Have you ever read a Bollywood movie without songs? Yes, you read my sentence correctly; reading a Bollywood movie. I just did! I have also rated the movie as 2.5 stars. You see, I am a very generous critic like the most popular news paper of India. That folks is how I would review Chetan Bhagat’s new book, Half Girlfriend.
The book (not novel, not story) starts with the main character visiting the author. We see a flash back, not necessarily in black and white, followed by the continuation of the book. The start was somewhat good, and I was wondering whether this is the first book, not related to Chetan’s life, which is engrossing. Alas, it was not the case. The book is monotonous with a lame romantic thread and expected twists and turns specifically suited for our 100 crores blockbusters. The sequence of events is like this: boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, guy meets gal, gal leaves guy and then the typical Bollywood happy ending (it is the same boy/guy and girl/gal; I used different words to indicate their aging). You can actually visualize some of the characters (only Alia is in the cast as of now) who have been finalized for this movie.
Regardless of the book’s popularity, every book by Chetan has been adapted in to a movie. We even got to see Sohail Khan in One Night at a Call Center (this is the worst book by the author, according to me). But with the new book, it seems that the author himself has taken great pains to write a move in a book format. Buy this book at your own risk (it isn’t risky to buy or read, but the statement makes sense when you finish reading the book). Look for the best deals before you buy one. I seriously got this book at a throw away price, during the slugfest of e-commerce portals. Try your luck to get the cheapest deal. Do not blame your luck for reading this book.
Give you feedback on my review in the comments section!
Showing posts with label Chetan Bhagat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chetan Bhagat. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat
Revolution 2020 - Love.Corruption.Ambition screams the title!
Start reading the book and you really wonder what made Chetan write such a mediocre "tale" (if you can call it a tale). There is no essence in the plot (if you can call it a plot), no soul in the message (if you can consider it as a message) and nothing to look forward to the narration. This book is full of crap, which has got nothing to substantiate the elements given in the tag line or the title. You have to put a deliberate effort to read the book because you have paid for it. The only saving grace (if you can call it grace) is that this book is better than One Night @ the Call Center.
The story revolves around three friends, two guys and a gal, begins from their school days, and culminates when the gal marries one of the guys. Why the gal chooses her husband is one strand of the story. The other strand is how both the guys succeed in their ambition, one who craves for money/power (the main protagonist) and the other who fights corruption. The supporting cast includes an ailing father who wants his son to become an engineer, a situation about the coaching classes and hostel life where the author is an expert, a politician who does his usual job, and Varanasi, where the drama (if you can call it drama) unfolds. Then there is the education system, a couple of escapades of the love birds and the major sacrifice (which was typical for Bollywood movies till date). What you don't have in the entire book (no, I will never call it a novel) is substance. There is neither wit nor humor, there is neither suspense nor drama and there is neither love nor passion.
If this piece of work can get the tag of a novel, then anyone with a little knowledge in the Queen's language can become a novelist. Sorry Mr. Bhagat, but the book is a complete let down. Let's hope that you deliver something to match the caliber of Two States if not Five Point Someone.
Start reading the book and you really wonder what made Chetan write such a mediocre "tale" (if you can call it a tale). There is no essence in the plot (if you can call it a plot), no soul in the message (if you can consider it as a message) and nothing to look forward to the narration. This book is full of crap, which has got nothing to substantiate the elements given in the tag line or the title. You have to put a deliberate effort to read the book because you have paid for it. The only saving grace (if you can call it grace) is that this book is better than One Night @ the Call Center.
The story revolves around three friends, two guys and a gal, begins from their school days, and culminates when the gal marries one of the guys. Why the gal chooses her husband is one strand of the story. The other strand is how both the guys succeed in their ambition, one who craves for money/power (the main protagonist) and the other who fights corruption. The supporting cast includes an ailing father who wants his son to become an engineer, a situation about the coaching classes and hostel life where the author is an expert, a politician who does his usual job, and Varanasi, where the drama (if you can call it drama) unfolds. Then there is the education system, a couple of escapades of the love birds and the major sacrifice (which was typical for Bollywood movies till date). What you don't have in the entire book (no, I will never call it a novel) is substance. There is neither wit nor humor, there is neither suspense nor drama and there is neither love nor passion.
If this piece of work can get the tag of a novel, then anyone with a little knowledge in the Queen's language can become a novelist. Sorry Mr. Bhagat, but the book is a complete let down. Let's hope that you deliver something to match the caliber of Two States if not Five Point Someone.
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