It hurts me to write down on Chetan Bhagat, but I have observed that as I am improving as a writer, I end up finding the flaws in people’s work more than just enjoying the work. As I started off with R2020, I found the narration an exact copy of the way it was in “3 mistakes of my life”. Bhagat’s works have a similar setting anyway, like going back to the past and telling the whole story to someone, but I felt some difference in presentation in the other works, but this one seemed simply copied from his early works. The book did start off with a nice note, slumped a bit towards the middle and everything went horribly wrong towards the end. First, I will start off with the pros and then move to the cons.(caution: contain key details about the plot)
Pros:
Like all the times, there were some perfect humour at places, but at times it read as if Bhagat was trying to explain the jokes in the next line, which took away the crisp sharpness. Some scenes were depicted really nice, like the scenes in Varanasi, the boat rides, the way Gopal felt when he couldn’t make it for the entrances. And the Kota period is still my personal fav. Gopal’s conversation with Aarti on googletalk, when she first tells him about her boyfriend is genuine.
Cons:
Firstly, I am thinking presently that the “teaser” that was released before the novel was not entirely correct. “Once upon a time, in small town India, there lived 2 intelligent boys. One wanted to use his intelligence to make money. One wanted to use his intelligence to start a revolution. The problem was they both loved the same girl”. Now when you read this you do think that the guy who wanted to use his intelligence to make money must be the villain. But that’s not. It wasn’t that a guy just wanted to make money out of nothing, but extreme poverty and faulty educational system compelled him to walk that direction. Then again, I found nothing “intelligent” Gopal who wanted to make money. He was hard working, devoted and on the good side of a corrupt political figure, hence he could make money. It surely didn’t show anything worth intelligent which you might be hoping for, like how some of the poorest men used their intelligence and played their cards smart to turn billionaire. You wont find any bit of that intelligence. Secondly, as this guy, Gopal, is the narrator, there is hardly any character development of the other guy, Raghav, who wanted to bring a revolution. Now, Raghav throughout seemed like someone with all the good genes of Mahatma Gandhi. But there was no explanation at all like how someone who cracked AIEEE and IIT, and studying in BHU can just turn everything down to “bring out the truth” and after BHU work as a reporter, any scene at all which propelled him to do that. One moment there was this version of Raghav being the class topper and flirting with Aarti, and the next moment someone Aarti got engaged to and who turned a fierce revolutionary figure in BHU with his BHUkamp! Like I said, a total lack of character development. And many times I have observed that Bhagat tried to repeat his jokes(“I got an click in answer”), which further helped in wearing off his humour. And the ending seemed just like a lame “sacrifice for the society” from some flop Bollywood movie. Gopal, who loved Aarti right from the beginning with all his heart, simply sacrificed her so that Raghav marries her and becomes the next MLA or something. Now that’s pure filmy, you might be supporting corruption in the system, when you know you cant help it but giving up the love of your life just with the hope that your friend is a good man and will bring revolution is a total waste. You guys might have heard this saying “If you want to know a person who he really is, give him power”, so was there any concrete prove that Raghav wont turn corrupted when he gets the power? Again.a no answer.
Perhaps it happens when best seller writers uses the benefit of their name and past work to sell.I am a fan of Mr. Bhagat and sincerely hope that he increase his range, cause no matter how charming a shortcut might be, but people eventually get bored of them. I hope you guys find my review useful.