Chetan Bhagat can safely quote "Been there, done that". The man’s been almost in every professional field a young Indian would want to pursue. He started off by graduating from IIT, got his management degree from the Ahmedabad IIM, worked as an investment banker in Deutsche Bank, went on to write two best-selling novels and has now moved on to writing a film script.
Five Point Someone and One Night @ A Call Center, his first two books, have been his passports to fame. These bestsellers have made Chetan a household name in India and as his publishers claim, the books have brought him phenomenal success. As per the publishers Rupa & Co., Bhagat’s books have sold more than a million copies where traditionally bestsellers in India sell around 10 to 20 thousand copies. This widespread success has lured Bollywood’s makers to Bhagat’s stories.
“All my novels portray the aspirations and problems of the present generation in a very simple language and they are heavily influenced by Bollywood flicks. So they naturally have what a film story would require,” says Bhagat.
Actor-turned-director Atul Agnihotri has chosen One Night… as the inspiration for his second film Hello. It stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sohail Khan, Sharman Joshi and others.
Says Agnihotri, “Hello is based on Chetan’s book and we chose to go through with this process since it is a widely-accepted trend worldwide. Popular stories from books already have a big following and more importantly they have a feedback. That eases the filmmaker’s job in adapting the story. "
Bhagat has turned writer for the film and penned his first-ever film script. “Writing a script is a unique experience. The medium is completely different. A script is more concise and crisp than a 500-page book. Sure there are certain creative compromises but it’s a very challenging and fulfilling task,” explains Bhagat.
The popular author recently launched his third book titled The 3 Mistakes Of My Life and he showcased the teaser for his film at the event. “Chetan wanted to premiere the teaser of Hello at the event as he wanted to see public’s reaction to it. He thought it will be an acid test for the film,” revealed Agnihotri. And at the event, Chetan Bhagat must have at least asked a hundred times, “Did you like the promo?”.
So did the much-loved author have as much say in the film as he did with his book? “Yes, Atul was very clear in his mind that he wanted the film to be a precise adaptation of the book. He involved me in every creative aspect of the film and being the scriptwriter I had my own suggestions,” answers Chetan.
Chetan is feeling very upbeat about his film and with all fingers crossed he is hoping the film will emulate the success of his books.