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You know Chetan Bhagat as a columnist who tackles everything from politics to economy. You remember his stint as a judge on Nach Baliye. You have come across his tweets that come in various forms of controversy. But Chetan Bhagat's forte has always been his books, and whether you want to admit it or not, he has been a game-changer in Indian fiction writing in English. Chetan Bhagat To Turn Director with Movie Adaptation of His Book Revolution 2020 (Watch Video).
Having studied in both IIT and IIM, Bhagat left a cushy job in the international investment banking sector to seek a career in writing, with some great results. His first book, Five Point Someone, was a huge bestseller, a tag that can be associated with all his books. You may be a fan of his writing or not, but Bhagat is responsible for expanding the reach of Indian English reading among the masses. His light-hearted treatment of subjects a common man could relate is an ingredient responsible for his success as a writer. It is the popularity of his books that have encouraged publishers to try out more young writers in the market.
Bhagat has written eight novels till now with the last one, The Girl in Room 105, coming out in 2018. He had also written three non-fiction books - What Young India Wants, Making India Awesome, and India Positive.
Considering the popularity of his books, filmmakers have been clamouring for adapting his works as movies, with five novels adapted as films. Unlike the books, though, the movies have seen varying degrees of successes - from an all time blockbuster to a dismal failure. And not all adaptations have received the same amount of acclaim. Chetan Bhagat Buys His Own Book From a Hawker and The Interaction is Going Viral on Twitter (Watch Video).
On the occasion of Chetan Bhagat's birthday, let's rank all the movie adaptions of his books based on how well they were made, and how they stood the test of time. From Worst to the Very Best...
Hello
Bhagat's second book, One Night @ The Call Centre, was one of his strongest works. Unfortunately, it lent to a really weak movie adaptation. Hello, directed by Atul Agnihotri and released in 2008, stripped the book of its best qualities - the fun factor, the social commentary and the realism (even though it included an element of fantasy). The tattered screenplay and Atul's novice direction do little justice to the project, while Salman Khan's starry cameo is a needless distraction. The main cast give their best, especially Sharman Joshi and Sohail Khan (surprise, surprise), but they can do little to save this film.
Half Girlfriend
Chetan Bhagat's weakest book leads to a weak film as well. Mohit Suri-directed film has Bhagat as one of the producers, with Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor playing the main leads. The romance is predictable, the silly title has got a lot of flak and Arjun and Shraddha's performances are average as best. Not to mention, the infamous 'Bill Gates' cameo has become material for memes. The one big positive, though, is that the music is good.
2 States
2 States is a semi-biographical novel, based on Bhagat's own love marriage to his Tamilian spouse, Anusha. Backed by Dharma Productions, 2 States starred Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead. In my opinion, the movie was the most faithful adaptation of any CB work (even though the Dharma gloss does take out some of the realism), and it was quite a decent entertainer with good performances from the cast and some lovely moments too. 2 States also worked well at the box office.
3 Idiots
So you expected this to be at the top of this list, didn't you? Can't blame you, for 3 Idiots is not just a very entertaining movie, but also the highest grossing movie based on a novel in Indian cinema. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the movie stars Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan and Boman Irani. Now 11 years after its release, 3 Idiots is still an enjoyable film, but some aspects of the film haven't aged well, especially the rape joke sequence. But that's not the only reason why it loses the top spot. 3 Idiots is based in Bhagat's debut novel, Five Point Someone, inspired by his own life in IIT, which is also his BEST work to date. But the movie bears little semblance to the novel, save for the character outlines. Even Bhagat himself wasn't a big fan of how 3 Idiots made sweeping changes to the plot, and in the process, feel a different beast altogether.
Kai Po Che!
Kai Po Che! is the rare kind of adaptation that is not only faithful to the spirit of the film, but also betters it in the process. Bhagat's third novel, Three Mistakes of My Life, may not be his best work, but it is definitely his boldest, a tale of friendship set against the backdrop of Gujarat riots. Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che! (that marks Sushant Singh Rajput's big-screen debut), is more or less, a faithful adaptation, but takes enough liberties to excise out the weaker parts of the book. Like, the whole Australian subplot is omitted, while Omi, played by Amit Sadh, which was the weakest character of the three friends, is well-fleshed out in the movie. The twist in the climax is nicely done, shocking even the readers of the book. The performances of the lead cast, including Rajkummar Rao as the self-centred Govind, are uniformly good, and the music by Amit Trivedi is terrific. Especially the "Manjha" song. So there is no doubt in my mind that Kai Po Che! is the best film adaptation of a Chetan Bhagat work. Agree with me? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 09:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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