Chetan Bhagat is a celebrated name in the literary world, but over time, he has also become quite a go-to name associated with Bollywood. This happened because a lot of his literary works have been turned into films, which have gone on to become big blockbuster hits, such as 3 Idiots, 2 States and Kai Po Che. His novels often lend themselves to being the perfect script for the perfect B-town hit movie, which is packed with emotions. However, in most of his novels, there is one aspect that he tends to focus on in his books, which is the beauty of friendship and all that comes along with it. Recently, he spoke about the kind of friendships that he has seen existing in the aspirational world of Bollywood.
For an author who has had so many of his literary works being turned into movies, one would expect that Bhagat is quite happy and comfortable being a part of B-town. As it turns out, it is not how most people think it is. In an interview with Pinkvilla, the writer elaborated on why he could never become too comfortable in Bollywood.
He said, "Bollywood is the drug house of fame. The intoxication of fame in Mumbai is so strong that it can be felt in the air. It's hard to leave Mumbai; it's like smoking."
Bhagat further added, "I mostly live in Dubai now, and I am not famous in my neighbourhood. I still love it. The shadow of fame influences creation. If I am constantly aware that I am famous, it won't lead to very good writing."
The author has never minced his words; he has always been extremely honest about his thoughts. Bhagat revealed that the kind of attention that one gets in Bollywood keeps changing from time to time. He recalled how the number of messages he would get on his birthday significantly changed after the release of Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor-starrer 2 States.
Bhagat mentioned, "People used to send me food whenever an announcement regarding one of my movies arrived. People would start sending sweets and gifts to my house, trying to get cast in my film. I don't blame them; it's part of the hustle."
"There's no real friendship in Bollywood; it's a deal-making factory. It's fundamentally a very insecure industry. Even the biggest star is insecure because in three movies, they could be gone," he added.
The author has recently been in a lot of controversy about his recent book called '12 Years.' The book taps into the much-discussed notion of age-gap relationships. While a lot of people are appreciating the author for talking about this phenomenon, which in today's day and age is being accepted far and wide, many are criticising him for celebrating the toxicity that most people assume comes with these relationships.
