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Chetan Bhagat

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Chetan Bhagat
Bhagat in 2011
Bhagat in 2011
BornChetan Prakash Bhagat
(1974-04-22) 22 April 1974 (age 50)
New Delhi, India
LanguageEnglish, Hindi
Alma mater
GenreRomance, realistic fiction, non-fiction, suspense, thriller
Years active2004–present
Notable worksFive Point Someone, 2 States: The Story of My Marriage, The 3 Mistakes of My Life
Spouse
Anusha Suryanarayan
​
(m. 1998)​
Children2
Website
www.chetanbhagat.com

Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born 22 April 1974)[1] is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, and YouTuber. He was listed in Time magazine's list of the World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010.[2] Bhagat has written many novels, two of them were adapted into movies -- One Night @ the Call Center and Half Girlfriend.

Early life and education

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Chetan was raised in a traditional Punjabi Hindu family. His father served as a lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army, and his mother worked as a scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He attended the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan,[3] where he developed a passion for writing and contributed jokes to the school magazine.[4]

In 1995, Bhagat graduated with a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.[5] He then attended the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), graduating in 1997 with a Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing.[6][7] In June 2018, IIMA awarded him the "Young Alumni Achiever's Award 2018" in the Art & Entertainment category.[8]

Career

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Banking

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Before transitioning to a full-time writing career, Chetan Bhagat worked as an investment banker in Hong Kong for approximately 11 years. He began his career at Peregrine Investments Holdings in Canada, but after six months, the company ceased its operations. Subsequently, he joined Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, where he worked for several years. Later, he moved to Deutsche Bank in Mumbai, where he served as a director. [9]

During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Bhagat wrote his first novel, "Five Point Someone," which was published in 2004. Despite his success as an author, he continued his banking career until 2009, when he decided to pursue writing full-time. [10]

In 2005, he published his second novel, One Night @ the Call Center. [11] In March 2008, Bhagat moved back to India as a director in Deutsche Bank in Mumbai.[12] The same year, his third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, was published. In 2009, Bhagat quit his banking career to become a full-time author.[13]

Author

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While working at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong during the early 2000s, he began writing his debut novel, Five Point Someone. In an interview, he revealed that he drafted approximately 15 versions of the manuscript before submitting it to various publishers.[citation needed] The manuscript was eventually accepted by Rupa Publications in Delhi and published in 2004.[citation needed]

The novel depicts the lives of three students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) who perceive themselves as underperformers compared to their peers. The story was later adapted into the Bollywood film 3 Idiots, directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, and Kareena Kapoor.[citation needed]

Chetan Bhagat at BlrLitFest 2024

After the success of his first novel, he started working on his second book, One Night @ the Call Center, which was published in 2005 and was also a success.[citation needed] In the first three days of its release, almost 50,000 copies were sold. The book was also adapted into a movie named Hello, with Bhagat and Atul Agnihotri as writers.[citation needed]

Bhagat would start his full-time career as a novelist with his third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, published in 2008. This novel would see wide success, with the film Kai Po Che being based on its story.[citation needed]

Bhagat's fourth novel, 2 States, was published in 2009 and drew inspiration from his marriage and wife. The novel revolves around a young engineer falling in love with a South Indian girl and the tribulations of this relationship. The book was adapted into a successful movie of the same name starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.[14]

Bhagat's later novels Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, and One Indian Girl also gained commercial success.[citation needed]

Bhagat's is still active as an author, producing The Girl in Room 105 in 2018, One Arranged Murder in 2020, and his latest novel, 400 Days, in 2021.

Screen presence

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Bhagat was a celebrity judge, alongside Marzi Pestonji and Preity Zinta, on the dance reality show Nach Baliye season 7, which aired on the Indian television channel Star Plus.[citation needed]

Bhagat was also seen in Netflix's series Decoupled, which stars R. Madhavan in the lead role. In the show, Madhavan plays the second best selling author in India, while Bhagat portrays himself as India's best selling author and Madhavan's rival.[citation needed]

Screenwriting

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For Kai Po Che (2013), based on his novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Bhagat was one of the four screenplay writers.[15] The film was a commercial success[citation needed] and Bhagat, along with Pubali Chaudhuri, Supratik Sen and Abhishek Kapoor, won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Kai Po Che! at the 68th Filmfare Awards.[citation needed]

YouTube

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Bhagat is also a YouTuber. His YouTube channel provides motivational tips to young Indians, focusing on carrier, health and motivation [16]

He launched a podcast show Deep talk with Chetan Bhagat where he invites accomplished guests for a conversation about how they made it big in life.[17]

Filmography

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Five of Bhagat's novels have been adapted into films:[18]

Bibliography

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Novels

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Standalone

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Series

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  1. The Girl in Room 105 (2018)
  2. One Arranged Murder (2020)
  3. 400 Days (2021)

Non-fiction

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Awards and accolades

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Personal life

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Bhagat married Anusha Suryanarayan in 1998. He met her during their college days at IIM. One of his novels, "2 States" was inspired by his real-life love story. They have twin sons named Shyam Bhagat and Ishaan Bhagat.[4]

In the wake of the MeToo movement in India, an anonymous woman accused Bhagat of inappropriate behavior, by sharing the WhatsApp chat they had and alleging that he persistently pursued her despite her clear disinterest and his status as a married man. Bhagat later issued an apology through his Facebook account acknowledging his transgression towards the victim and also his wife. [26]

References

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  1. ^ Kalita, S. Mitra (17 May 2008). "Chetan Bhagat | The five-point formula: keep it simple". mint. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ "The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ "An Interview With Chetan Bhagat". Forbes India. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Dahiya, Renu (31 May 2022). "Chetan Bhagat - Biography, Family, Books, & Achievements". Myticketstoindia.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Tale of the lucky hostel room". Hindustan Times. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ India TV News Desk (21 October 2013). "25 best quotes by Chetan Bhagat on career, education, love and success - IndiaTV news". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  7. ^ "The Sunday Tribune - Books". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  8. ^ "IIM Ahmadabad celebrates alumni success with YAAA 2018". www.ibtimes.co.in. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. ^ "How Chetan Bhagat Became a Writer from Investment Banker?". thedigitalyug.com. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  10. ^ Shohon, Habibur (13 July 2023). "Chetan Bhagat Biography: A Journey in Writing". Seema. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  11. ^ Bhagat, Chetan (2005). One night @ the call center. Internet Archive. New Delhi : Rupa & Co. ISBN 978-81-291-0818-0.
  12. ^ Ganguly, Dibeyendu (22 August 2008). "Chetan Bhagat: Novelist turn rock star". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  13. ^ AFP (26 July 2014). "Chetan Bhagat: From investment banking to Bollywood scripts". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  14. ^ "2 States". IMDb.
  15. ^ Khan, Ujala Ali (19 February 2013). "Chetan Bhagat talks about Kai Po Che, the film based on his book". The National. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Chetan Bhagat". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Chetan Bhagat on his new podcast 'DeepTalk', reinventing himself, and his secret to a happy life - Times of India". The Times of India. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  18. ^ Grover, Reeka (10 April 2018). "Novels that became Movies: Chetan Bhagat - Movies". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Book Review: India Positive, Chetan Bhagat". Deccan Herald. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  20. ^ "The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Most creative people 2011:Chetan Bhagat". fastcompany.com. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  22. ^ "List of winners of Indian of the Year 2014". News18. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Chetan Bhagat Receives the Indian of the Year Award in the Entertainment Category from IBN". Desimartini. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Chetan Bhagat: Writing For Millennials". Forbes India. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Wings Publication announces winners of India's most prestigious book award - Golden Book Awards 2022". ANI News. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  26. ^ "Chetan Bhagat issues apology to woman and wife after harassment accusation surfaces". The Indian Express. 6 October 2018.
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