Chetan Bhagat’s Half Girlfriend may have sold off like hot cakes but it certainly did not bode well with Royalty. The author, whose book had offended a royal family in Bihar, as it had allegedly portrayed them as drunks and gamblers, submitted before the High Court here that he would be willing to change the setting of the novel and also change the objectionable words used.
Chandra Vijay, the petitioner is a descendant of the last ruler of Dumraon, which figures in the book. Mr.Vijay’s father was Maharaja Bahadur Kamal Singh, last ruler of Dumraon before its accession to the Indian union in 1952.
His petition had come up for hearing in April where it was said that the book had implied references that were ‘false and derogatory in nature’ against Chandra Vijay’s family.
He had also sought that the book be restrained from further publication and sale with immediate effect. The court had asked Mr. Bhagat and Rupa Publications to file their response on Friday.
Now, the author has agreed to change the place, “Dumraon,” to a fictional place called, “Simraon,” in the Hindi version. And, his lawyer informed the court that fresh publications in English will also have the fictional name.
The author has agreed to change the place ‘Dumraon’ to a fictional place called ‘Simraon’ in Half Girlfriend
