There is a scene in One Indian Girl where Radhika Mehta, the protagonist asks her husband-to-be if he knew what Feminism meant, and when the guy Uh-huh’s, she proceeds to tell him the definition of feminism, which may as well be from Wikipedia or Dictionary.com. It is one of the unintentionally hilarious scenes in a book which provides genuine laughs otherwise; still it is an important scene, one that tells the readers to not take its feminism too seriously, coz it is difficult to take the characters seriously when they rote feminism as if it is Newton’s First Law or something. I don’t think anyone would ever get the answer that Radhika gives in this book, when asked what Feminism is. Alright, that’s more about feminism than even the book could offer in its 272 pages, so we should skip it like the good readers we are and dive head long into this.
Chetan Bhagat may have been blowing hot and cold off late, but in One Indian Girl, he is in fine form and the book is really a breezy read if one can set their prejudices apart. The travails, relationships, frustrations and confusions of Radhika are laced with trademark Bhagat humor, with the character’s inner voice proving to be an able companion, especially when the conversations fizzle out between the leads. I finished the book in a couple of sittings, never bored, grinning to myself as I flipped the pages, and heaving an all-knowing sigh of relief with the girl’s choice in the end.
None of this is to say that we haven’t read or seen the story earlier, or this is an original or different creation, one that made Bhagat do all sorts of weird things like waxing himself to understand a girl’s POV. Sure, we get to know that girls like (fish for) compliments a lot, they tend to lean emotionally on men far more than what they would like, and if they are Punjabi, they want a lavish wedding even if they hate every relative that drinks or dances to celebrate the occasion. These are the things we already have a certain idea about, so Bhagat doesn’t add much or any finer nuances that the book could have benefitted from having a female POV.
Radhika Mehta, the book’s lead girl is a weird character in that she does not have any girlfriends to confide in and her family look curiously disinterested in everything about her except her marriage. All we know about her is through the choice of men she likes to spend time with, so it is difficult for her to be a fully rounded character that the readers can constantly root for. Still, Bhagat infuses charm into her, by giving her a pithy sense of humor and a job that doesn’t allow her to wallow much and move on constantly.
Chetan Bhagat has been spending some time with screenwriters too and it shows in his writing. One Indian Girl moves confident and unhurried through its narrative and rarely meanders (except the feminism one we noted earlier, and a marijuana scene in Goa). When writing about Indians and Weddings, the stereotypes are hard to avoid and Bhagat never challenges or advocates them fully. He pokes gently at them, but lets them be in their own place. This is not a book that overreaches with its ambition. It is a little Rom-Com at its heart, may be aimed at Bollywood, and can even be a winner if it lands in the right hands.
If only it didn't not have to wear and bear the cross of feminism, One Indian Girl is a quick read that has its moments.