Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chetan Prakash Bhagat April 22, 1974 India |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, columnist, screenplay writer, YouTuber |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | Novels such as One Night at the Call Center, Half Girlfriend; screenplay for Kai Po Che |
Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is a prominent Indian writer, columnist, screenplay writer, and YouTuber. He was featured in the 2010 edition of Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People. Multiple novels authored by him, such as One Night at the Call Center and Half Girlfriend, have been transformed into feature films.
Early life and education
Bhagat grew up in a Punjabi Hindu household; his father served as a lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army, while his mother was engaged in scientific research at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. His schooling took place at Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, where he nurtured an early passion for writing.
In 1995, Bhagat completed a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Subsequently, he pursued an MBA with a focus on marketing from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), graduating in 1997. In recognition of his contributions to Arts & Entertainment, IIMA awarded him the Young Alumni Achiever's Award in 2018.
Banking
Prior to dedicating himself entirely to writing, Chetan Bhagat worked for nearly eleven years in investment banking, mainly based in Hong Kong. His career started at Peregrine Investments Holdings in Canada, which ceased operations within six months. He then spent several years at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong before relocating to Deutsche Bank’s Mumbai office as a director.
During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Bhagat penned his debut novel, Five Point Someone, which was published in 2004. He remained active in banking until 2009 when he chose to focus solely on his literary career.
In 2005, he released his second novel, One Night at the Call Center. Returning to India in 2008 as a director at Deutsche Bank Mumbai, Bhagat also published his third book, The 3 Mistakes of My Life. By 2009, he had resigned from banking to pursue writing full-time.
Author
While employed at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong during the early 2000s, Bhagat wrote his first novel, Five Point Someone, which was published by Rupa Publications in 2004.
His follow-up book, One Night at the Call Center, released in 2005, achieved sales nearing 50,000 copies within just three days.
Bhagat’s third novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, was launched in 2008.
In 2009, he published 2 States, inspired by his own marriage to Anusha Suryanarayan. Later works such as Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, and One Indian Girl also enjoyed strong commercial performance.
More recently, Bhagat introduced titles like The Girl in Room 105 (2018), followed by One Arranged Murder (2020) and 400 Days (2021).
Screen presence
Bhagat appeared as a judge alongside Marzi Pestonji and Preity Zinta on season 7 of the dance reality show Nach Baliye, broadcast on Star Plus.
Additionally, he featured in Netflix’s series Decoupled, starring R. Madhavan. In this show, Bhagat portrays himself as India’s bestselling author and serves as a rival to Madhavan’s character, who represents the nation’s second-best-selling author.
Screenwriting
Bhagat contributed as a co-writer to the screenplay of Kai Po Che (2013), which was adapted from his novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. The movie achieved commercial success, and Bhagat, along with Pubali Chaudhuri, Supratik Sen, and Abhishek Kapoor, received the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay at the 68th Filmfare Awards ceremony.
YouTube
As a YouTuber, Bhagat creates motivational videos. He also introduced the podcast titled "Deep Talk with Chetan Bhagat," where he engages in conversations with guests about their paths to success.
Filmography
Five of Bhagat's novels have been transformed into films:
- Hello (2008) – Adapted from One Night at the Call Center
- 3 Idiots (2009), Nanban (2012), and 3 Idiotas (2017) – Based on Five Point Someone
- Kai Po Che! (2013) – Derived from The 3 Mistakes of My Life
- 2 States (2014) – Based on 2 States: The Story of My Marriage
- Half Girlfriend (2017) – Adapted from Half Girlfriend
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)
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)
- 11 Rules For Life: Secrets to Level Up (2024)
Awards and accolades
- Named "Best outgoing student" by IIM Ahmedabad in 1997.
- Honored with the Society Young Achiever's Award in 2000.
- Received Publisher's Recognition Award in 2005.
- Featured in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010 under Artists.
- Positioned at No. 47 on Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People" list in 2011.
- Awarded CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2014 in the Entertainment category.
- Ranked No. 82 on Forbes India Celebrity 100 chart in 2017.
- Earned IBN Live Movie Award for Best Screenplay and Zee Cine Award for Best Story for *Kai Po Che* in 2014.
- Received the Golden Book Award in 2022 for *400 Days*.
Personal life
Bhagat married Anusha Suryanarayan in 1998, whom he met while studying at IIM. Their relationship served as inspiration for his novel "2 States." The couple has twin sons named Shyam and Ishaan Bhagat.
Controversy
Amid the MeToo movement in India, an anonymous woman accused Bhagat of misconduct, sharing WhatsApp messages that indicated he pursued her despite her disinterest. Bhagat issued a public apology on Facebook, acknowledging his behavior.