Interview With Radhika Agrawal, Author of “RED FLAGS AND RISHTAS”

Radhika Agrawal discusses Red Flags and Rishtas, exploring love, self-discovery, and modern dating with humor, heart, and real-life relatability.

on Feb 26, 2025

Frontlist: Ananya and Aadar have opposing views on love and marriage. What inspired you to explore this clash of ideologies, and how does it mirror real-life challenges faced by today’s singles?

Radhika: When I was in my mid-twenties, I began noticing a fascinating dichotomy in love and relationships. Modern India was at a cultural crossroads—on the one hand, people were embracing online dating, and on the other, reconnecting with traditional matchmaking. Some of my friends, including me, were on dating apps, others were open to exploring arranged setups, and then there were those trying to navigate both worlds. This blend of clashing ideologies felt like the perfect setup for Red Flags and Rishtas. Ananya and Aadar’s opposing views reflect the tug-of-war many singles face today—between tradition and modernity, as well as practicality and passion.

Frontlist: With humour being a key element in your book, how did you strike a balance between light hearted storytelling and addressing deeper themes of connection and self-discovery?

Radhika: I’ve always believed you don’t need heavy storytelling to explore meaningful literary themes. Humour is such a powerful way to say the things that really matter without making it feel like a lecture. Balancing the two wasn’t so much a formula as it was following my gut and trusting that readers would relate to the world I was creating.

I let Ananya and Aadar’s chemistry keep things playful, but their internal struggles with identity and friendship give the story its heart. I wanted readers to laugh along with them but also see their own experiences reflected in the quieter, more vulnerable moments.

Frontlist: In the spirit of the Valentine's Season, how do Ananya and Aadar’s journeys highlight the importance of self-love alongside romantic love?

Radhika: Self-love is the foundation of any meaningful relationship, and that’s something both my characters have to learn the hard way. While they seem confident on the surface, Ananya and Aadar are struggling with being vulnerable and accepting themselves for who they really are.

For Ananya, self-love means letting go of all her rules and realising that it’s okay not to have it all together. For Aadar, it’s about understanding that perfection isn’t the goal—being real is. Their story shows that self-love and romantic love aren’t competing priorities; they go hand in hand. When you start accepting yourself, you can let someone else in without all the walls and defenses. And that’s where the magic happens.

Frontlist: How does the bet between Ananya and Aadar serve as a metaphor for the societal pressures around finding a partner?

Radhika: We’ve all heard the ticking clock, that nagging pressure that the next person we date has to be the one. The bet between Ananya and Aadar is a reflection of that exact pressure—this idea that finding “the one” is a race, and the stakes are sky-high.

They’re both caught up in the notion that they need to find a partner who checks all the boxes. But in reality, relationships aren’t about fitting into a neat little box. They’re messy, unpredictable, and don’t follow any set timeline. Red Flags and Rishtas show you that the best connections are formed when we stop forcing them and just let things unfold.

Frontlist: In today’s fast-paced dating culture, do you think it’s harder for people to find genuine connections, as Ananya seems to struggle with?

Radhika: Definitely. Online dating, in many ways, feels like online shopping. You’re constantly scrolling, swiping, and comparing, always thinking there’s something better out there. Ananya feels that pressure, too—she’s swiping through profiles like it’s a never-ending catalog, hoping the next one will be the perfect match.

Along with the sea of options, the speed of everything makes us value the process less. Instant matches and instant messages are great for quick validation, but not much more. Ananya’s story is a reflection of that: she’s stuck in this cycle of surface-level connections, always swiping but never really seeing what’s right in front of her. And I think a lot of us get caught in that, too—where the convenience of it all sometimes overshadows the deeper, more meaningful connections we’re actually craving.