Ladies, are you depressed? Are you in denial of your depression? Don’t want to go to a psychiatrist because you think it’s not that big a deal?
Worry not, for we have another better option for you to fix your melancholy state. At least that’s what this 29-year-old young entrepreneur Kaushal Prakash from Mumbai thinks.
You must be wondering why am I doing this cross-questioning today?
Well, things are going from simple to difficult to complex and now they have reached to the point of being bizarre where it is now being conceived that something like depression can be cured by renting a boyfriend for an hour. And it’s not even on a funny note.
The App That Cures Depression…Really?
I am talking about the latest app launched in Mumbai on Friday called Rent-A-Boyfriend (RABF). The makers believe it will cure you of depression because the reason behind having depression is a shortage of hunky boyfriends, it seems.
Features
The makers claim that it is very simple to start using RABF. Once you click to open the app, it demands your registration.
There are two options, that says, “Register as a Boyfriend” or “Login as a Member”. In both cases, you need to register with your mobile number.
After a successful login, you will come across the profiles of boys who could be a celebrity, a model or a common man. Often these are handsome faces, with chiseled chests. Choose the one you like and fix a meeting with them.
Done!!
Once you make payment, they are yours for an hour.
You can decide if you want to talk over the phone or meet them in a public place. The line draws at private meetings or sexual relations and in case of any danger to the employees (Read boyfriends) there is a red alert, and he can get out unharmed.
How are the boyfriends hired?
An audition is conducted to hire these boys followed by grooming sessions to be a perfect gentleman and a background check to make sure of their past activities. No private information is displayed on the app.
The grooming session includes, how to speak to people with depression issues, how to identify the signs and how to provide correct advice.
For Models like Suraj Dahiya, 2018 Rubarro Mr. India, who has recently joined the app, the cost of one hour is between Rs.2000- Rs.3000. For “Aam Adami” it is under Rs.1000. Currently, there is no possibility to rent a boyfriend for a day, in case you are wondering if there is a full day package.
Also, for celebrities, it varies. Out of this seventy percent goes to the model and rest is the company’s commission.
As per Mr. Prakash, an attractive physical appearance and good communication skills are the criteria for initial selection. Having any personal or romantic relationship with any of the clients might mean getting fired. They are strictly to be there to talk to you and provide a listening ear. Nothing more.
The service as of now is only limited to Mumbai and Pune. Sorry Delhi girls, better luck next time.
Review of the newly launched RABF App:
You can download the App from Google Play for free. The logo is baby pink with a cupid- the sign of love and romance. Once it gets installed, just click on it and start renting your dream boyfriends.
Sounds simple and cool, right?
I regret to say it’s not. To check it for myself, I downloaded the app and although it got installed pretty fast, the moment I pressed to open, it showed me an error of server issue. Tried several times to no avail.
The reviews on google play haven’t been all praises either.
Did You Know: Why Are Service Sector Employees More Prone to Mental Health Issues?
Let’s see what first-time users have to say.
Despite the app receiving an overwhelming response, a lot of people have dismissed it as a useless or fake app. Some have not been able to register, some have not received the OTP, some are complaining of it carrying a lot of bugs, while some like me were not able to open it in the first place.
It appears the app has a lot of spelling mistakes as well, probably the 10th and 12th pass boys took it upon themselves to develop the app for flaunting their own abs.
So definitely, the app requires a lot more efforts from their developer and testing team. And on the other hand, check out what is wrong with his half-cooked marketing strategy. As right after the launch, it has started receiving a lot of backlash in the first week of its launch itself.
Maybe the makers were so involved in the marketing gimmicks, they forgot to test before launching it.
The worst possible business trick ever, through which Mr. Prakash is trying to mint money off of a serious issue like clinical depression.
As if Tinder wasn’t enough?
Also Read: Scientific Reasons Of Why You End Up Binge-Eating Despite All Efforts (And How Not To)
Is RABF really a cure to depression?
There is no way that anyone is going to cure a person of their depression, by providing a platonic partner. Also, don’t forget that these are guys who are just going to talk to patients suffering from depression.
Well, who talks about their mental illness to strangers?
Think about it. Won’t we rather focus on impressing the bare-bodied eye candy then letting him know of our problems? But when we dug further and found out the real brains behind the rent a boyfriend app, we were literally taken aback.
The real idea behind the RABF app
When the entrepreneur who created this app was asked why shouldn’t females approach a psychologist instead of using RABF, he was quoted saying, “In India, people have that typical ‘Log Kya Kahengey’ reaction, the same response girls get when they wear short clothes.’
So, Mr. Prakash, who came up with an idea thinks that treating a disease wrongly out of the fear of society is something that should be propagated. (Like wow) He truly deserves a slow clap along with a standing ovation for being a staright up misogynist.
We can only wait and watch how the makers fix the technical issues and deal with the backlashing they are receiving all over the media during the coming days.
How is Media Reacting?
The concept of curing psychological issues by connecting suffering women to “gentlemen” in a purely platonic relationship, who could just be a 10th or 12th pass, aged between 22-25, is downright insensitive or even obnoxious.
And what if someone turns out to be a stalker? They will have your number, right? They said to have done the background check, but does it offer tight security to women?
There are lots of negative posts and comments sprouting up on social media about the app. Despite all this, people are still trying their luck on it, and if the app starts functioning fine in the future, who knows maybe it will become a legit Rent-a Boyfriend app.
In Conclusion:
Though renting a boyfriend for a day seems like a fun idea, it might all just go south if some stalker poses to be an employee of RABF. And looking at the numerous crimes related to women, it will just end up being used as a honeytrap for females.
And that, for sure wouldn’t be helpful in curing any kind of depression.
