Reasons to spend your money : Alia Bhatt, 2 States (Novel), 'Feel-good experience'
You can stay at home if : You would rather buy a DVD
You would like it if you like : Chetan Bhagat, Alia Bhatt & Rom-coms with happy ending
You would hate it if you dislike : Chetan Bhagat, Alia Bhatt & Rom-coms [Same as above, yes!]
'2 States' the movie is slightly overstretched in order to accommodate almost everything written in the novel. Nevertheless, it doesn't put you off, just tests your patience. Barring that, this movie is like a cool breeze you need this summer to ease your mind. It skips the non-sense & highly contrived Bollywood depiction of 'chase for a romantic relationship'. It presents how modern day couples get into a romantic liaison. The only part which could bother you is the 'emotional attyachar' of their parents.
If you seek my word, go for this movie & you'll come out with a smile.
When this controversy started though I was able to empathize Chetan Bhagat but I decided not to write any post related to this on my blog but after this...(see the video below)
I made up my mind that my favourite author and my college senior deserves a mention of this in my blog. The question is not whether the movie is 30%, 50% or 100% copied from the book but it is about moral responsibility of the eulogizer of Gandhigiri. I agree that an artist can't epitomise his creation but this is an extreme case.
What is the point Chetan Bhagat is trying to make?(see the video below)
The bottomline is that this is a typical example in which the writer is not being given appropriate credits. However, the first battle is won by the writer concerned here due to his cult following and media contacts. It could have happened to a less known author and very likely his voice would have been suppressed.
The controversial part of the contract:[view image below]
Read what one of the Aamir khan fans has to say on this, which he posted as a comment in his blog:
"2104. vinayb79 Posted on Jan,02,2010 at 11:48 AM
My simple point is why did the makers get into the contract with Mr. Bhagat if they 'loosely' wanted to base the movie on the book or if they only wanted to use '3 to 5 % ' from the book...Do script writers need 3 to 5 % ? what about the rest 95 0r 97 %? For that 3 to 5 % the movie makers needed to get into a contract with the novelist , for what? probably for PUBLICTY because the book was already FAMOUS?
Could that 3 to 5 % similarities not be avoided and a Original movie then would have come to the fore...then there would nt have been a need to making a contract then in the first place...and once you base movie from a novel, the originality is lost in the sense of the story whether it is 3 or 5 or 7 or 70 or 50 %...secondly it surely is much more than 3 to 5 %....."
What is my take on this? I don't want to speak politically correct; the team "3 Idiots" has failed to acknowledge the fact that no matter how successful his film becomes he has to give credit to the person who originally created the characters much before Abhijat Joshi or Rajkumar Hirani thought about Phansuk Wangdu, Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad and Virus.
"Ultimately, Simon Beaufoy won an Oscar for 'best adapted screenplay. And he did not forget to thank Vikas, even in his acceptance speech... "
(Slumdog Millionaire is an adaptation of the novel "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup.)
I think this matter will die within few weeks but the man who will gain maximum out of this is ironically Chetan Bhagat.
If you chronologically follow the proceedings you might think this to be some PR stunt. The film gets publicity, chetan bhagat gets his name mentioned in newspaper and news Channels, the looser is no one!
I do not know the truth and don't want to talk more about this but if you are interested watch this Star News coverage and if you strongly feel that Chetan has moral as well as legal advantage if the controversy goes to court, know what IP practitioners have to say on this
All is well!
PS: Happy new year 2010 to you, may this year bring loads of pleasant surprises for you :)
When a film like “What's Your Raashee?” releases, Chetan Bhagat’s new (4th) book’s release date is just a few hours away which draws inspiration from his inter-state love marriage, your youngest uncle finally (yes finally!) is ready to “tie the knot” next month and you have recently turned 21, i.e., now a legally eligible bachelor (*wink*), the most pertinent question which is likely to haunt you could be necessarily related to your marriage. Hence, the result is a fictional account on marriage!
Rajesh, a typical NRI who left India at the age of 21 in pursuit of financial stability and exotic lifestyle after doing his engineering from “BITS Pilani” was worried while returning back to Lucknow after 5 long years. His disturbed mood was due to the pressure from parents’ side to get married soon. Firstly, he was not at all ready for marriage and secondly, he didn’t have much faith in the institution of arranged marriage in India which was his only route to get married so soon as he haven’t dated a single girl in his life including his 5 year of stay at United States.
Scene of “Modern Arranged Marriage” in India: A girl/boy is found through some so-called reliable sources like matchmaker, matrimonial sites, or even relatives and friends. Till this point, it’s completely comprehensible but the real problem starts now. The girl/boy in consideration should be of same caste, different clan (Gotra) and preferably of same state too. After these two screening stages, an astrologist is consulted to match the horoscopes of the prospective bride and groom and after a green signal from the expert the parents fix an almost blind date in which the boy and girl have to give a final agreement or reject the proposal. The matching of horoscopes could also be done after the approval of both the sides. This weird looking algorithm to arranged marriage really skewed Rajesh’s belief about the traditional marriage in India. However, he also wanted to have a partner to fulfil his physical and emotional cravings so he agreed.
Why against “Arranged Marriage”? Educated youth like Rajesh not necessarily NRI’s do find arranged marriage strange but lack the guts and conviction to revolt against the wishes of parents and succumb to the emotional pressure. They simply don’t like the whole complex procedure of marriage, in which clan, caste, state and some imaginary concept like horoscope is prioritised much higher than the compatibility of boy and girl.
Why “Love marriage” is not an option? There is a concept called maturity and lack of experience. Supporters of “Arranged Marriage” argue that people in their 20s are not matured enough to use their inadequate experience to choose the right bride/groom. There is one more concept of “surprises and new experiences”. They say when people don’t know each other before marriage, everything is new in marriage and each day brings surprises which strengthens the nuptial bond compared to “Love Marriage” in which there is no such surprise as they say!
However, I say “are maturity and experience that important”? Haven’t they heard that “Experience is a comb which life gives us when we are bald”?... In metropolitan India, teenagers are generally well aware about their career-plans, so are able to convince their parents in contrast to sub-urban and rural folks. This is where the actual problem lies!
That “surprises and new experiences” concept could also turn a nightmare to deal with as all surprises and new experiences are not pleasant.
BTW, how could I forget to mention the witty sugarcane analogy? Sometimes, parents are equally wise enough to convince their sons/daughters to take the path of “Arranged Marriage”. The sugarcane analogy goes like this. The sugarcane is meatiest and sweetest at the bottom and loses its thickness and sweetness as we go up, and in love marriages it’s like eating the sugarcane from the bottom. So, it feels very romantic and perfect at the beginning but gradually differences start coming and it is similar to chewing the tasteless thin sugarcane which is only water at the top. In arranged marriage, it is the reverse and surprisingly it works for most of the Indian couples!
So, Rajesh was confused and was going through what we call “Pre marital blues”.
Rajesh tweeted: I don’t want to marry :(
Shriya replied: @Rajesh what happened?
Rajesh: @Shriya “Arranged Marriage sucks” and I don’t have a girlfriend :(
Shriya: @Rajesh heeheee!
Rajesh: @Shriya don’t laugh, help me with some ideas to escape this mess
(Phone Rings!)
Rajesh picked up the call. “Hey! How are you?” Shriya asked. Rajesh shared the problem with her and Shriya said “Don’t worry! I’m coming to Lucknow in 3 days; we’ll sort out the problem. Bye! Take Care!” Shriya comforted Rajesh as he went back to his laptop.
Shriya tweeted: uploaded new photos @orkut (link).
Rajesh as every other internet user clicked the link but left the tab open and went to attend the call of nature.
Rajesh’s mother entered the room and looked at Shriya and found nobody in the room. She left the room shouting “Rajesh! Rajesh!”...
Rajesh sees her pictures and immediately memories of childhood started coming to him in flashes.
After 3 Days...
Rajesh and Shriya are talking at Rajesh’s room. Shriya tries to put some “desi-gyaan” into Rajesh’s thought process. Shriya sensed it all was going in vain. “Do you love anyone? Crushes?” Shriya finally asked the most important question. “No” Rajesh replied in a plaintive voice. “I think you are in the wrong place then” Shriya tried to make some good logic “Are you ready for marriage?” Shriya asked annoyingly “Don’t know” Rajesh was getting more confused.
The whole conversation was being heard by Rajesh’s mother...
What followed next...?
Any guesses?
.....
To cut the long story short, Rajesh’s mother and father met Shriya’s parents, discussed all the matters. As a matter of coincidence, Shriya and Rajesh are of different clans and of same castes with matching horoscopes. Initially, Rajesh hesitated but soon his feelings for his first crush came to fore and he fell in love with Shriya. Rajesh and Shriya lived happily ever after...
Lesson learnt:
It is either love or arranged, marriages are made in heaven. So, both have equal odds of succeeding. Ideally, one should leave everything to his/her fate and use his heart and a little bit of wisdom. As with Rajesh and Shriya, your love could very well be arranged...
A University of California study found that 10 per cent of all start-ups in the Silicon Valley between 1995 and 1998 were by Indians, most of whom had come from the IIT system. This was the scenario between 1995 and 1998.
1.Raj Kamal Jha
2.Tushar Raheja
3.Sandipan Deb
Q. Guess, who’s next in this list?
A. Chetan Bhagat.
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Once upon a time IITians were considered as geek entrepreneurs and technocrats. Now, they have become smarter. The entrepreneur in them gave birth to a new field of quick fame. It’s different than research, it’s different than entrepreneurship and it’s also different from bollywood to an extent.
Obviously, the talk of the campuses all over the Indian sub-continent is the rise of IITians as authors and novelists. The tale of technocrats who have left their highly equipped laboratories to write about some fictional world is selling like hotcakes. It’s a fact, better get used to this.
One thing this new generation of IITians in India is doing is making the lazy Indians like me to read novels. Indians are used to bollywood and cricket that anything apart from these can’t entertain an average Indian. However, authors like Chetan Bhagat have done a considerably great work by writing some easy to comprehend novels. The USP of these novels is that you can immediately identify yourself with the characters. They are so Indian that they seem to be the classmate or your neighbour’s son or daughter.
I too began reading novels influenced by Chetan bhagat’s literary excellence.
I was just turning the pages of the newspaper when I saw this
“IIT Student Sells Dreams”
It immediately caught my attention and I read the whole story. I even visited his website.
Q. Whose website?
A. Animesh Verma.
Yeah, he is the new sensation and the talk of the literary world. His maiden novel, “Love Life and Dream On...” has sold over 10,000 copies in less than a month. Animesh Verma, an alumnus of Hindu College, who is now pursuing Master's in chemistry from IIT-Mumbai, is not a fan of Chetan Bhagat unlike most of the IITians.
After reading the reviews, I’m surely going to get a copy of Animesh’s first novel and I strongly recommend every reader to read yet another IITian’s masterpiece.
I won’t give any review of the book here as I’m yet to have a look of the book but after reading the reviews I'm glad to give you some links to them too.
PS: This post is dedicated to Animesh Verma. PS: I think I should update my new blog "The 3 Nerds" very soon. PS: Fest season is going to start at IIT Kgp very soon...
I’ve heard many versions of it, my grandmother first narrated then I've read it many times.
If I were to compare moon to 1 thing, I would:
Incomparable.
Latest Crush:
Asin, the actress in Ghajini.
Favourite 3 letter word (tricky one):
IIT, I know this is not a word but I’m obsessed with IIT.
One thing I hate about Internet:
It’s addictive and it can make your life miserable if internet connection is disturbed.
Latest Lie that I told:
No, I can’t remember.
Hindi word I use most frequently:
Haan (Yes)
English word I use most frequently:
Obviously, this is most used by all the engineering students.
Favourite question among the above ones:
Favourite 3 letter word (tricky one):
Least favourite question among the above ones:
Blogging for me is:
PS: I don't know much about this tagging business PS: What is your New year resolution? PS: Fourth semester starts today PS: Going to attend the Mathematics lecture(boring), bye
In my life everything has occurred very strangely and unexpectedly but I would rather like to use this word, "serendipity". Yeah I've become a logophile . When I thought something is over, it starts again. There is one good thing about predicaments, "they are always unexpected, just as you feel everything is going smoothly they knock your head." Yeah!! This is a fact. However, strange coincidences have often gave me some sweet and nice surprises; Some of them has also helped me carve out my career. It is the result of beautiful coincidences threaded together with some inspirational encounters. My life has always been dynamic and though it would not be quite evident to everybody but if someone is really close to me then he would be able to comprehend what I'm trying to say. *********************************************** To be honest enough I've not done a lot of good things to talk about. I still would like to acknowledge the effort of few people and some coincidences. When I was a kid I was aimless. I know that I thought of becoming a doctor but that was just a childhood imagination as a result of some good experiences with smart doctors. I'd a lot of good prejudices about the medical field, for most part of my teenage and childhood-phase I admired doctors and wanted to be one. However, destiny had different plans. *********************************************** Serendipity no.1
When I was a kid I usually did everything for fun, aimless and meaningless. I know kids are like me but there are a few smart kids who are smart enough to think about their career and goals in life; nevertheless, I was not the one. Until class 9th, I was an unimaginative boy. One strange thing happened which changed my life; you can find out what actually happened with me from here. In short, I was changed by this incident. I started setting my goals. I realised I need to have reasons to live life. I always hope that by being successful I'll be able to win her. I know people have their self-motive behind everything, so do I. Initially when she went, I couldn't get any way to come out of the loneliness, the void was getting bigger and deeper in my heart. I made a resolution to myself that I would have to be successful for her. I couldn't stop thinking about her!!! This made me a man with reasons. I kept on increasing my level of thinking to establish myself. Nevertheless, I would be rude if I don't mention about my grandfather who has helped to delve my personality. He searched my potential winner attitude and gifted to me when it was most needed. He is the only one person very close to me whom I respect more than I love .There are many reasons for it. Yeah!!!This was serendipity as though my career was keen to turn towards medical field one of the talks with my grandfather and the memory of her made me an IITian. Thanks grandpa!! I really mean it. ***********************************************
Serendipity no.2
I never wanted to read books. I almost hated reading anything. I though glanced at the morning newspaper for the important news and all. There was a good friend of mine who suggested me to read the Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. I read that book in 1 day, followed that with his second book, "One night @ the call centre". The books made me a fan of Chetan. I started reading books. Recently I started writing blogs. The way it turned my life is unimaginable. I've made few friends through this blog and one of them who made this all possible is the owner of deadlypj. This website is one of the amazing things I've ever seen which is a product of a student. The guy with his immense contacts made my presence felt in the blogosphere. I know my blog have received mixed reactions but I want to end this post by these words ,"Every week 200 new visitors visit my blog, out of them 150 don't read my blog, 20 hate my blog, 20 would not visit my blog again, 10 love my blog and I write for those 10"
PS: This post is very close to my heart PS: I would love if you leave a comment. PS: B.T.W I've an exam just 2 hours from now, yes I'm blog addicted. PS: BYE
Loves charts & graphs.
A numbers guy with a flair for writing. I tweet sporadically (@ashishgourav)
Apart from being a Trader, Startup Guy, Educator, IIT Kharagpur Alum I am into Movies, Books, Conversations and everything amongst them.
Also, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata(Quant Economics)
