Chetan Bhagat

Indian celebrity columnist (born 1974)

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Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat official portfolio

Born| Chetan Prakash Bhagat
(1974-04-22) 22 April 1974 (age 51)
New Delhi, India
Language| English, Hindi
Alma mater|

* Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (B.Tech)
* Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (MBA)

Genre| Romance, realistic fiction, non-fiction, suspense, thriller
Years active| 2004–present
Notable works| Five Point Someone, 2 States: The Story of My Marriage, The 3 Mistakes of My Life
Spouse|

Anusha Suryanarayan

(m. 1998)​

Children| 2
Website
www.chetanbhagat.com

Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born 22 April 1974)[1] is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, and YouTuber. He was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010.[2] Several of his novels have been adapted into films, including One Night at the Call Center and Half Girlfriend.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Bhagat was raised in a traditional Punjabi Hindu family. His father was a lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army, and his mother worked as a scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. Bhagat attended the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan,[3] where he developed an interest in writing and contributed jokes to the school magazine.[4]

In 1995, Bhagat graduated with a Bachelors of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.[5] He then attended the IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), receiving a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in marketing in 1997.[6][7] In 2018, IIMA awarded him the Young Alumni Achiever's Award in the Arts & Entertainment category.[8]

## Career

[edit]

### Banking

[edit]

Before becoming a full-time writer, Chetan Bhagat spent nearly 11 years working as an investment banker, primarily in Hong Kong. He began his banking career at Peregrine Investments Holdings in Canada, which ceased operations after six months. He then joined Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, working there for several years. Later, he moved to Deutsche Bank in Mumbai, where he was a director.[9]

During his time at Goldman Sachs, Bhagat wrote his first novel, "Five Point Someone," which was published in 2004. He continued his banking career until 2009, when he transitioned to a full-time writing career.[10]

In 2005, he published his second novel, One Night at the Call Center.[11] In March 2008, Bhagat returned to India as a director at Deutsche Bank in Mumbai.[12] The same year, his third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, was published. In 2009, Bhagat left his banking career to become a full-time author.[13]

### Author

[edit]

While working at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong in the early 2000s, he began writing his debut novel, Five Point Someone. The manuscript was published by Rupa Publications in Delhi in 2004.[14]

Chetan Bhagat at BlrLitFest 2024

Bhagat's second book, One Night at the Call Center, was published in 2005.[15] It sold almost 50,000 copies in the first three days of its release.[16]

His third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, was published in 2008.[17]

Bhagat's fourth novel, 2 States, was published in 2009 and drew inspiration from his marriage with Anusha Suryanarayan.[18] Bhagat's later novels Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, and One Indian Girl were also commercially successful.[19]

In 2018, Bhagat published The Girl in Room 105. This was followed by One Arranged Murder in 2020 and 400 Days in 2021.

### Screen presence

[edit]

Bhagat was a judge, along with Marzi Pestonji and Preity Zinta, on the dance reality show Nach Baliye season 7, which aired on the Indian television channel Star Plus.[20]

Bhagat also appeared in the Netflix's series Decoupled, which stars R. Madhavan in the lead role. In the show, Madhavan plays the second-bestselling author in India, while Bhagat portrays himself as India's bestselling author and Madhavan's rival.[21]

### Screenwriting

[edit]

For Kai Po Che (2013), based on his novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Bhagat was one of the four screenplay writers.[22] The film was a commercial success[23] and Bhagat, along with Pubali Chaudhuri, Supratik Sen, and Abhishek Kapoor, won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Kai Po Che! at the 68th Filmfare Awards.[24]

### YouTube

[edit]

Bhagat is also a YouTuber who creates motivational content.[25] He launched a podcast, "Deep Talk with Chetan Bhagat", where he interviews guests about their paths to success.[26]

### Filmography

[edit]

Five of Bhagat's novels have been adapted into films:[27]

* Hello (2008) – Based on the book "One Night at the Call Center"
* 3 Idiots (2009), Nanban (2012), and 3 Idiotas (2017) – Based on the book "Five Point Someone"
* Kai Po Che! (2013) – Based on the book "The 3 Mistakes of My Life"
* 2 States (2014) – Based on the book "2 States"
* Half Girlfriend (2017) – Based on the book "Half Girlfriend"

## Bibliography

[edit]

### Novels

[edit]

#### Standalone

[edit]

* Five Point Someone (2005)
* One Night at the Call Center (2006)
* The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)
* 2 States (2009)
* Revolution 2020 (2011)
* Half Girlfriend (2014)
* One Indian Girl (2016)

#### Series

[edit]

1. The Girl in Room 105 (2018)
2. One Arranged Murder (2020)
3. 400 Days (2021)

### Non-fiction

[edit]

* What Young India Wants (2012)
* Making India Awesome (2015)
* India Positive (2019)[28]
* 11 Rules For Life: Secrets to Level Up (2024)

## Awards and accolades

[edit]

* Chetan Bhagat was recognized as the "Best outgoing student" by the IIM Ahmedabad in 1997.[4]
* He received the Society Young Achiever's Award in 2000.[4]
* He won the Publisher's Recognition Award in 2005.[4]
* Included in Time magazine's list of the World's 100 Most Influential People of 2010 in the Artists category.[29]
* Listed at No. 47 among the "100 Most Creative People 2011" by the Fast Company American business magazine.[30]
* Won the "CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2014" award in the Entertainment category.[31][32]
* Ranked No. 82 on the 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.[33]
* Received the IBN Live Movie Awards for Best Screenplay for *Kai Po Che* in 2014.[4]
* Received the Zee Cine Awards in 2014 for Best Story for *Kai Po Che*.[4]
* Honoured with the Golden Book Awards in 2022 for the book *400 Days*.[34]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1998, Bhagat married Anusha Suryanarayan, whom he met in college at the IIM. One of his novels, "2 States," was inspired by their relationship. They have twin sons named Shyam Bhagat and Ishaan Bhagat.[4]

## Controversy

[edit]

Following the MeToo movement in India, an anonymous woman accused Bhagat of inappropriate behavior. Screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation were shared, suggesting he pursued her despite her apparent lack of interest. Bhagat later issued an apology on Facebook, acknowledging his actions.[35]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kalita, S. Mitra (17 May 2008). "Chetan Bhagat | The five-point formula: keep it simple". mint. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
2. ^ "The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
3. ^ "An Interview With Chetan Bhagat". Forbes India. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
4. ^ a b c d e f g Dahiya, Renu (31 May 2022). "Chetan Bhagat - Biography, Family, Books, & Achievements". Myticketstoindia.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
5. ^ "Tale of the lucky hostel room". Hindustan Times. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
6. ^ India TV News Desk (21 October 2013). "25 best quotes by Chetan Bhagat on career, education, love and success - IndiaTV news". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
7. ^ "The Sunday Tribune - Books". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
8. ^ "IIM Ahmadabad celebrates alumni success with YAAA 2018". www.ibtimes.co.in. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
9. ^ "How Chetan Bhagat Became a Writer from Investment Banker?". thedigitalyug.com. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
10. ^ Shohon, Habibur (13 July 2023). "Chetan Bhagat Biography: A Journey in Writing". Seema. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
11. ^ Bhagat, Chetan (2005). One night @ the call center. Internet Archive. New Delhi : Rupa & Co. ISBN 978-81-291-0818-0.
12. ^ Ganguly, Dibeyendu (22 August 2008). "Chetan Bhagat: Novelist turn rock star". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
13. ^ AFP (26 July 2014). "Chetan Bhagat: From investment banking to Bollywood scripts". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
14. ^ Surendran, C.P. (6 August 2016). "Chetan Bhagat, the Feminist, is ready for the trolls". mint. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
15. ^ "One Night at the Call Center by Chetan Bhagat | Penguin Random House Canada". www.penguinrandomhouse.ca. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
16. ^ "Review: Hello". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
17. ^ Alok, Dr. Nagmani (14 September 2020). "Adaptation of The 3 Mistakes of My Life into the Film Kai Po Che". International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences. 5 (5). Archived from the original on 8 August 2023.
18. ^ "2 States". IMDb.
19. ^ "Chetan Bhagat: books, biography, latest update". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
20. ^ "Chetan Bhagat excited to judge 'Nach Baliye 7'". The Indian Express. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
21. ^ "After Twitter fight with Chetan Bhagat and mocking his books, R Madhavan offers clarification". Hindustan Times. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
22. ^ Khan, Ujala Ali (19 February 2013). "Chetan Bhagat talks about Kai Po Che, the film based on his book". The National. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
23. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (22 February 2013). "Kai Po Che! Box Office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office - Bollywood Hungama". Retrieved 6 February 2025.
24. ^ Kai Po Che (2013) - Awards - IMDb. Retrieved 6 February 2025 – via www.imdb.com.
25. ^ "Chetan Bhagat". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
26. ^ "Chetan Bhagat on his new podcast 'DeepTalk', reinventing himself, and his secret to a happy life - Times of India". The Times of India. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
27. ^ Grover, Reeka (10 April 2018). "Novels that became Movies: Chetan Bhagat - Movies". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
28. ^ "Book Review: India Positive, Chetan Bhagat". Deccan Herald. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
29. ^ "The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
30. ^ "Most creative people 2011:Chetan Bhagat". fastcompany.com. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
31. ^ "List of winners of Indian of the Year 2014". News18. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
32. ^ "Chetan Bhagat Receives the Indian of the Year Award in the Entertainment Category from IBN". Desimartini. 18 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
33. ^ "Chetan Bhagat: Writing For Millennials". Forbes India. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
34. ^ "Wings Publication announces winners of India's most prestigious book award - Golden Book Awards 2022". ANI News. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
35. ^ "Chetan Bhagat issues apology to woman and wife after harassment accusation surfaces". The Indian Express. 6 October 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Chetan Bhagat.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chetan Bhagat.

* Official website
* Chetan Bhagat at Bollywood Hungama
* Chetan Bhagat at IMDb

* v
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* e

Nach Baliye

Winners|

* Sachin Pilgaonkar & Supriya Pilgaonkar
* Hussain Kuwajerwala & Tina Kuwajerwala
* Aamir Ali & Sanjeeda Sheikh
* Daljeet Kaur & Shalin Bhanot
* Jay Bhanushali & Mahhi Vij
* Rithvik Dhanjani & Asha Negi
* Himanshu Malhotra & Amruta Khanvilkar
* Vivek Dahiya & Divyanka Tripathi

* v
* t
* e

Chetan Bhagat

Fiction|

* Five Point Someone (2004)
* One Night @ the Call Center (2005)
* The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)
* 2 States (2009)
* Revolution 2020 (2011)
* Half Girlfriend (2014)
* One Indian Girl (2016)
* The Girl in Room 105 (2018)
* One Arranged Murder (2020)

Non-fiction|

* What Young India Wants (2012)

Screenplays|

* Hello (One Night @ the Call Center)
* 3 Idiots & Nanban (Five Point Someone)
* Kai Po Che! (The 3 Mistakes of My Life)
* 2 States
* Kick

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* IdRef
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