Book Review: Revolution 2020
Like a Michael Bay blockbuster, a Chetan Bhagat novel is defiant of structural norms
(whether plot- or grammar-wise), implausibly stupid (watch the latest Transformers to know what we mean), and guaranteed to make boatloads of money despite what the crabby naysayers think about it. Wade in, then, at your own caution, because if you’re a fan of Rushdie, Roy, Mistry or Ghosh, then you’ll emerge 296 pages later, doubtlessly depressed at the ways of the world that allow for Bhagat to be the country’s best-selling literary star.
In Bhagat’s latest, Revolution 2020—about the current topic du jour, corruption—language, plot, character development and just about anything that vaguely defines what makes a good book (but only to elitist prigs, of course) take a back seat to the notion that the author is a weather-vane for current youth sentiment. That sentiment is the pervasive feeling that our education system is corrupt. Add to this a prologue and epilogue of such incredible conceit and you have another best-seller in the making.
The novel begins with Bhagat visiting GangaTech college in Varanasi to deliver a speech. There, he meets Gopal, the 26-year-old protagonist, whose sole purpose, it soon becomes clear, is to try and ply Bhagat with drinks so he can deliver this line: “Chetan sir, one drink? I can tell people I had a drink with ‘the’ Chetan Bhagat.” Somehow, Bhagat ends up accompanying the self-indulgent, sniveling Gopal to hospital after he over-binges, on Glenfiddich of all things. Gopal survives of course, so he can recount to Bhagat his life story. The life story, predictably, is a love story, or rather a love triangle involving Gopal, and childhood friends Raghav and Aarti. Gopal is poor, Raghav is middle class and Aarti well-off, each meant to neatly represent the background to which they belong. As is wont to happen with a trio of friends, one (Gopal) falls in love with another (Aarti), who professes her love for the third (Raghav). So far, so average.
Soon, however, Gopal, in his vengeful quest to show Aarti that he’s a better man than Raghav (spoiler alert: he’s not), becomes embroiled in a shady nexus of MLAs and educators, who want Gopal to start a university—that would be GangaTech—so it can whitewash their black money. Cue moral story about the unethical nature of coaching classes that prep students for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE); doing the right thing; and the cost of sacrifice and familial duty. Bhagat may have lashed out at Narayana Murthy for saying that coaching classes have led to the deterioration of the quality of IIT- and IIM-produced students, but his book perplexingly suggests exactly the same thing. So either Bhagat doesn’t believe what he espouses, or quite possibly, forgot what he wrote in the first place. After all, he started writing it almost two years ago.
The language, incidentally, functional and capable of getting across its point, is not the worst part of the book (though bon mots like “‘Fine’ means somewhere between ‘whatever’ and ‘go to hell’ in Girlese” and “Girls are contradictory” border on being nonsensical). Its weakest link is that all three protagonists are inherently unlikable—it’s not quite clear what Aarti has going for her except her looks; Gopal is weaselly, stupid and self-obsessed; and Raghav, an incredibly naïve journalist who writes worse copy than Bhagat himself. But bad reviews will do little to affect the sales figures of Revolution 2020. At the end of the novel, Bhagat tells Gopal that he’s a good person, presumably for—whoops, second spoiler alert—sacrificing love, and the implication is that it’s okay to be mediocre as long as you make money. Bhagat may well have been talking about himself.
Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat, Rupa, Rs140. Buy it from Flipkart.com.
Tags: Books, Chetan Bhagat, Revolution 2020Comments (126)
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this is really outstanding book for its story but sir I would like to furnish in it that something should have been done good for Gopal, in your story gopal is only guilty, accused, bad so on everything bad about gopal
and sir we are ,with my friends, very stressed to its end.
After all you have done a fabulous job Once again outstanding
i m so sad with the end..no one thought abt gopal….now he has no one…he was almost with his love..y did he back off so easily…poor guy…chetan sir..tiz was my second book that i read yours.u simply rock……
really nice one..
Gopal… you really a good one comparing to the guys whose out there..
really really a good person
Sir realy like your book. Sir only I want to know about this book Revolution 2020.what is the original name of all this character,and where did this story happen.
useless book, complete bullshit!!!!!!!!!!
Heartbreaking waste of time..read the book for 6 hours without stopping but the end stumped me(melodramatic,grotesque) read 299 pages and ended up sad and frustrated.The whole book could be a lot better if CB had ‘nt come up with such an ending.
this could be CB’s best book (better than 2 states)if gopal had’nt given up his love .
mindblowing book…………………..gopal sacrificed a lot but eng was too sad…………………………………
awesum book…. CB rocksss….but why a tragedy…… At the end i felt like crying 4r gopal
MR CB just tell me abt ARTI an innocent girl first neglected by RAGHAV first lover ,then loved by GOPAL,GOPAL sacrified her then again accepted by RAGHAV in this story did u ever thought abt ARTI feelings NO.
U HAVE PLAYED WITH ARTI EMOTIONS WHICH IS NOT CORRECT.
So from my side R2020 is flop.
when i started reading i didnt stop ….. i completed the book in my 9 hrs journey.. without stoping even while eating chetan bhagat u rock………….
its such best ever by chetan bhagat
he is good and profession writer
i love than novel
The book gives me an headache. I don’t see the purpose behind the book. It sounds like the screenplay of a Over Dramatic Hindi Movie.
What is happening in the land of Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai or Arundhati Roy
Yes i dnt go with the climax.. it was like a tamil film wr u face only anti climax..Arti character reflects exactly the girls mentality.. thats the only thing i liked in this novel.. Still worth reading..
Jst an awesome story by an awesome author Mr. Chetan Bhagat……but m dissapppointed wth the end of the story… CD should mre accurte in composind the end…but ovrall a nyc book:)
Great story..reader can’t stop themselves to stop blowing their cyclone of emotions while reading this book..that is the ultimate success of Chetan Bhagat..
End is meaningless..
owww…. is book ws ossum bt i felt sad for gopal by looking the invitation card of arti and raghav’s engagement…. how sad….
End is not perfect…dissopoint in d end by chetan…..why gopal sacrifice his love????
its superb….. 1 shud not miss it…. waiting 4 another 2 cum………..
superb book..n it was d first book i have read other than my subject books :p now i really got d interest to read books
thanks a lot chetan sir
too gud book…….!!!!
one must read the novel……..!!!!
awesome book… but i wonder is this a real story n gopal is a good person…
The story should not be end like this…Its really impratical….which is not acceptable in real scenario ..especially with the person like Gopal who have faced many worst incidents in his life and suddenly changed with a small ignorable incident…..This is really fucking impossible.
Hi…….
The book is just awesome…….Liked all the book in all aspects…
When i started reading the book,i was too much excited.And the excitement was there till the end…But,i didn’t agree the way it ended! It sounds impractical,but as the title says REVOLUTION…i found every character LITERALLY REVOLUTIONARY!!!
Anyway… i’ve enjoyed everything by C.B.!
C.B. You’re the best!
not bad
this is just awesome!!! But,why gopal sacrificed his love??? that’s the only question uttering in ma mind after reading the book in 7 hrs… but by splitting the time..