Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat

Ever since I heard Raju Hirani (of Munnabhai series fame)  directing his next film ’3 Idiots’  *ing Aamir Khan based on this novel; I wanted to read this. Boy, was I disappointed!
This is the kind of book that you read and forget about quickly. I cannot tell how accurately it portrays life in IITs, but it sounds convincing enough. It has an interesting story, but the writing is too simplistic, even amateurish. I think its a fun ride and anyone who has ever been to college in India will somewhere identify with it. Infact, the background of IIT is not really necessary, in the sense that the story could have taken place in any college across the country.Its about three friends who make it to IIT and how they try to cope through the pressures of sustaining themselves amidst strict professors, severe competition and always being judged by a cruel grading system. But as every coin has two sides, here too within the big pre-defined world there is a world of innocence & enthusiasm, dreams & goals, friendship & love. The book highlighted how the system can thwart creativity, and hold people back from reaching their full-potential.
Like a typical Bollywood movie, enjoy the ride while it lasts. As we say in India, it is nothing more than a ‘timepass’.

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