Are you bored of being single ? Now Rent a Boyfriend

RITIKA BHOORA

PUNE 27 OCT 2018 : If you are tired of fast-paced Tinder hook-ups, and have been cursing yourself for being single, here’s something to perk you up, albeit platonically. Rent a boyfriend (RABF) is an app that claims to provide you with “boyfriends” on an hourly paid basis. What is even more bizarre is that according to its founder- 29 year old Kaushal Prakash, the app is meant to help those who are suffering from mental health issues such as depression. Kaushal came up with this idea from his own experience of suffering from depression.

Launched on 24th August 2018, in Mumbai and Pune, the app aims to help lonely people overcome their depression by having a partner by their side for a day.

For all those reading this and scratching their heads, here’s how the app actually works.

Boyfriends on this app are divided into three categories: celebrities, models and Aam aadmi. You can rent a celebrity for Rs 3,000 and higher, or a model for up to Rs 2,000 to 3000, or an aam aadmi (commoner) for just Rs 300-400 per hour. The website gives 70 percent of its earnings as commission to the boyfriends.

Boys who choose to provide their services on this app must compulsorily have a 10th grade or 12th grade degree. They undergo a training session for 3 days where they are taught etiquettes and how to look presentable.

The website also comes with a toll free number to reach out to their in-house panel of “depression experts” who can counsel users and will charge a “minimal fee” for doing so.

When asked what the connection between Boyfriends and depression is, Kaushal said, “If I were to tell the truth, the main reason behind depression today is rejection faced by people, mostly in the pursuit of love. And as is often the case with people who are rejected, or sad, they do not have anyone to talk to. We are not offering boyfriends, but friends who are boys and will hear your problems out. The name, even if it is controversial, I assure you – the action is not“

When asked why not rent out girlfriends too, the founders said that if RABF is under so much controversy imagine what would happen if they started renting out girls. They also added that renting out girls was too much of a risk and they wanted to steer clear of any controversies.

While this app is a unique initiative, some basic questions come to my mind:

1. Is having a boyfriend the way to fight depression? If so then what are psychologists and psychiatrists for?

2. Is it really equipped to fight ‘depression’ which is very different from sadness?

3. Why does the app distinguish between good looking men and average looking men? If the idea is to have someone to talk to, then how does it matter how the guy looks?

Only time can tell whether the app will be successful or not but it was so successful in creating a buzz around itself that the servers of the app crashed twice in 48 hours of its launch. It was also the No. 1 trending app on Google Play Store. After their servers crashed, the app put out an official message saying that the response they have received is over-whelming and that their “Boyfriends are working overtime to get back to us with a bang.”