Revolution 2020

Hello Monks...
After a long time, I am back and wrote a blog. Yes finally our last and semester 4 is begun and that's why one of my favorite activities - thinking Activity is started now. So today I want to talk about  "Revolution 2020" by Chetan Bhagat. This book is part of our syllabus. This task is assigned by Prof. Dr.Dilip Barad sir, Head of the English Department of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU). As a part of the syllabus, students of the English Department are learning the paper called Contemporary Literatures in English. So, let’s start friends. But before we start I want to give short information about what kind of things we see here…

Here is the link of the professor's blog CLICK HERE...

First, we discuss Chetan Bhagat and some important things about popular culture. Chetan Bhagat is a journalist and author from India. In 2010, he was included in Time magazine's list of the World's 100 Most Influential People. Bhagat earned a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Delhi and a PGP from IIM Ahmedabad. He began his work as an investment banker, but after a few years, he left to follow his passion for writing. He has eight novels and three non-fiction volumes to his credit. In 2004, he released his debut novel, Five Point Someone. Hello in 2008 (based on One Night At the Call Center), 3 Idiots in 2009 (based on Five Point Someone), Kai Po Che! in 2013 (based on The 3 Mistakes of My Life), 2 States in 2014, and Half Girlfriend in 2017 are five of Chetan Bhagat's novels that have been turned into Bollywood films. Bhagat has also adapted his novels for the films Kai Po Che! and Half Girlfriend, as well as writing screenplays for Bollywood blockbusters like Kick in 2014. At the 59th Filmfare Awards in 2014, Bhagat received the Film fare Award for Best Screenplay for Kai Po Che! He's also frequently involved in Twitter debates. His most recent work, 400 Days, was released on October 8, 2021, and is about a lost kid and forbidden love.

REVOLUTION 2020 :

Chetan Bhagat's novel Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition was published in 2011. Its plot revolves around a love triangle, corruption, and a self-discovery trip. R2020 has addressed the topic of how private coaching institutes abuse prospective engineering students, and how parents risk their entire lifetime's wages on these programs in the hopes that their children would pass engineering examinations and alter the family's fortune. While some people achieve their goals, others fail miserably. The story is inspired by "rampant corruption" in the Indian educational system, according to the author, who chose Varanasi as the setting after visiting the city and feeling "a personal affinity to it." He went on to say "It is one of our oldest cities, and its residents today have modern goals. The contrast, I thought, would be intriguing. The city is also full of personality."

Our task is to ponder upon the questions given by the teacher. Let's discuss it in detail.

1) If you have to write a fan-fiction, how would you move ahead with the ending of this novel or what sort of change you would bring at the end of the novel?

If I am writing as fan-fiction, I'd want to include certain specific characters in the novel, such as Aarti's friends, one another female protagonist, or characters. Why ?.. Because according to the Bechdel test, The Bechdel test is a metric for how well women are represented in literature. It inquires whether a piece contains at least two women conversing about something other than a male. Occasionally, the demand that the two ladies be named is added. The test is named after Alison Bechdel, an American cartoonist who initially published the test in her 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Bechdel attributed the concept to her friend Liz Wallace and Virginia Woolf's books. Following the test's increased popularity in the 2000s, a number of variations and tests based on it arose. The usual criteria of the Bechdel Test are (1) that at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man. So in my fan-fiction, I want to add certain things.

2) If you were to adapt this novel for the screen, what sort of changes you would make in the story and characters to make it better than the novel? (For example, keep Five Point Someone and 3 Idiots in your mind)  

If I were to adapt 'Revolution 2020' for the movie, I would make certain adjustments to the narrative as well as the characters. As stated in the title, I'd like to place a greater emphasis on the subject of revolution rather than love. Raghav's character would be more powerful than Gopal's character in the film. My tale will begin with the introduction of the author and Raghav as the CM at the opening of the film. For 'Revolution in Varanasi,' the author would meet Raghav. Aarti's personality may be more powerful and stable. Aarti's character in the novel is weak from a female perspective, but she might be powerful and enthusiastic about her work and politics in the film. Raghav will be the next Chief Minister of India, and he will usher in a "Revolution in India." Gopal also admits his corruption and all the negative things in front of Aarti at the end of the narrative. Gopal, like Raghav, aspires to be a nice guy, and the two male characters will bring a revolution to India.

 3) 'For a feminist reader, Aarti is a sheer disappointing character.' Do you agree with this statement? If yes, what sort of characteristics you would like to see in Aarti. If you disagree with this statement, why? What is it in Aarti that you are satisfied with this character?