India, Aug. 6 -- How do we solve the problem of Urvashi Rautela? She claims to be the "first Indian woman to win Miss India Universe twice" and "the first Indian actress to be complimented by Leonardo DiCaprio". Both dodgy claims. But the breeze with which Rautela brags about them is what fuels the memes, what keeps her in the limelight. And it's surprisingly what keeps Prerna Subramanian's academic juices flowing.

Subramanian is assistant professor at OP Jindal Global University, where she teaches interdisciplinary courses on mobility justice, feminist media and urban studies, and writing. On Insta as @DoctorOfPopCulture, she refers to Rautela as the Tall Poppy of Indian pop culture. The term comes from an ancient Roman story, in which ...