Krish Malhotra and Ananya Swaminathan meet in the mess at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and fall in love over study sessions and late-night conversations. By graduation they want to marry, but they decide to do it properly: both families must agree, which proves harder than any entrance exam.
Krish takes a bank job in Chennai to charm Ananya's reserved, conservative parents, tutoring her brother and arranging a concert for her father's company. Ananya, in turn, faces Krish's loud Punjabi relatives and his mother's open suspicion of South Indians, while Krish deals with his strained relationship with his father.
Partly based on Chetan Bhagat's own marriage, the novel is a light comedy about regional stereotypes, food, language and family politics in modern India. It became a 2014 Hindi film starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Short chapters, wisecracking narration and family set pieces keep it moving, making it an easy holiday read.
Book details
| Author | Chetan Bhagat |
|---|---|
| First published | 2009 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Romance |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 269 |
| Setting | IIM Ahmedabad, Chennai and Delhi, 2000s |
Themes
- Inter-community marriage
- Cultural stereotypes
- Family approval
- Parents and children
Who should read it
Readers wanting a breezy romantic comedy about a north-south Indian love story.