Consider for example how the question itself moves through different layers of language in the move from novel to film – from Hindi written in English to the Bihari-accented Hindi spoken by Kapoor**. This one poignant question serves as a significant starting point from which to explore the relationship between the English language and the construction of Indian national identity. The question is understood to be spoken in Hindi in Chetan Bhagat’s English novel Half Girlfriend (2014) and is actually uttered in Hindi with a Bihari accent* by actor Arjun Kapoor in the 2017 Hindi film adaptation directed by Mohit Suri. He is struggling with English during the interview and switches to Hindi when one of the professors informs him that his English is terrible, he retorts with the previously mentioned question. Madhav wants to study Sociology and is being interviewed as part of the application process. ‘Would you rather take a sensible student, or someone who speaks a foreign language well?’ Madhav Jha, a young man from rural Bihar, asks the professors of the prestigious St Stephen’s College in Delhi.

Julia Alting, Contributor, The Netherlands How is the construction of national identity navigated through English books and Hindi cinema? And what role does language play in this? Julia Alting provides an in-depth in studying the book Half Girlfriend and its film adaptation.

Half girlfriend novel in english