We know that there is hardly any issue left that Chetan Bhagat doesn’t have an opinion on. From capitalism to Kashmir, Chetan gets eloquent on almost everything that makes headlines. It was just a matter of time when he would write in a female voice to discuss feminism. In fact, the last time we met, Chetan told this journalist that one of the challenges that he would like to take is to present a feminine perspective to life. So, even as the nation celebrates Sindhu and Sakshi, the market savvy author is ready with "One Indian Girl". Talking over phone from Cape Town, where shooting of Half Girlfriend is currently in progress, Chetan says the novel is not the result of an emerging trend where popular culture is packed with narratives of liberated Indian woman.
"I can’t panic. It has been in the process for two years. For years I wanted to do this but never had the courage. Luckily, feminism is a hot and relevant issue. Since it is important that is why it is finding reflection in popular culture."
Though, he has had female characters in his novels, Chetan never had woman as the central character. "The problem is in first person narration. I do first person narration and in that you have to get into a character’s head. In third person you just have to note down what the characters speak, which means dialogues. Dialogue writing is easy because you hear women talk all the time but to come up with a convincing thought process for a woman is challenging. That is the best part of it and that is where I am going to be tested on."
He realises that he is not the first male writer to take this fascinating challenge. "There have been many instances but what is rare here is that not only my central character is female, the central theme is feminism."
Talking about his research, Chetan says most of the book is about understanding woman. "This girl works as an investment banker. I have already worked as an investment banker. So the space was easy to conjure up but it was still a different experience for me because usually my protagonists start from a small town. I had had enough of that. I interviewed about hundred women informally. During flights I talked to the attendants. In hotels I talked to the staff. I spoke about what makes them happy, their motivations and where do they face challenges which are unique to their gender, which they think they would not have faced had they been men. It helped me in drawing the characters." One major observation, he says, was successful women get penalised. "They find it difficult to be understood," he observes.
Some dialogues on the social media reflect that the feminist debate has been reduced to a man vs woman competition where each gender is trying to garner more space in the consumerist social milieu. "Just like communalism is not about Hindu vs Muslim, feminism is not about man vs woman. It is about equal space for all. What I realised was different women have different views on feminism. Some of the women have been culturally programmed to accept the inequality. In India it happens a lot. Some women are okay just looking after their husbands and kids. And I have no right to judge them."
The teaser suggests otherwise. It presents Radhika Mehta as a successful, young girl who is about to be getting married but she feels that she doesn’t fit into the definition of an ideal girl because she has an opinion on everything and she is not a virgin. Isn’t he creating a new stereotype? "It is just a teaser. I have not revealed anything about the story. She is young, liberated woman and she feels that she is not likeable. The aim of the teaser is to create interest." It might irk people. "Whenever you write something, it is going to irk some people. It should irk people, otherwise it is too safe," he contends.
And where do men figure in his scheme of things, now? "We keep saying women should get empowered but the moment they get there, they become a sort of misfit in the society. We judge them and super successful women become less likeable. We are just trying to understand that in the book."
Instead of making it a seamless process, the marketing campaign is underlining the fact that Chetan Bhagat is the voice of Radhika Mehta. "I have loyal set of readers and they look forward to my book. They should be prepared that this book is different from my other books. It is important to say from the beginning," he reasons.
Isn’t he making it difficult for the reader to differentiate between the writer and the character? "I didn’t think of it that way. I expect the opposite to happen. My success is when the women readers would say, ‘ok he managed to pull it off.’" Anyway, his campaigns are increasingly getting filmy. "It is very simple. The readers are increasingly moving to digital media and you have to come up with a way where you can access them on smart phones," he reasons.
Spreading thin?Of late, he has been ridiculed for making expert comments on subjects, which are beyond his domain. The latest being his advice to the Kashmiri youth. "Nobody can appropriate a domain and nobody has a monopoly on an issue. I give opinions. Anybody can give opinions. It is just that my opinions get noticed. They make an impact. You can’t berate me by saying why are you giving opinions. You can counter it by giving yours. Nowhere do I say that I am a domain expert on many issues that I talk about. That doesn’t preclude me from commenting on an issue. You can counter my argument but don’t make personal attacks."
He acknowledges the counter presented to his view by senior journalist Barkha Dutt. "I accept I didn’t cover what she was talking about. But I stand by my point of view on the subject."
Does he hold a view on the current events in the Valley? "I haven’t looked at the recent events. I will come back to you on that," Chetan signs off.
