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.
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