The Monkey Dilemma is a space intended to calm my monkey mind that is always jumping from one thought to another, one idea to the next. Those crazies need a home, and this is it. The blog serves as an online personal journal, a self-curated magazine, a romantic escape, and mostly an ode to life and its various complexities. I write about books, quotes, poems, products, introspections, nonsense, and more. Hope you enjoy reading the pieces as much as I loved writing them.
— Kalpana Iyer
Here are the latest posts to get you started:
Ithiri Neram: When Old Love Returns Years Later
I picked the Malayalam movie Ithiri Neram randomly last weekend. I usually choose movies based purely on my mood. Because of that, I often ignore films or dramas that are trending or getting a lot of attention. Sometimes I simply may not be in the mood for that genre. Ithiri Neram had been sitting in…
Sometimes the Best Part of Travel Is the People You Meet
For me, the best part of travel is rarely just the destination. It is almost always the people I meet along the way. Sometimes they are fellow Indians I happen to run into while traveling abroad. Other times, they are locals who live there. Either way, travel experiences often become more meaningful because of the…
Current Affairs, My Way: Iran War, Monalisa’s Marriage, and the Kavya Maran Debate
So I’m thinking of making this a regular feature on the blog. I usually have slightly contrarian takes on most news stories anyway, so putting them together in a quick post feels like a good idea. Think of this as a simple roundup where I share my thoughts on a few current issues making headlines.…
Accused (Netflix): A Promising Queer Romance That Loses Steam
I knew I would be watching Accused on Netflix the moment I saw the lead pair: Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta. I have always liked both actors, so that alone was reason enough to hit the play button. But what really caught my attention was the theme of queer romance. In Indian cinema, stories…
Kerala Story 2 Trailer: My Honest Take on Extremism, Politics, and the Real Kerala
I finally watched The Kerala Story 2 trailer because the noise around it became impossible to avoid. I had stayed away from watching it till then, hoping we would collectively ignore it. The trailer begins with a call to “convert India into a Muslim nation.” That kind of rhetoric comes from extremist outfits like PFI,…
My Yali Capkini Journey: Rage, Romance and Baklava Cravings
I started watching the Turkish drama Yali Capkini (Golden Boy) on Amazon Prime (MX Player) for a very simple reason. The lead pair looked good. I honestly assumed I would drop it after a few episodes because good looks alone rarely keep me hooked. Chemistry matters. A solid storyline matters. Surprisingly, Yali Capkini seems to…
Psychology Of Terrorists – Key Takeaways
I recently finished reading Psychology of Terrorists by Raymond H. Hamden. I decided to write this post to analyze the key ideas the author has included in the book and see how they apply to India. This post is a deeper dive than my usual posts, so settle in for a longer read. Reasons for…
Tu Juliet Jatt Di is The Lighthearted Hindi Romcom We’ve Been Missing
With dark and heavy content flooding streaming platforms these days, my old soul keeps craving simple old school romance. I still enjoy serious shows, no doubt about that, but when the real world already feels intense, I prefer feel-good stories when I sit down to unwind. The type of content that I grew up watching.…
Haq: When a Film About Muslim Women Speaks to All Women
For the most part, Haq is not a story only about Muslim women. It is a story about women in general. Almost all of us know someone, married or unmarried, who has been cheated in love. We have seen that heartbreak up close, and we understand the emotional toll it takes. When Shazia feels betrayed,…
The Truth Behind Why Bail Was Denied to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam
With the Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam cases once again drawing global attention, especially after Umar Khalid’s father met US politician Zohran Mamdani, it’s the right time to scrutinize why the Supreme Court rejected bail pleas for both activists. The issue has sparked renewed discussion around India’s anti-terror law, the UAPA, and how it is…
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