I will give those two stars only because he and his books never fail to create curiosity and buzz among the people. His marketing skills are indeed wow! Yours truly including bought the book out of sheer curiosity, gave in to the temptation of reading what the whole of India is reading. And well, was I disappointed? At the end of the read(296 pages, takes some 4-5 hours) I merely shrugged my shoulders, nodded my head and smiled.cos Chetan Bhagat does it again! Writes a book instead of a movie script!
The setting of Varanasi, using names that all Indians can correlate to, and pitching in a love story where love is expressed and yet not winning is the magic formula for this one. Gopal, the lead character, is supposed to be having some grey shades. Unfortunately, CB fails in creating neither a positive or negative character outa him. There were times that you could relate to him, but turn the page and the connection is over. None of the characters for that matter leaves a profound impact on you. The book’s title supposed to be revolving around the second guy, Raghav, is falling short of anything sensational.Rather name the book LoveStory or Pyaar ke problems or alike! CB has tried to portray the eminent corruption in our education system, but covering it with a love story did not go well with this one. The humour, which more often than not, is the highlight of many of his books, was also missing in this one.
Aarti. The female lead. I wonder whether she was supposed to have a positive or negative trait to herself. How can someone be so confused about their lives, and yet were shown to be strong and solid. Weird.
The end spoils it all! You would rather expect a better twist.but this was too much!
Bottom Line: Avoid if you are looking for some good CB stuff, read if you are tempted, like I was and then lament.