, rose coloured filters on your internet history, the things memory makes of us and the things forgetting can leave in its wake... oh and flamboyant funerals. There's more... it's just slipped our minds...

If 'tis the season to be JELLY - we got some news for you. Scrolling past peoples' end of the year summaries and lists got you down? Try our... Inspirational stories about Guinness Record level losers. A checklist of all our most memorable fail moments. And an incantation to banish feckin 2020 while warning 2021 to behave. There are plenty of bitches in the sea - keep swimming. We got your back.

Did all Bad Girls start out as Good Girls? What happens when Bad Girls go... err really actually not good...? And why do some Bad Girls make us grin and some make us cringe? We name check a bandit queen, *that* loudmouth movie star, serial killers, heads of state, social uprising and losing the shackles of five kilos of chuddies (true story bro) as we try to figure it out.

When they said 'manmade', they meant it. We talked to Swati Janu - founder of the Social Design Collaborative and architect, writer and community artist in Delhi about why the city can give you anxiety, low self-esteem and a certain rage. Whether it's the size of your kitchen, safety measures leaning to CCTVs rather than a thriving community, the casteist politics of gated communities, going to a club in a wheelchair, or valuing light and aesthetics on par with per sq ft rates... it's a man's world and it shows. We found out that when a woman is in the kitchen AND on the urban planning committee - everybody wins. Find us. Talk to us. https://twitter.com/BitchesThursday https://www.instagram.com/thursday_bitches/

There's a rumour that romance is < 200 years old, so how did it die so young? This episode is all about hormone cocktails, emotionally constipated men, PornHub for the elderly (featuring the elderly), the capitalist scam that is the romantic gesture and also, well, butterflies and kisses and attachment. Cos we love love. No, really, we do.

Beauty is skin deep but commentary and feedback from society at large can cut to the bone. Do we dress to fit the milieu? Does it affect our work and our wellbeing? We asked** Actor / Director Konkona Sen Sharma Writer Activist Nadika Nadja (from 27 minutes on) and I.T. Professional Manu Karthika (from 50 mins on) We love all the curves but we love the learning curves the most **It's a long episode so we've given you time-stamps so you can listen to each interview separately if you like.

How can we make things better? “Be kind”, they said. “Really?”, we said. Is empathy a hill to die on or a tree to seek enlightenment under? We came to no real conclusion ngl. Call us.

What feels so good about being bad? For some anyway. We looked for the evil within us and name check Santa Claus, Hindustani Bhau, Hitler and also discuss whether hate can be manufactured in a lab. *Genesia's sound is really bad in some places. We apologise. And it is not because she's in cahoots with Satan. We promise.

Do you have a tribe of women you can rely on? Can they rely on you? It's a long one. And oh, we named the 'bad girl' Neha so apologies in advance cos we actually LOVE all Nehas.

Why does asking for period leave make some people see red? Menstruation, menopause, men and not as many euphemisms for being on the rag as you'd expect.

Are we getting internet solidarity wrong? Probably. Are we getting it as wrong as Chetan Bhagat talking about sex? Probably not.