The 3 Mistakes of My Life

The title may confuse one and all but I want to make it clear here itself that in this post there is nothing like me making any confession or even recalling the mistakes that I have done in my life. Neither I have any intention nor I really want to review my mistakes in life, for, one, they are too many, and second, this is something that one does at the end of life when the hands of Yamraja advance forward to have a handshake. This post is only about the book by Chetan Bhagat which shares its title with that of my post.

As already written in my earlier post, Mr. Chetan Bhagat was the first English author whom I had read. That was his first book “Five Point Someone- What not to do at IIT”. I don’t really want to get into detail of that for it is not at my focus in this post but a few words will do no bad. As written in the book, it was a real story of three IITians and what they all did at the IIT (certainly they didn’t study for the full 4 years period, anyways). While I was reading that story, I believed it to be a true one without going into much insight into the story. The story had all the stuff of a commercially hit masala Hindi movie yet it seemed real for the story was about new-age boys with the ‘I-don’t-care’ approach and such things that happened rather mishappened with them could well have happened no doubt.

Anyway, the debate in the mind of readers on the reality of Chetan’s story will go on until, of course, they read the other stories by Chetan. His next two books till now, “One Night @ the Call-Centre” and “The 3 Mistakes of My Life” both are similar masala stories and both have been forwarded by the author as real stories. Although, I have not yet read the second book but I have heard about it and its plot and it seems totally unreal as looks the statement ‘someone will never die’ and for sure, I am never going to read that.

The third one i.e. “The 3 Mistakes…” is again told by the author as a real story. OK, the story is based on real events that happened in Gujarat but the story as a whole seems unreal. It’s a story about a businessman-minded boy-turned-man Govind and his friends Ish, a cricket buff and Omi, a priest’s son. It’s a story about their business and the natural calamities, religious politics, girl, love, friendship and many other things that come in between them and their smooth business. With so many of incidences that occur to them, you got to feel that it can only occur in a masala Hindi film. Everything that is required to make a film a blockbuster in India is present in this story. You have an earthquake first up to shatter the dreams of the lead men. They all get over it and then you have a communal riot that again puts everything in destruction mode. For Indians, you have cricket. On all of this you have kissing scenes, bed scenes and women topless. What more you can ask for a great commercial hit bollywood movie?

Now, I think, there are a few loopholes in the story. First, why should Govind call a girl who is not yet his girlfriend while he is amidst 200 hundred naked breasts? At least I am not going to recall my girlfriend at such a time when I can fantasize to have, maybe, only 1% of the total available wealth around me (hehehe, just joking). Second, why should anybody preparing for a medical entrance examination should read Mathematics? Only to get F…. by the teacher! (Again joking). Finally, the biggest flaw as I think is that none of the 3 mistakes of Govind’s life are really mistakes.

The first mistake was that he had put all his savings from the shop plus some loan as a deposit for a new bigger shop. It’s nowhere a mistake. Every businessman dreams of expanding his business and this is what he was doing. It was not his mistake that a quake came and destroyed the building in which he was taking the shop. His second mistake, according to him, was his sleeping with his dearest friend’s younger sister. Such things can’t well be mistakes. He loved her and she did too and whatever happened was a decision of both and he was not the only one to blame (Maybe, this time I may be wrong). His third mistake was his delaying his effort to save Ali for a moment. He put his self in front of everything else in this matter and hence this can be agreed as his mistake but somewhere, I get the feeling with so much of fight already done, it was the best he could well have done.

Anyway, these are the loopholes in the plot of the story. The story was not flawless in its writing also. Many a part could have been a lot better than what came out. The quake scene was OK but could have been better. Some more emotions could have been brought into the riot scene. It seems Chetan gave his full effort in making the kissing scenes and the bed scenes worthy. And not to forget the 100 women topless at the Bondy beach at Sydney in Australia!

Nonetheless, if you are a lover of fantasy drama go for it otherwise just let it be at the other side of the counter……………………………