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Simply saleable

A peek at Chetan Bhagat, the man, the banker, the author of best-sellers

AUTHOR SPEAK Chetan Bhagat's books are of present times Photo: R.V. Moorthy

A phenomenon of sorts, with a staggering sale of over four lakh copies of his first two novels, Chetan Bhagat has left everybody guessing what is so special about his writings that made him a best-selling writer out of the blue. There have been novelists who have struggled for years to attain moderate success but for Bhagat it has been more than an easy ride. His critics, however, do not attribute his runaway success to the brilliance of his plots or language. On the contrary they find both of them rather naïve. "The sales figure are," they remark, "largely due to the hype that has been created around his books as also the aggressive marketing strategies of his publishers."

"It's not high literature," admits Bhagat, "both of my novels portray the aspirations, mind-set and problems of the present generation in a very simple language. And since I belong to the young generation, I feel I have been able to strike a right chord with my readers. When they read my books they are able to relate themselves to the characters and the plots." Dismissing the allegations of his critics, Chetan says, "The writer can't fool the readers for long. If my first book was as bad as they claim, readers won't have bought my second title."

Bhagat, an alumnus of the prestigious IIT and IIM institutions, works in the Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong. When you inquire about the oddity between the two contrasting tasks he is involved with he explains, "Ever since I can recall I was keen to amuse people. This desire in me was so strong that one fine morning, I decided to write a novel about my days at the IIT. It took me about two years to finish it. The manuscript was rejected by several publishers until Rupa brought it out."

After such success why is he still sticking to his nine-to-five job? "I thought of becoming a full-time writer but I felt that I would be bored to death in the confines of my room. I enjoy meeting people. In fact, taking ideas from them and placing them as characters in my novels has become my second nature. Other than that I feel a sense of security in a job. And I'd hate to barter it for the freedom of a writer," he says. But how does he find time to write after long hours at work? "The urge to write is so strong in me that I often skip going to parties, cut in on my sleep. Then there are holidays on which I write from morning till night."

Not an avid reader

Talking about the authors he had enjoyed reading, he shocks one by admitting that he isn't an avid reader. Barring one or two, he hasn't read the classics. Catch 22 by Joseph Keller, however, has been his all time favourite.

Chetan is ecstatic about the fact that both his books shall soon be turned into movies. While Rohan Sippy would be making a film on his second novel, "One Night@ The Call Centre", with Priyanka Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan in the lead; the cast for his first novel, `Five Point Someone' is not yet decided. Also just recently, Random House UK division has bought the international rights of his second novel from Rupa.

Elucidating on the staggering sales figure achieved by Bhagat's books, Kapish Mehra of Rupa says, "I'll put his writings under the slot of commercial literature. Such sort of writings are able to capture the popular interest."

ADITYA SHARMA

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