<p>Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat whose latest novel "One Indian Girl" has a female protagonist, feels that the time is "opportune" to hold discussions and create awareness about feminism.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"I'm lucky. I think it is a very opportune time. Feminism is an issue whose time has come. Ever since the Nirbhaya incident, the issue of women's rights has taken the centre stage.<br /><br />"People are wanting to understand these issues. Movies like 'Pink' and 'Queen' have done well. I think it is time to talk about these issues," he told PTI.<br /><br />According to the 42-year-old writer, a lot of confusion continues to prevail about feminism and the term has been largely misinterpreed and misused.<br /><br />"Now more understanding is needed so that there is no confusion around the word feminism. The image of a feminist is that of somebody who has a very rigid stand against men. It just means women should also have a chance to pursue their goals as equally men.<br /><br />"You can be a traditional girl, who wants her man to love her, her boyfriend to call her... and still be a feminist, you don't have to be a different species," he says.<br /><br />The banker-turned-author who has already penned six fictions, has for the first time written from a female perspective, which he calls, "challenging."<br /><br />"I had the idea seven years back but I didn't have the courage then. Writing in the first person as a girl and on feminism is a challenging job and to do that one needs to have experience," he says.<br /><br />Bhagat's 'One Indian Girl' is a "bold" book about a young girl who has qualities that defy the notion of an ideal Indian girl - makes a lot of money and has an opinion on everything.<br /><br />To draw the character of his protagonist Radhika Mehta, Bhagat says that he reasearched for a few months during which he met around hundred women to find out the kind of lives they led and how they balanced between work and home.<br /><br />The author said that since his novels are read in small towns too, he has to be "sensitive."<br /><br />"I have to give them something which they can relate to," he says. On his writing style remaining the same through seven books and 12 years, he says, "That, a writer can't change. It's like handwriting. If I write in a simple way, it is my style but it's a great style because it works for millions of people.<br /><br />"there may be a section who may think 'it is too simple for me'. It is possible. But, I am not insecure with my readership. So, now I can experiment with my writing. This book (One Indian Girl) is an experiment," he told PTI.<br /><br />Bhagat's last book, "Half-Girlfriend" is being adapted into a film of the same name starring Bollywood actors Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.<br /><br />His earlier works "Five Point Someone", "One Night@the Call Center", "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" and "2 States: The Story of My Marriage" have all been previously adapted for Bollywood.</p>
<p>Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat whose latest novel "One Indian Girl" has a female protagonist, feels that the time is "opportune" to hold discussions and create awareness about feminism.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"I'm lucky. I think it is a very opportune time. Feminism is an issue whose time has come. Ever since the Nirbhaya incident, the issue of women's rights has taken the centre stage.<br /><br />"People are wanting to understand these issues. Movies like 'Pink' and 'Queen' have done well. I think it is time to talk about these issues," he told PTI.<br /><br />According to the 42-year-old writer, a lot of confusion continues to prevail about feminism and the term has been largely misinterpreed and misused.<br /><br />"Now more understanding is needed so that there is no confusion around the word feminism. The image of a feminist is that of somebody who has a very rigid stand against men. It just means women should also have a chance to pursue their goals as equally men.<br /><br />"You can be a traditional girl, who wants her man to love her, her boyfriend to call her... and still be a feminist, you don't have to be a different species," he says.<br /><br />The banker-turned-author who has already penned six fictions, has for the first time written from a female perspective, which he calls, "challenging."<br /><br />"I had the idea seven years back but I didn't have the courage then. Writing in the first person as a girl and on feminism is a challenging job and to do that one needs to have experience," he says.<br /><br />Bhagat's 'One Indian Girl' is a "bold" book about a young girl who has qualities that defy the notion of an ideal Indian girl - makes a lot of money and has an opinion on everything.<br /><br />To draw the character of his protagonist Radhika Mehta, Bhagat says that he reasearched for a few months during which he met around hundred women to find out the kind of lives they led and how they balanced between work and home.<br /><br />The author said that since his novels are read in small towns too, he has to be "sensitive."<br /><br />"I have to give them something which they can relate to," he says. On his writing style remaining the same through seven books and 12 years, he says, "That, a writer can't change. It's like handwriting. If I write in a simple way, it is my style but it's a great style because it works for millions of people.<br /><br />"there may be a section who may think 'it is too simple for me'. It is possible. But, I am not insecure with my readership. So, now I can experiment with my writing. This book (One Indian Girl) is an experiment," he told PTI.<br /><br />Bhagat's last book, "Half-Girlfriend" is being adapted into a film of the same name starring Bollywood actors Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.<br /><br />His earlier works "Five Point Someone", "One Night@the Call Center", "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" and "2 States: The Story of My Marriage" have all been previously adapted for Bollywood.</p>