There’s Nothing Feminist About Chetan Bhagat’s ‘One Indian Girl’

Dear Feminist, this is not a book you’d want to read.

Chetan Bhagat is back with yet another piece of below-average Hinglish literature, which by the way, a few years down the line would definitely turn into a Bollywood film. Yay for Bhagat and his bank account but nay for Indian girls, who hoped to find something unconventional, but instead get the same hogwash.

Mr Bhagat decides to don the feminist hat and tries to play the gender equality card, but unfortunately, the man failed miserably. Well, at least, the excerpt from One Indian Girl, which he released on his blog tells us that.

So we went through the excerpt to understand what this new-age feminist crusader had to write, and honestly, his words stink of superficiality and hypocrisy. Sorry Bhagat and his bhakts, but this is not the ‘crazy story’ we were hoping for.

Also read: The Trailer for Chetan Bhagat’s New Book Is Epic... Just Kidding!

So the story goes like this... Ek kudhi, ‘One Indian Girl’, Radhika Mehta who is an investor banker is getting married in 15 hours. And it’s the very first destination wedding in the ‘Mehta’ household.

The first thing the prologue tells us is that for a Punjabi family, the destination wedding is the sh*t. Why do we need to know that? Well, only Chetan has the answer, but we believe it’s important for the story and for the Mehtas to have a destination wedding in the sunny, sandy beaches of Goa.

Now who would have thought that Punjabis – the community that celebrates shaadi as a festival – would ever get excited about a destination wedding? Original hai, boss!

So now that Chetan has identified the location and the community, it’s time for him to strengthen the story further. How does the IIM-A passout do that?

He introduces the independent, successful woman, who’s got everything going for her except lurve.

One Indian Girl is about an Indian girl who is intelligent and successful, because of which she finds it difficult to get love.

Chetan Bhagat

*Slow clap*. Chetan, what was that word you were riding on to promote this book? ‘FEMINISM’. That’s it! But Chetan ji, isn’t this completely contradictory to what you are trying to sell your book as? Think about it!

We understand Radhika has her inhibitions in marrying a stranger (every woman does) but we also believe that she is not naive just to settle down with any random Ram, Sham and Gansham. Puleez! She’s an educated, aaj ki ladki, who has an opinion about everything (remember the teaser). Do you really think she would curb her opinion about a man she plans to spend rest of her life with? And if that’s how the story is going to turn out, then I’m sorry, this ain’t about feminism bro. And just for the record, adding ‘sex’ is also not being too feminist or racy. #JustSaying

Ok moving on...

Our ‘wannabe feminist’ brings the baap of stereotypisation – when it comes to wedding, ‘ladki-wallas’ always need to adjust. Mr Bhagat, please enlighten us, how do you plan to light the F-bomb when you fail to make the protagonist convince her parents to confront the ladke-wallas about there not being enough rooms in the hotel?Either they adjust their 100-odd baratis in 30 rooms provided by the hotel or move in to another hotel just 2 kms away.

But na ji na, ladki-wallas need to compromise even in Chetan’s universe because the man is trying to break the stereotype and ends up only enforcing it further. *Facepalm*.

Thank you Chetan, but no thank you for this feeble attempt. Though it’s the first chapter and I don’t know what twists and drama lie ahead in the story, but keeping your past track record in mind, it’ll be nothing more than a yawnfest!