'Boyfriend 4 Rent': Meet Shakul Gupta, the man-at-arms throughout the year

"Technically, I am still single,” says Shakul Gupta, a man with many many dates. But this ‘Boyfriend 4 Rent’, who has become an Insta-celebrity over time and space, has a singular story.

“All my friends used to have dates during Valentine’s Day and I was always single,” says the 29-year-old. “I was always trying everything, from going to the clubs to everything else, to find someone. And then I thought that maybe there are single girls trying to get decent guys as well, and I thought let’s just put it out there and see what happens.”

This was back in 2018 and as soon as Gupta, a serial entrepreneur and self-made man, his Instagram handle (@ shakulgupta), the initiative went viral. “The response from girls was way more rewarding.”

“People just want someone to speak to. And that’s true with a lot of these girls. They just need someone to listen to them,” says Gupta, who has no expectations, physical or otherwise, from his ‘dates’. While he jokes that he maintains his efforts around the year, he admits that it is around Valentine’s Day that the hens (and their attendant cockerels) come to roost.

After his initial success in 2018, when he posted his first sign of ‘Boyfriend 4 Rent’, especially from NCR boys. “Tu kya kar raha hai, bro? Humme bhi tips de (what are you doing, bro? Give us advice).” The boys who want to be the man Gupta is are full of it apparently, but he’s looking for something else.

Gupta has gone on 45-plus dates now, on a professional capacity, so to speak. And it is definitely not weird or prurient. “We go out, we have coffee or a light meal. And we talk. We talk a lot, and honestly it’s nice to just have that conversation. They appreciate it, and I appreciate the time with them.”

So many are looking for just someone to speak to, whether they are going into a marriage, or in it, or dreading it.

“There’s really not a physical element to it. These are ladies looking for someone to bare their hearts to, without any family pressure and it’s a privilege for me to be able to be that sounding board.”

While Gupta has had propositions given to him and prepositions he’s managed to avoid, he admits there are people looking for a distraction from as well as break down of relationships, which he has since learned to steer clear from.

In case you were wondering, Gupta pays for everything, meaning every aspect of the date. There is no angle except for one. “I am not doing this to get a free meal or a fluke date. I am doing this to find someone, my someone, a person I can be with forever. I have not yet, but hopefully I will.”