Youth in Dharavi slums have pre-ordered my book online: Chetan Bhagat

He tells you the best angles to click a picture and points out to the most comfortable chair to sit and interview him.

HYDERABAD: Author Chetan Bhagat is easy to talk to. He tells you the best angles to click a picture and points out to the most comfortable chair to sit and interview him. Dressed in a blue vest and trousers, he is pacing the hotel room at Radisson Blu, Hitech City, as he barks off instructions about tax payments and deductions. As he settles down for an exclusive interview with Hyderabad Express, he admires the view from his window - of the afternoon prayers at the nearby Masjid. Excerpts from the interview:  

We hear that your new book ‘Girl In Room 105’ has a Hyderabad connection. Let’s begin with that.

Chetan: It starts off in the Hyderabad-Delhi flight and yes, there is a little more connect to the book, which you will discover when you read it. I personally love the city for the iconic Charminar and the Karachi Biscuits and am glad I am here to talk about the new release.

Forget about the protagonist Zara in your book. Tell us about the girl in your IIM hostel in Room 105. I am sure there was a story there?

Chetan: (Laughs) I was a clueless engineering college student who was too timid to strike a conversation with girls. Unless there was a college fest or an inter-college sports event, I rarely had the opportunity to meet girls. Sorry to disappoint you, but there was no story with the girl in Room 105. Although the story of this girl Zara is bound to make you sit up and notice her.

There are two schools of thought about your writings. The first believe that you were the one who got the average Indian youngster to pick up English fiction. But the other school, not so kind, accuses you of getting them to read what they don’t think is great food for thought? What do you have to tell these folks?

Chetan: Excuse me,  at least I am making them read something. Something is definitely better than nothing. Also, who gives anyone the authority to decide what youngsters should read? This is a free country and they can choose what they want to read. How can a South Delhi convent-educated Shakespeare-quoting person decide or judge what a youngster in Kanpur should be reading? Regardless of what my detractors feel, today I am happy that a youngster in Dharavi (Asia’s largest slum located in Mumbai) has pre-ordered my book on Amazon. That tier 2 and 3 citizens are reading is certainly a big change. I am glad my books have changed that perception. Perhaps they read me more as I connect with the common youth.

So you do feel you are a game changer in Indian English writing?

Chetan: It is a fancy tag created by the media and the publishers. Well, it is good for branding, but I write what I think is a story I need to tell. I am happy that the publishers also think books should be promoted innovatively, like a movie. The Girl in Room 105 is perhaps the first book in India that got a full-fledged movie-like trailer. It was made by Bollywood director Mohit Suri using two professional cameras and real cast. If this is how you get youngsters to read a book, I am game. I am also excited that I will be personally doing some midnight deliveries and meet those who are reading my book.

There is a promotional blitzkrieg. Is there is a target to reach?

Chetan: Around 1 million book sales in 60 days. My big dream is to make young India read more. As a writer, I want to be accepted as a mystery story writer

That’s a clear steer away from your romance novels then?

Chetan: Most of my previous ones were about love. This one is about UnLove - about heartbreak, about disassociation, about letting go and moving on. The Girl in Room 105 is about Keshav falling in love with Zara from Kashmir, but a series of incidents lead to him having to let go of her. Unlike in Instagram, it is not easy to unfollow, unlike or block a person in real life. UnLove is difficult, but a liberating process. That’s what the book is about.

You are popular with netizens and notorious with trolls in Twitter. How do you manage to be both?

Chetan: Anyone with a big following will have a mix of fans and trolls. However, I don’t feel obliged to please anyone, with my writings or my tweets. I am an author, a columnist and a speaker. It have opinions and it is my nature to express. If someone doesn’t like what I said, that’s their problem and I don’t dwell on it.

Sounds diplomatic. Any plans to contest/campaign for the elections next year?

Chetan: Thank you, but no thank you. I love watching the crocodiles in the river and may even gleefully comment about it, but I am not going to jump into it and risk my life. For now, nothing on that front.

What is keeping you busy these days? Do you miss a fulltime job?

Chetan: It has been 14 years since I quit my job. My sons (twins) are now 14 and I am busy with workshops, talks, screenplays and a whole lot of things. My wife Anusha has also quit and says she wants to enjoy her time with the teenagers. I may write a series for NetFlix soon. I also travel a lot for workshops at campuses.

What do you tell them when you go for such talks/workshops?

Chetan: How to plan to achieve that big goal in life, not about clearing an exam or getting a job, but about being able to achieve the bigger picture they have in mind. I give them time management, stress management and other such tools.

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