Yes you heard that right! 29-year-old Mumbai entrepreneur Kushal Prakash launched ‘Rent A Boy Friend’ on Independence day boasting “Get freedom from sadness, depression, loneliness this Independence Day”. Here, you can choose from the three categories available: Celebrity boyfriends for ₹ 3000, Model boyfriends for ₹2000 and an average layman (Aam-Aadmi as they say) for up to ₹ 400 an hour. These “boyfriends” will be selected by the RABF team via online auditions.

Prakash assured that men who register will undergo a background check for any past criminal record. *phew* that’s a relief because the minimum qualification for eligibility is to have passed the 10^th grade. If only there were certified mental health professionals who could help us with depression.

Another fact: The boyfriend earns 70% of what the customer will pay.

Rent a Boyfriend or ‘Rent a Boy | Friend’ to imply that it is not an escort service claims that they will also have a toll-free number that people can call to get counseling from mental health professionals for ₹ 500 for 15-20 minutes. To back this up, the team has hired a doctor and a psychiatrist among others.

The questions we have are that is this app actually capable to act on your depression ? How did mental health come into the scenario? Independent psychiatrists and professionals seem to disagree claiming that trivializing such a serious issue is wrong. The fact that RABF claims the service to be solely for friendship can be easily challenged, the most apparent being the logo which conflicts with their claims.

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