Showing posts with label Chatan Bhagat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chatan Bhagat. Show all posts

Friday, August 1, 2008

My letter to Chetan Bhagat in context to new novel




Dear Cheatn sir,
I just finished “Three Mistakes of My life”, after finishing the novel my first reaction was “what a shit is this”, although it is not so bad but I expected more quality from a writer like u.
I like ur previous two novels very much, and I am also waiting for ur 4th book but I felt terribly bad for this “Mistake book”.
You tried everything from cricket, sex, religion, and politics to family drama but all such drama was in overdose.
It is perhaps due to- ur previous books are turning into Movies and now u r more associated with Bollywood , so like Bollywood masala u poured too much of masala in the book , particularly the description where 3 guys take on rioters ( in quite Bollywood masala manner ). Also don’t get monotonous with characters, girls are always dumb in ur novels be it Neha, Priyanka or Vidya. (Although I have no such problem with it because most of the girls are like that , perhaps girls may get angry over that, but that’s their issue ).
I also didn’t like the use of term “secular party”( as no party in India is secular ) everybody knows to which part u r indicating, , here u may argue not to be intellectual in a fiction book , but since literature has its own impact and being a creative person u should not be biased in use of ur terms. You are terming a party “Hindu party”, and then it will be justified if u calls another party “Appeasement party” instead of ‘Secular’.
Literature of any country and age becomes images of history as time passes be it fiction or something else.
You used the term “miscreants” for those who burn the coach and later u used the term “Hindu mob”; if mob can be “Hindu” then u should have guts to call “miscreant” as “Muslim miscreants”. Sir it would have been better if u kept in mind “mob” is “mob” it is not Hindu or Muslim, because “Mob” has no intuition.
Sir what do u mean by “angry Hindu chants”? I think it is not a good choice of word.
“Bittoo mama” chanting during that situation also seems not good in flavor.
Chetan, don’t think that I am a Hindu fanatic or a particular community hater; as far as my religious and political views are concerned I am completely neutral; in terms of religion partly atheist and partly agnostic.
I am compelled to write this because everywhere I have seen so called “intellectuals” just getting involved in harassing the major community and labeling a major party as extremist.
Small things matters, be it a media report or a fiction novel.
You may say that why I am creating so much noise about use of some words, I have reasons because ur books are runaway hit with youngsters (me also just completed my engineering this summer) and I think art hits deep inside-at the unconscious level.

Perhaps I am getting to harsh, but it is what came in my thoughts , if I am harsh or rude to you just ignore,,,,,,, hey who knows u read unto this line or just used the easy button “delete”……. Its ur choice completely.
But if u has read it I would like to have ur response, after all u r a writer who wants to be loved…… I will also post it to my blog.
Waiting…..
Ashwani