A Review: Half Girlfriend, by Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat once remarked that English is India's new caste system. He couldn't be more correct. This view point is aptly put across in his new book, Half Girlfriend .   Having been at the helm of a new wave of contemporary Indian writing, his books have been filled with gritty experiences supplemented with a very Bollywood-ish optimism, making them very easily readable by young Indian masses.  The plots are not complicated, the characters have something relatable, and there is an element of fundamental upbeat hope in his stories better than any Slumdog Millionaire. I had read some of his books before, some enjoyable, others uncomfortable, but this one will be the first reviewed formally. 

The story is that of Madhav Jha, descendant of the royal family of the Princely state of Dumraon , in Buxar, Bihar. Over generations, having lost their family wealth, the respect and honour of the title and the responsibilities it bore for the people of their region were what he and his mother were left with. A rather unsophisticated Bihari boy with little command over english, he secures a sports scholarship for basketball in St Stephens, one of posh Delhi's elite colleges. He meets the lovely, sophisticated english speaking Riya, from a wealthy business family through basketball, and is instantly smitten.

 But Riya isn't . She sees him as a friend, while he wants a serious relationship. His halting english, relative lack of sophistication, no obvious wealth, and perceptions, are but some of the hurdles that  have to be crossed.  As time and distance become a new barrier, Madhav tries to fight to sustain his love, while being a prince to his people back in Bihar. Will he succeed in winning her love? Will he be  the Prince his people need? 

The struggles in this book are very real, as are the characters. The not so subtle discrimination between the have and the have-nots, between the english speakers and those that struggle with the language, perceptions o community and background are very real, and have been captured well. The way these dynamics affect the way a relationship is viewed is also seen. The plot is decent, and the storytelling language simple, in keeping with the protagonist's headspace . The intensity of emotions has not really come through though. Bhagat's strength here is his clear character creation of the protagonist. 

We don't see the female lead as well developed , in contrast. Her actual development comes towards the end of her story, but even those parts are predictable and cliched, with little to give her solid outlines. We see what the characters go through, but we can't feel them as well. His male characters are clear, but his female characters are superficial. Bhagat would do well to try and cross the age old barrier of "understanding women", and actually write a character a woman reader would give her thumbs up to and want to empathise with. 

I should say, romantic , or upbeat endings seem to be Bhagat's forte. This book is something easily adaptable to a Bollywood script, and is along the "Swades" lines. It carries the optimistic vision of social change that is characteristic of today's metro educated urban under forty Indians who want a transplanted Singaporeistic vision of tomorrow. 

A fun read on the whole, and can be finished in a single sitting of a few hours. Best enjoyed in short breaks in the office, with a cup of chai, or on the commute home.