Being my own manic pixie dream girl Or owning being selfish
Dear reader,
Last year, friend and I were coming back home after a play. At a signal, a child came to sell something, I didn’t want to buy what they were selling. I asked them if they’d like a ladoo. It was from one of my favourite places and I had gotten two, one for my date the next day and one for myself. The kid was ecstatic. They did a jig. I had one more which I had kept for my date. Soon an older person came to the car window complaining that they had not sold anything and since I gave a ladoo to the the kid, they wanted one too. I gave them the other. He still had a growl plastered all over his face. Friend smiled and said, ‘you are such a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.’
Wiki says a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) is a stock character type in films. Film critic Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after observing Kirsten Dunst's character in Elizabethtown (2005), said that the MPDG "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures".
I never bothered to look up the meaning, but I always took it as a compliment. I've prided myself on making people feel comfortable, especially when they're going through tough stuff. Whether it's lending an ear, giving advice, or just being there, that's my jam. My people-powered projects have given space to share their inner struggles, and even after the projects end, they still reach out. I often hear people out and sometimes offer advice.
I remember this one time at a workshop on gender and sexuality in Bandra. My friend was co-hosting it with me, and there was this young woman who seemed totally shut down. She even started crying at one point. My friend told me to talk to her and work my magic. So, we took a stroll, and eventually, she spilled the beans about feeling like a fish out of water in fancy Bandra, all scared and stuff. Once those fears were out meant she felt confident to join in the next day. I considered that a personal win.