Chetan Bhagat (THE TIMES OF INDIA; June 21, 2020)

The recent suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, a successful and young movie star, has stirred up the nation. After all, how could someone who seemingly had it all want to end it all? Social media, TV channels, WhatsApp forwards and articles are bursting with theories. Fact is, we don’t know what happened.

There probably are multiple factors. It is not wise to blame someone or make any speculations at all on a specific situation. Neither is it appropriate to blame anyone or judge the path a person chose to take. That is not the attempt of this piece at all. However, the incident has started a debate on the culture inside Bollywood and its impact on mental health issues. These issues can come up not just in Bollywood, but any hyper-competitive industry.

I have had a decade plus experience working in this wonderful yet somewhat flawed industry. Here are some observations as well as tips on how to cope in any hyper-competitive environment:

- There is no Bollywood CEO and everyone is scrambling to just survive. Many believe there is a Bollywood company and working in it is like working for Unilever. It’s not. There are just some powerful people with more clout, at a certain point in time. This comes from their ability to pull capital and talent to put a film project together. Track record builds clout. But clout is fickle — hits increase it, flops can make it vanish. It’s scary for everyone. To merely survive is to win.

- It’s fundamentally an insecure profession — stars fade, directors lose touch, good looks don’t remain forever, audience tastes are fickle, plenty want to join and take your place.

- To minimise insecurity, people form cliques or camps. Actors, directors and producers come together, to ensure some future work security. The so called ‘parties’ are usually a camp hanging out together. The insecurity is still there. It just feels a bit safer. It’s like earthworms clumping together in a ball to look stronger. People have done well while being in camps or outside them. To each their own.

- If you are successful (deliver a hit), the industry will surround you with love and adulation at levels you can’t imagine. If you fail (have a flop), you will become untouchable.

- The highs of success are so intense, people have compared them to hard drugs. However, the pain of a flop and the isolation that comes is intense too.

- These wild swings of success and failure can take a huge toll on mental health. Apart from your innate work and talent, you need enormous amounts of mental strength. You don’t just need a six-pack body, you need a six-pack mind. If you are already ailing, or have a history of mental issues, it can become a dangerous cocktail.

- As an individual, it comes down to how you perceive yourself. If you truly believe in yourself, you don’t need party invites or non-stop calls from certain sets of people. One should also realise that nobody gets the perfect cards in life. Life is unfair — but it will be unfairly good to you sometimes, or unfairly bad. Same with Bollywood. One has to be happy with themselves and their journey, however spectacular or simple it was.

- No matter how strong you are mentally, if you go all-in into the Bollywood pond, you are at massive risk. This also applies to all non-Bollywood workaholics working in hyper-competitive industries out there. Learn to diversify your life. You may love your work, but make sure you are not just about your work alone. Your health, family, hobbies, old friends may lack the glamour and beauty of Bollywood. However, they can be extremely comforting and create a lot more happiness in your life.

- The best advice I ever got on how to navigate Bollywood came from the reticent A R Rahman, who I have had the honour of meeting once in my life. When I told him Bollywood was scaring me, he said “Bollywood is like a beautiful pond. However, it has crocodiles in it. Hence, it’s OK to stand in a corner and take a bath. Do not fully swim in it. One foot in, one foot out, always.”

He may have said it in passing, but I have treated the maestro’s advice as some sort of mantra in navigating the film industry. It isn’t easy. The glow and shine of Bollywood can be so intense, everything else can seem far less worthwhile. Precisely for mental health reasons, I decided to never to put my eggs in one basket, even if the basket was the shiniest. I do other things and I am thankful the crocodiles didn’t get to me. I’d encourage all others who are trying for hyper-competitive professions to be aware of the real mental health issues that come with it. Pay attention to them and diversify your life. No glamorous party or job success is above your inner happiness.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 22, 2017)

Unarguably, the Indian writer with the most cinematic adaptations of his books, Chetan Bhagat had heaped praise on filmmaker Mohit Suri while the latter was filming his novel, Half Girlfriend, for the big screen. However, in an unusual turn of events, Bhagat now terms the 2017 adaptation, “okay”, saying that the Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer was “too filmi”. “I know everyone did the best they could [to adapt the movie]. But, it was too filmi in parts and could have certainly turned out better. With Arjun cast as the leading man, the expectations were high,” he said ahead of the film’s television premiere on & Pictures.

With Kapoor having essayed the role of Bhagat’s protagonist in the writer’s previous adaptation — 2 States — it was only fitting that he be considered for the recreation of Bhagat’s 2011 novel, Revolution 2020. The long-in-the-planning project, Bhagat tells us, fell apart after controversies plagued production house UTV. With Disney acquiring the firm, there was a temporary limbo. But now, the rights of the cinematic adaptation solely belong to Bhagat.

“Several producers and studios have expressed their desire to make the film,” he said, adding that there is a possibility that Kapoor will no longer play the leading man. “The cast will change. You can expect an announcement by the end of the year,” said the writer, adding that he will work on a screenplay for One Indian Girl if he finds the right producers.

Until then, he is busy writing his next novel, Soulmates.

That’s Chetan Bhagat’s reaction to the online controversy over his debut novel being taught at Delhi University; reveals two more of his books will be adapted into films
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2017)

A month after Chetan Bhagat’s debut novel, Five Point Someone, was included in the popular fiction syllabus of the general elective course offered to second-year students under the Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) at the Delhi University, the trolls haven’t stopped crucifying him. And the 43-year-old bestselling author, who is presently in London delivering lectures at the Imperial College and Cambridge University on the ways of modern Indian writing and film adaptations, is amused by the online outrage.

“I manage to stir people up just by being who I am,” he laughs, saying he is honoured by DU’s decision and can’t understand why for the first time the University’s syllabus is being discussed in such detail. “When teaching a course on popular fiction, wouldn’t you want students to read the highest selling English writer in the country? My books are already a part of the curriculum in many schools and colleges so it’s not a radical change after all. Of course, our elite believe good literature only existed 200 years ago and it cannot be a novel that has sold five million copies in India. I shudder when I think of how many budding writers were killed in the classroom because their language was not believed to match up to our elevated literary standards,” Chetan argues.

The author returns to Mumbai this weekend to join actors Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, the lead pair of Half Girlfriend (the film adaptation of his 2014 bestseller by the same name), for the relaunch of the novel with the actors on the new cover. A musical concert is also being planned in the capital with Chetan in attendance. And buzz is, he will be seen in the opening sequence of the film too?

“Not true,” Chetan asserts. “My books always open with the protagonist meeting the author, it’s a writing device I always use. But it doesn’t adapt well on screen. I never wanted to act in the film anyway,” he says matter-of-factly.

He goes on to inform that as a hands-on co-producer, he’s made multiple discussions with director Mohit Suri on how to adapt the book on screen. “This is my fifth film adaptation and understand that while I remain close to my material, I also need to detach myself when needed. I do what is right for the film and not for my ego.”

Prod him for details on the ideation and scripting stages of the film, and he admits that he suggested changes to writer Tushar Hiranandani and Mohit, being a democratic director, listened to everyone’s suggestions and incorporated the ones that worked for him.

Chetan insists that this growing camaraderie between him and Mohit could lead to another collaboration soon. Will Arjun, who also featured in the film adaptation of 2 States, join in for a hattrick? "Arjun and I are quite similar. We've both been scorned and laughed at for real and understand the nature of this business. Mohit jokes that Arjun's real half girlfriend is Chetan Bhagat!" he exclaims, adding that Half Girlfriend will pave the way forward for his upcoming productions. "I want to co-produce the film adaptations of both One Indian Girl and Revolution 2020,” he says, admitting that even though No One Killed Jessica director Raj Kumar Gupta was expected to helm the film adaptation of Revolution 2020, that deal fell through and a new film is now being developed from scratch with a new team.

Will he return as a judge in the next season of the dance reality TV show Nach Baliye? “No, it was a one-off turn. I want to experience different things in life because it makes me write better stories,” he points out, saying he's always been curious about the contestants, their backgrounds and dreams.

“Nach Baliye was a classic example of understanding the aspirations of young India. What I've learnt on the show was great research for an upcoming novel too.”

Author Chetan Bhagat tells us why it took him 12 years to write his new ‘feminist’ novel and why trolls love him
Jane Borges (MID-DAY; October 1, 2016)

It's a crazy work day at author Chetan Bhagat’s Pali Hill office. We catch him in the thick of a meeting with his all-woman team, where a frenzied discussion is on about his new release, One Indian Girl. Cardboard boxes bearing the weight of fresh copies of the new book, which soon — and to the displeasure of many — will be wiped clean off shelves, lie around the office space. Bhagat joins us immediately after the chat and, for some reason, appears bummed out. He’s had a tight week, having just returned from the shoot of Half Girlfriend — a film based on his last novel — in the US. Back in Mumbai, he’s already tied up with the promotions of his book. No breather, we think. But, appears it’s not the only reason. “You must have heard,” he asks.

Bhagat is alluding to a video he posted on Facebook a few days ago, and the massive trolling that followed. One Indian Girl, he informs us, is his first book to be written from a woman’s perspective. “And, it covers one aspect of feminism,” he says. We shall touch upon that later. Right now, it’s his video that’s drawing all our interest. It’s the same video in which he mentions how he got himself waxed to experience the pain women go through each month, to look good. “…girls, lot of respect! And to think that girls do this regularly, maybe, like every month, was quite an experience for me,” he said in the video.

It would have been a miracle if Bhagat’s trolls hadn’t caught that one. Surprisingly, he tells us that he hadn’t seen that coming. “It’s ridiculous,” he says. “It’s almost like people are trying to find a reason to pick on me,” he adds. And while all the negative talk has left him more amused, than affected, Bhagat feels the need to explain himself. “I had to write a waxing scene for this book and thought that I should get one done before putting it on paper. Like people do method acting, I did method writing. The experience was painful for me and I spoke about it. And now people are already judging the book. I find it so unfair,” he says.
Bhagat, India’s paperback king, who is usually unruffled by the copious amount of hate he receives from certain quarters, doesn’t want to take it easy this time. Why? “Because, with this book, we’ve got another chance or rather a reason, to talk about the issue of feminism,” he says, convinced. Now, seems to be the right time to turn back to the book. “Feminist novel?” we ask, again. “No, not really! It’s a book written by a man, in a woman’s voice and talks about some women’s issues. Feminism is a very broad topic and one story cannot cover it,” he says.

At the heart of Bhagat’s new novel is Radhika Mehta, a woman, who has made it big as an investment banker, but is judged negatively for being ambitious. “Her family wonders if she’ll ever find a good match, because she’s doing so well, and her boyfriend has become insecure, as she makes more money. It reaches a point where she nearly questions her own success and whether it’s all worth it,” says Bhagat. He adds that his reference point for this book was Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo, who once said, “Women can’t have it all.” “She is one of the most successful executives in the world, but, when something like this comes from her, you want to go back and question a lot of things. We talk about empowering women, but when they get empowered, society doesn’t know what to do with them. I wanted to highlight this issue with my story,” he adds.

“But, I am no feminist,” he insists, between nervous giggles. “It’s a very touchy topic. And, I have already figured that I am entering a very sacred territory. A lot of people are already saying, ‘Ab yeh feminist bhi ho gaya?’ People who are experts on the subject, probably think that I am appropriating their turf. But, I am just a storyteller. My job is to take an issue and build a story around it,” he says.

“And women who have read my book, including actress Kangana Ranaut, think I have managed to get them, spot on,” he says. At this point, our curiosity has heightened. We want to know how a man can write, think and feel like a woman. Bhagat tells us it took him 12 years to get the confidence to write this novel. “Such a book had to be written from a feminist’s point of view. That was the biggest challenge,” he says.

He interviewed over a hundred women, including his ex-girlfriends, over the last couple of years, and “just let them talk”. In baring their souls, the women, says Bhagat, gave him the kind of insight that he sometimes found incredibly unsettling. Conversations about sex, included. “The thoughts that cross a woman’s mind when having sex are so different from that of a man,” he says. His book, he says, offers a glimpse into a woman’s journey towards discovering her sexuality.

“I can tell you that there are many explicit scenes,” he says, adding that he’s already predicting, ‘more hatred”’ on social media because of this. “They will focus on a few scenes, quote those lines on social media, and make a joke out of it,” Bhagat says about the people from his troll paradise. “It doesn’t feel great, but it doesn’t define me.”

Writing One Indian Girl, he says, has been his most enlightening experience yet. “I used to think that feminism is about giving women a choice. But, often women want both. They want to fly like a bird, and also make a nice nest. We fail to recognise their desires and wants,” he says. “Instead of attacking me, people should focus on giving women their due.”

Chetan Bhagat gears up to conquer new frontiers with a docu-reality series
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 19, 2016)

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 7, 2015)

The novelist, since he started judging a reality show, has been accused of being a sell-out
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 26, 2015)

Chetan Bhagat who made a surprising transition from bestselling novelist to judge on a dance reality show, has cut short a family vacation in London to fly down to Mumbai and honour his weekly commitment.

When quizzed about the criticism he's been facing on the social media, he insists that Nach Baliye 7 has worked to his advantage. "Many of those who watch the show may not have read any of books, may not have read any books actually. But now that they can put a face to my name they've started picking up my novels, and that includes housewives too," he argues.

Chetan admits that he was apprehensive about the gamble earlier but took the "leap of faith' to improve his "accessibility and readership" knowing that his "populist" image could be tarnished. He recalls how after the first episode aired, the show's producer, Ekta Kapoor, and the channel head called to congratulate him while he was being torn apart on social media. "But you have to understand that Twitter is not India and not everyone on it watches the show," he reasons. "I'd expected the Twitterati to react this way. What I hadn't anticipated was the volume of reaction. The makers were unfazed, insisting that I bring a fresh take to the proceedings."

What about accusations of being a "sell-out"? Like one of the commenters said, 'If you throw enough money Chetan will now dance at your wedding too'. "I am not a total sell-out," he argues "I've not lent my name to Chetan Bhagat Coaching Classes, right? That would involve no work and loads of money. But you have to draw a line and I'm sensible enough to know where."

He maintains that a lot of the negativity has to do with the fact that he's an IIT-ian judging a dance show. But what about his credibility as a dancer? Chetan insists that it's not that difficult to tell a good performance from a bad one. "I've been associated with films and between a movie star (Preity Zinta) and a choreographer (Marzi), I can offer an objective view," he says.

Meanwhile, he's developing a "blockbuster film script" and is optimistic that Ekta's cinematic adaptation of his last novel, Half Girlfriend, will roll by the year end. "Half Girlfriend has outsold all my previous books. And I still have to sell the film rights of Revolution 2020 (after creative fallout with UTV)," he adds.

And what about his next novel? Chetan's not yet ready to write one, insisting the show which he entered as a sceptic has given him a new take on relationships. "Nandish Sandhu and Reshami Desai's marriage was on the rocks but has got a new lease of life," he points out, adding: "I'll continue doing mainstream things to keep in touch with India's sensibilities. Like Kick which I wrote, this show has altered my sensibilities and recalibrated me with India. If you don't know what your audience wants, you are doomed."

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; April 24, 2015)


Rate yourself as a dancer.
I am not a good dancer at all. But several books of mine have been made into films and they have songs and dances. I know the importance.

The best dancer in the industry — male and female?
Hrithik (Roshan) is one of the best we have. Amongst females, though she is not performing so much any more, Madhuri (Dixit) was amazing.

One song that makes you want to get up and dance?
I don’t dance much, but I have songs on my gym playlist, which I enjoy. These include Subah Hone Na De, London Thumakda and being a Punjabi, a lot of Punjabi songs including those of Honey Singh’s.

A dance film that you like?
Footloose, which was part of my growing up years. Here we haven’t had that many dance films, because it is not easy. You need someone who understands dance and films. I would love to write a dance film, this show will help me in that!

Why Nach Baliye7?
Firstly, Nach Baliye this time is completely revamped. It is more than a dance show. Secondly, I am getting more involved in films and since song and dance is part of them, I am getting familiar with the form through the show. And thirdly, I always wanted to know how real these reality shows are. I am entering the arena as a bit of a skeptic. And finally, the format of the show has changed and I will be focussing on the relationship of the couple.

How tough will you be as a judge on a scale of one to 10?
Eight, I think. I am not going to keep saying mind-blowing every time, but only if the performance deserves it. As a writer I know the power of words and I see them being tossed around loosely.

Will you be like Simon Cowell?
I will be Chetan Bhagat. Whatever I have done so far in my writing or scripts I never tried to copy anyone. Simon is an iconic judge, a brand in himself. I will leave an impact in the show. I am not here to take it lightly, but make a difference. I am charged up about it. Though I was nervous in the beginning, I have started enjoying it.

Your equation with co-judges Preity Zinta and Marzi Pestonji?
They are very different. Marzi looks at technical aspects of dance, if the feet are placed correctly or not, etc. Preity sees the expressions and the chemistry of the couple. I look at what the couple is like, the act and the storyline. The one thing common between us is we love to talk, crack jokes and laugh a lot. We have our little skirmishes too. I disagree with Preity, who is always charming and sweet. I feel she needs to be tough. Marzi, on the other hand, is too technical. Sometimes when you hit a six you don’t need to go into right or wrong of it. A six is a six, no matter what!

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 24, 2015)

Author Chetan Bhagat, whose book, 2 States, is up for the big- screen adaptation, says that he doesn’t think people see him as somebody who manufactures controversies
Deepali Dhingra (MID-DAY; April 13, 2014)

If you follow Chetan Bhagat on Twitter, you are most likely to see tweets on the current political scenario or social issues. But a couple of days ago, one of his tweets read ‘There’s PMS. And there’s PRS. Pre-release stress.’ After Five Point Someone, One Night at a Call Centre and Three Mistakes of My Life, Bhagat’s semi-autobiographical book 2 States is up for release as a big-screen adaptation on April 18, and the author is excited. But he should have become used to it by now, right? “I thought so too, but unlike previous times, there are a lot of expectations from my readers. And there are millions of readers and millions of expectations,” Bhagat tells us.

The movie, like the book, is semi-autobiographical, and takes instances from Bhagat’s own inter-community marriage with wife, Anusha. “I’m happy that a lot more people will become familiar with the story as movies have a larger reach. I think the book changed a lot of people’s thinking towards inter-community marriages and I’m hoping the movie does that too,” he says.

Not indifferent to criticism
Bhagat might be a bestselling author today but he’s had his fair share of brickbats. Critics have panned his writing, calling it mediocre and pedestrian and some have even gone on to label him the Rakhi Sawant of Indian literature. Does the criticism bother him? “It does but a lot less than how it did five years ago,” says Bhagat.

Courting controversy?
Bhagat finds it hard to explain his own success. “I’m not a highly-gifted writer. There is a lot of luck involved.
I’m blessed with a simple and amusing style of writing, which comes effortlessly to me. Also, I genuinely care for people,” Bhagat explains.

Controversies, too, have dogged him from time to time. “If I want to create controversies, there are a lot of things I can do. People take my work seriously, and I’m not seen as somebody who manufactures controversies,” he adds.

An opinion on everything
Just as he seems to have an opinion on a lot of issues, Bhagat also has a knack attracting attention — good or bad.

That, in his opinion, is not a bad thing. “It’s nice that in 2014, with so many distractions, people still care about a writer. After all, I’m not a girl who wears less clothes to get attention. I’m just talking about ideas and they get attention. There is no cleavage,” he says, with an attempt at humour.

Sexist statements? Maybe he needs to rethink his say on controversies.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 12, 2014)

Chetan Bhagat, 39, loves taking on challenges, is grounded and is happy that he is able to straddle many worlds, be it writing, Bollywood or being a motivational speaker with equal ease. He is open and communicative and lives for his family. Being a popular artiste, he also aspires to change things in his country. He is the only Indian author, whose every work has been made into a film. Ahead of his next book being made into a film 2 States, he spoke to Bombay Times about his turbulent relationship with his father, his love for his mother and what he loves about Tamilians. Excerpts:

Talk about the idea of writing the book 2 States?
I am a Punjabi, born and brought up in Delhi. I was always a curious kid, who was good at two things — maths and telling jokes. In typical Indian middle-class fashion, they tell you to forget about the jokes and focus on maths. And that’s what I did. Today, I make a living out of my jokes and storytelling. I went to Army Public School and was not a particularly bright student and scored just 76% in Class X. That is when I decided to take on the challenge and got through, first, IIT Delhi and subsequently, IIM Ahmedabad, where I met my Tamilian wife Anusha. Post completing my MBA in 1997, I worked first for Goldman Sachs and then Deutsche Bank, first, in Hong Kong, and the last one year in India, but left them to do fulltime writing in 2009. Writing was my hobby, but I never thought that I could have been a career writer. I wrote three books while I was at the bank, when I met a French journalist friend and he said to me, ‘In all three books of yours, the relationship between the protagonist and the father is dysfunctional. In Five Point Someone, one guy doesn’t like his parents, the other guy has a paralysed father and the third guy has a strict father, in One Night @ The Call Center, Shyam is underconfident and his parents are always fighting. In The 3 Mistakes Of My Life, the father has deserted him and even Ishan’s father slaps him and he has a bad relationship with his father. So he told me, ‘You have a very turbulent relationship with authority. To us French people, it’s shocking that you have written three bestsellers and are still doing a job. This bank job is a surrogate father. You get that security and authority figure here, but you are rebelling by writing books on the side. You need to deal with the father issue. That will free you as a writer.’ It hit me and I decided to tackle it. I was scared as a typical middle-class person of leaving a secure investment banking job to be a writer. My income would drop by 95%. My wife, who was and continues to be a banker, coincidentally got transferred to India and with her, I came here. I continued at the bank for a year, but knew that I couldn’t manage to do my job and writing together so finally quit to take on full-time writing and first wrote 2 States, which to me essentially is a father-son story. A lot of people, including Anusha, felt that marrying between communities was not an issue anymore and that people would not be interested. But I was convinced that it was a very big issue and it’s still a very big issue. The truth is that kids can elope and marry, but they don’t want to do that. They want their parents to agree and smile on their wedding day. There is a line in the book, where the boy says, ‘I don’t want you to just tolerate me, I want you to accept me.’ I have met hundreds of couples who are going through that. I met a sardarji who became a heart patient because his daughter wanted to marry a Keralite. He read the book and not only consented to his daughter’s marriage but at the wedding, there was a food stall, a dessert stall and a 2 States stall. He gave everybody a book as he said, ‘The community is going to ask me why I agreed so, I wanted them to read it. I wanted to see my daughter happy, but the community would have judged me.’

Talk about your father?
I don’t like abuse of power and somewhere down the line, I felt he was not fair to my mother. She did a lot for him, the family, the in-laws, but she never got her due and it was a life lived just like a lot of Indian women who do that. When I was very young, I didn’t realise it but by the time I was a teenager, I started realising and resented it. I was always a rebel. My father being in the army was authoritarian and would deny her simple things like meeting her family, as it would make her happy. Maybe, it was a result of his own inner frustrations, but he would not give her freedom and I had to write 2 States a) to understand where my father was coming from and b) to forgive him. It was difficult for me to forgive him, but 2 States helped me forgive my father.

Have you forgiven him?
He lives in Delhi and I rarely meet him. I last met him at a family function two years back. Even if not forgiven completely, there is no anger in me today and at least I have reached a stage of indifference. I am still working on it. I have a disproportionate influence today, so I can say these things and I am sure he has his own side. I love my mother the most in the world and know that she has brought me up in hard times. Her relationship with my father was always turbulent and still remains like that. But today, they are separated and she is the happiest I have ever seen her. A lot of time has passed and I’m not looking for an apology as her life cannot be undone, but I try and make her as happy as I can. So, for instance, I bought her a house in Mumbai and am so happy that she is able to see all this for me. When I read about 2 States still being there on Arjun Kapoor’s mother’s shelf, I can’t even imagine how he must be feeling. I asked him what was the most challenging part of doing the film and he told me how he relates to those emotions of pain in the relationship between him and his father, where the relationship is very close and yet there are unmet expectations from both sides.

What attracted you to your wife Anusha?
She genuinely is a very simple and yet intelligent person with a very pure heart. I anyway get turned on by articulate, intelligent women. A partner who is intelligent can really help. Being a Punjabi, where would I get a girl from IIM-A? And I like the whole poise that Tamilians have, though sometimes, of course, I feel they are too dry. She never wants to ride my fame and is happy to be Anusha Bhagat who works in a bank.

What does it mean in real life for a Punjabi boy like you to get married to a Tamilian girl like your wife?
When Punjabis are happy, they will start dancing. Tamilians don’t dance for fun. For them, it’s a form of art. You will not see people dancing at Tamil weddings, but you can’t have a Punjabi wedding without dance. If a Punjabi is sad, you will have a Punjabi aunty expressing her emotions clearly and can even beat her chest for it, whereas for a Tamilian, emotion is taboo and you are expected to suffer. There is no word for fun in Tamil. Anusha comes from a very simple and steady emotional state of family. I was looking at that stability and lack of turbulence and she was looking at that little bit of excitement. And that's what 2 States is. It’s not about two communities, but also about hum kis tarah ke logon ke saath zindagi bitana chahate hai.

The book has a happy ending, where the father of the boy accepts his choice of marrying the Tamil girl. Did your father agree to your marriage in real life?
Parents are important to all Indian kids. They want to get married, but they also want the blessings, want them happy and want the whole family taam-jhaam to go with their marriage. For me, too, my father mattered and still matters, but in real life, my father did not come for my marriage. After that, he even came and visited us and now it is in neutral gear. I have always been a rebel and it has always been hard to control me. My profession and my fatherhood has however really healed me to an extent that I was able to write a happy ending for 2 States. And today, I have accepted the ending of 2 States as my reality. For my father, the driving thing was control and not the South Indian factor. It was an assertion that the boy chose the girl for himself. It came to a point where I was scared to be a father and, of course, now after having my twin sons, I realise how I was unneccesarily scared and I share a great relationship with them. For me, this is all a healing journey. People often wonder why my books connect. They are ordinary stories, ordinary language, everything is ordinary about them and yet they wonder what makes them connect. And the answer is that there is genuine pain in each of them. While my mother is proud of me and knows that I am a responsible person, she feels that, sometimes, I react too emotionally to things. But I know that I am far more emotional than any man I have met. I often joke that I am half a girl and maybe, that is what makes me a good writer as I am very perceptive of people and very intuitive. There is that yin and yang in me, that male and female that exists in me. With 2 States releasing next Friday, I am tense because it’s not just another of my books being made into a film. It’s too personal and I know it won’t be made again and again, so I hope it has been done rightly.