With his first book, Five Point Someone investment banker-turned-novelist Chetan Bhagat hit the bullseye. Bestseller after bestseller followed and Chetan has been quite the busy bee with columns, screenplays, and on Twitter and Facebook. In the Flipkart office, Chetan talks about his latest book, Half Girlfriend. “The hero is a Bihari boy who does not speak English well. He falls in love with a girl who is very comfortable with the language. I have tried to bring in the caste system relationship to English in India.”
Of the hatke title he says, “The title has caught the imagination of the readers. I like using numbers in my titles since I was an investment banker and used to play with numbers and figures a lot. It is a tribute to the time gone by.”
The 40-year-old says: “Initially, I thought if writing did not work out, I could always return to banking. I am very happy now. I love what I am doing. I liked investment banking also, but would not want to go back. A career in the top banks has taught me a lot about professionalism, which I try to implement in my work.”
On handling criticism, Chetan says, “If you are a well-known figure, there will be critics. I try and take the good points from my critics, while ignoring the trolls. My only aim is to ensure that more people read books in India. I have been very successful in doing that.”
Chetan does not see a divide between commercial and literary fiction in India. “I want to sent a message and tell a story. I do that through movies and books. It is just a medium. As far as people buy the book and enjoy reading it, it should not matter. If you do not like a book, do not read it. I put out my personal views online. You are free to disagree with me, but you cannot say that I should not write columns or give out my views.”
On his books reading like screenplays, Chetan insists he does not think of a screenplay when he writes. “A screenplay can come out of a book. Some stories lend themselves to be made into good movies. It is not the case all the time.”
Insisting he cannot separate myself from the books, Chetan says: “There are elements that are my take on a particular situation and the books are peopled by characters who I may have known. The autobiographical elements, however, have been reduced over time.”
Chetan feels that for a book to be successful, it is important for it to connect with the audience. “If people do not like the story, even the best marketing will not be able to save it. I think a good story and a healthy dose of luck is very important.”