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REVIEW-HALF
GIRLFRIEND
The author has claimed that this manuscript has taken him three years to draft. Mohit Suri and Ekta Kapoor have announced that a movie will be made based on the manuscript. Masaba Gupta, inspired by this manuscript has created a range of iphone covers,saris,and other apparels. Within a short time of announcing that the book is available for Pre booking the site crashed. My library took 15 days to rent this book out to me inspite of calling him even before the book was released. I was the third one in pre booking of a book that was not even out yet. Facebook and Twitter was inundated with posts of how so many people had already purchased a copy of the book in the pre-order stage. This was the hype created before the release of Chetan Bhagat's latest offering-Half girlfriend.
Well the book starts with Chetan Bhagat emphasizing on how he wants to write for a change. An encouragement to all non readers to read. According to me he is on the right path as I personally know a lot of people who are non readers but wait with bated breath for “A Chetan Bhagat” novel and do end up reading it as well. His way of self deprecating humour is what intrigues everyone and makes everyone curious of this character called Chetan Bhagat. The line that touched me the most by him is that “i don’t want to be remembered, I just want to be missed”
Coming to the book,it is about a namesake prince Madhav and an affluent “English speaking” girl called Riya. They meet as they share their common weakness for basketball. He falls in love with her, she just likes him and dodges his pleas. A crass statement by Madhav,Riyas marriage to a London return pushes the both of them to discrete paths. Madhav starts helping his ailing and social worker mother in Bihar and engrosses himself in all the school work started with the sole aim of imparting knowledge to all the children of Dumraon (a tehsil (block) in Buxar district in Bihar). A speech to be given in English and the conquest for learning the language for the betterment of Dumraon's only school destines Riya and Madhav's reunion.
The story is predictable. It is a typical Chetan Bhagat book absorbing the repetitive formula of rich girl dodging a poor boy-their separation, their re-union and finally the rich girl falling for him. What I really liked about the book is the climax which embraces our very own Chetan Bhagat himself. The part in New York is elongated. An appalling feature of Chetan Bhagat's characters are that they do not get etched in your heart, they meet their logical end once you finish reading the book, but what develops the curiosity of reading a Chetan Bhagat novel is that it has simple writing and accounts for a very breezy read. The story does not touch your heart but it does make you visualize the flow thus a valid script to be captured as a movie.
As rightly said, you love him,you hate him you cannot ignore him. This book is one such read. Pick it up if you are in a mood for a light read this festive season..
STARS-2.5/5
