2 States by Chetan Bhagat

Off course, the series of reviews should start with none other than our very own beloved Chetan Bhagat's latest '2 States'.Frankly, I have almost given up on him after the disastrous 'The 3 mistakes of my life' - reading which turned out to be one of the 3000 odd mistakes of my life. What then has convinced me to try out his latest? First and the most important reason, pardon me if i say it out loud and shameless, its bloody cheap.I can anyday waste my 100 bucks on a bad book than on a good girl - assuming that the latter is the best thing a guy can spend his money on.And second and more important, my time is cheaper than my money, I am in no dire want of hours spent on wasting away and so why not waste it on the 4th attempt by a certain Mr.Bhagat who definitely deserves it for his fresh and most-entertaining 'Five Point Someone'. So back to the point now,this book has turned out to be one of those nice surprises- not really surprising that one gets more when one expects none.It is back to the basics, no heavy duty stuff, fresh light narration and real smart and witty comments added in at just about the right moments.He doesn't waste much time in the now boring tale of how the boy woos the girl, and then again he doesnt waste much time in the now popular tale of how the boy dos the girl, instead it is one fresh take on what happens after.It is the oft neglected tale of the families concerned, in the most subtle and humourous manner.It is definitely funnier than all of his previous books,he has most certainly realised that humour is the most powerful device to stay on the best selling list.About the story, it is fast paced and holds your interest all through the whole of it.The two different families - the Punjabi and the Tamil - have been created well and do evoke smiles at the quirks and the eccentricities that they suffer from.A very subtle and deep message that I personally liked was about the future son or the daughter being an Indian - not a Punjabi or a Tamil.
His trademark filmi (bollywood) touch is again prominent in the over-the-top dramatic fights between the son(Krish) and his father and true to style, the father doing a complete turn around in the end and making it a happy ending for all.This is one thing I really don't like about this author though, he has started writing books thinking about the end possibility of them being converted into movies, just my opinion again! But all in all,as we might all agree, the bottomline matters, which in case of writing a book means entertaining the reader. And hell yes, this book was an entertainer in all respects.It made me smile,laugh at times, and most importantly, it made me read itself right through the end, something that is becoming difficult for me in the last couple of years. So there you go, thats '2 States' in my view, worth a read once and definitely worth spending that fast losing-value 100 rupee note on.