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
Chetan 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 Bachelor's 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 specialisation in marketing in 1997.[6][7] In 2018, IIMA awarded him the Young Alumni Achiever's Award in the Arts & Entertainment category.[8]
Career
Banking
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 (2004), and his second novel, One Night at the Call Center (2005).[10] In March 2008, Bhagat returned to India as a director at Deutsche Bank in Mumbai.[11] The same year, his third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), was published. Following the commercial success of the novel, Bhagat left his banking career to become a full-time author.[12]
Author
His debut novel, Five Point Someone was published by Rupa Publications in Delhi in 2004.[13]
Bhagat's second book, One Night at the Call Center, was published in 2005.[14] It sold almost 50,000 copies in the first three days of its release.[15]
His third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, was published in 2008.[16]
Bhagat's fourth novel, 2 States, was published in 2009 and drew inspiration from his marriage with Anusha Suryanarayan.[17] Bhagat's later novels Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, and One Indian Girl were also commercially successful.[18]
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
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.[19]
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.[20]
Screenwriting
For Kai Po Che (2013), based on his novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Bhagat was one of the four screenplay writers.[21] The film was a commercial success[22] 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.[23]
YouTube
Bhagat also runs a YouTube channel featuring motivational videos.[24] He launched a podcast, "Deep Talk with Chetan Bhagat", where he interviews guests about their paths to success.[25]
Filmography
Five of Bhagat's novels have been adapted into films:[26]
- 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
Novels
Standalone
- 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)
- 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story (2025)
Series
- The Girl in Room 105 (2018)
- One Arranged Murder (2020)
- 400 Days (2021)
Non-fiction
- What Young India Wants (2012)
- Making India Awesome (2015)
- India Positive (2019)[27]
- 11 Rules For Life: Secrets to Level Up (2024)
Awards and accolades
- Chetan Bhagat was recognised 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.[28]
- Listed at No. 47 among the "100 Most Creative People 2011" by the Fast Company American business magazine.[29]
- Won the "CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2014" award in the Entertainment category.[30][31]
- Ranked No. 82 on the 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list.[32]
- 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*.[33]
Personal life
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
Following the MeToo movement in India, an anonymous woman accused Bhagat of inappropriate behaviour. 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.[34]
References
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat | The five-point formula: keep it simple, Kalita, S. Mitra. mint(2008-05-17). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ An Interview With Chetan Bhagat. Forbes India. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Chetan Bhagat - Biography, Family, Books, & Achievements, Dahiya, Renu. Myticketstoindia.com(2022-05-31). Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ↑ Tale of the lucky hostel room. Hindustan Times(2012-02-24). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ 25 best quotes by Chetan Bhagat on career, education, love and success - IndiaTV news. www.indiatvnews.com(2013-10-21). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ The Sunday Tribune - Books. www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ IIM Ahmadabad celebrates alumni success with YAAA 2018. www.ibtimes.co.in(2018-06-26). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ How Chetan Bhagat Became a Writer from Investment Banker?. thedigitalyug.com(2021-06-10). Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ↑ One night @ the call center{{#if:Bhagat|, Bhagat}. New Delhi : Rupa & Co.(2005). ISBN 978-81-291-0818-0
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat: Novelist turn rock star. The Economic Times(2008-08-22). Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat: From investment banking to Bollywood scripts, AFP. DAWN.COM(2014-07-26). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat, the Feminist, is ready for the trolls. mint(2016-08-06). Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ↑ One Night at the Call Center by Chetan Bhagat | Penguin Random House Canada. www.penguinrandomhouse.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
- ↑ Review: Hello. www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ↑ Adaptation of The 3 Mistakes of My Life into the Film Kai Po Che. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences({Template:Date).
- ↑ 2 States. IMDb.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat: books, biography, latest update. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat excited to judge ‘Nach Baliye 7’. The Indian Express(2015-03-24). Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ↑ After Twitter fight with Chetan Bhagat and mocking his books, R Madhavan offers clarification. Hindustan Times(2021-12-21). Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat talks about Kai Po Che, the film based on his book, Khan, Ujala Ali. The National(2013-02-19). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Kai Po Che! Box office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office - Bollywood Hungama, Hungama, Bollywood(2013-02-22). Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ↑ Template:Cite AV media
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat. YouTube. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- ↑ 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 2022-12-07.
- ↑ Novels that became Movies: Chetan Bhagat - Movies, Grover, Reeka(2018-04-10). Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- ↑ Book Review: India Positive, Chetan Bhagat. Deccan Herald(2019-06-23). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Most creative people 2011:Chetan Bhagat. fastcompany.com(2011-05-18). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ List of winners of Indian of the Year 2014. News18(2015-03-17). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat Receives the Indian of the Year Award in the Entertainment Category from IBN. Desimartini(2015-03-18). Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat: Writing For Millennials. Forbes India. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Wings Publication announces winners of India's most prestigious book award - Golden Book Awards 2022. ANI News. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- ↑ Chetan Bhagat issues apology to woman and wife after harassment accusation surfaces. The Indian Express(2018-10-06).
External links
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