"2 States" - Full Time Pass

My B'lore visit for a day coincided with the release of Chetan Bhagath's new release "2 States".

Being touted as an autobiographical of the author himself, the novel is about a Punjabi boy falling in love with a Tamil girl. Their story of how they convince their parents.

Whats special about Chetan is that he writes just what the Gen X (or Gen Y) wants. And what helps is he is not a novelist by profession. This one point is common to all his novels so far and hence NYT has described him as the best selling author of India.

The theme resembles Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, where though in love, the boy and the girl dont want to elope and want that their parents accept their choice. Hence, the boy goes to woo the girls family. The extension in the is that the girl too decides too gain acceptance from groom's family.

I must say its well written. His comic timing reminds me of Paresh Rawal, just too good. The author brilliantly brings out the cultural differences between the north and the south. Its just like Northies are from Venus and Southies are from Mars. The stark contrast is brought out in a humourous way which keeps you absorbed till the end.

The first half dwell with how they meet, become friends and then fall in love. While the second half is how Raj is accepted by Ananya' family and Ananya by Raj's family. Its a bollywood masala movie written into a book with "Kahani me Twist" in the end. Pukka Film material. All this happened to the author himself is purely co-incidental.

Also what makes his books a best seller is the price. At Rs 95, this book by Rupa & Co is a value buy. With no good films this week, I just picked it up and finished it off by the time I reached Mangalore.

So go out and pick you copy now and start reading.... 2 States, Jai Ho...