Lounge Loves: Retromatica photo booth, ‘Long Story Short’ and more

Booth Capture

I first discovered the tiny Retromatica photo booth on Bengaluru’s Indiranagar 12th Main a couple of months ago. Since then, I have convinced various groups of friends to squeeze ourselves into the tiny vintage photo booth—yes, exactly like the ones from 1980s Hollywood films—and make faces at the automatic camera. You get four shots at striking different poses and can collect the strip of instant photos as soon as you step outside the booth, all for ₹349 for four sets of pictures. They make lovely keepsakes and gifts, ensure instant hilarity when you’re inside getting your photos clicked, and are often a great way to end a fun evening.

—Shrabonti Bagchi

Build Up the Steam

What’s an Indian kitchen without a pressure cooker? Recently, two of my pressure cookers ran out of steam. The new Hawkins, as usual, came with the “Instruction Manual with Tested Recipes”. But this was the first time I actually opened it. I was surprised how detailed it was, especially the “Do-it-yourself Repairs”—I am hoping to revive the two banished to a cupboard. As for the recipes, there are 20, covering various parts of the country. You could actually plan a national integration meal: Mansam Chops (south), Chola Dal (east), Mixed Vegetable Pulao (west), and Gajar ka Halwa (north). The manual could come in handy for a person learning to cook. It even has measurements in cups/tbsp/ml. How much simpler can it get, you think—though there are people who struggle when it comes to putting the lid on a cooker.

—Nipa Charagi

An Emotional Roller-coaster

I don’t watch emotionally charged movies, sitcoms or social media videos because dealing with the roller-coaster of emotions has never been my favourite thing. And that’s why I’ve always skipped Reels showing people rescuing animals. About a month ago, it all changed after a friend shared a video, saying, “the best thing you will see today.” It showed a man moving towards five pups abandoned in an empty park, with their mother lying motionless. He picks up the six Dalmatians, puts them in his car and drives to a vet. The pups are given meds, fed and looked quite active. Their mother, though, appeared critical. That’s where the video ended, leaving me upset. Then I saw the second video my friend shared. That man had adopted all six of them.

—Pooja Singh

Long Story Short

I have always been curious about the other side of the fence, having grown up in a home largely without religion. The Netflix series Long Story Short is a show that scratches that itch for me perfectly. By using a non-linear timeline, the series, from the creator of BoJack Horseman, tells the story of a middle-class Jewish family, with the three siblings—Avi , Shira, and Yoshi—reflecting on their childhood and their present-day relationship with faith. It’s a breath of fresh air in an industry obsessed with 3D animation, bringing back a much-missed 2D style. With its unique, hand-drawn look and carefully curated colour palette, the show creates a world of its own. It’s smart, genuinely funny, and deeply thoughtful, managing to capture the hilarious chaos of Malcolm in the Middle and the heart of This Is Us all at once.

—Ghazal Chengappa