No, Half Girlfriend is not a real story. Half Girlfriend is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Mohit Suri. The movie is produced by Balaji Motion Pictures, Chetan Bhagat Entertainment and ALT Entertainment. It features Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles, alongside Vikrant Massey and Rhea Chakraborty in supporting roles.
Half Girlfriend is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s 2014 novel of the same name. Both the novel and the movie are fictional, with no real-life characters or direct basis in true events. The story draws from common Indian social experiences like class differences, language barriers between the English-speaking and non-English speaking citizens and unclear relationships. However, it is not a depiction of real events.
Plot Summary
Madhav Jha, a young man from a small town in Bihar, struggles with English but gets admission in an elite college in New Delhi through basketball sports quota. In college, he meets Riya Somani, a confident English-speaking girl from a wealthy Delhi family, who has also got admission through sports quota.
Riya and Madhav bond over basketball and become close friends. Madhav falls in love with Riya and wants a committed relationship with her. However, Riya rejects the idea of being his full girlfriend. Instead, she proposes a compromise in which she would be more than a friend, but without commitment, essentially a half girlfriend.
The ambiguous relationship deepens but cultural differences, family pressure and Riya’s troubled past lead to complications. Riya suddenly leaves college, breaks off with Madhav and marries someone else.
Years later Madhav returns to Bihar. While pitching for a grant for his mother’s school, Madhav spots clues that indicate Riya is alive and living in New York. He travels to New York to find her, uncovering her secrets, including a serious illness. The story culminates in an emotional reunion and resolution.
Comparisons with the Novel
While the movie retains the core premise of the novel, it softens the controversial elements, including a misogynistic comment by Madhav. The movie features the usual Bollywood flair like songs and drama. Key scenes are altered in the movie to make it more friendly for the audience.
The movie prioritises romances and visuals for mass appeal, while the book is rawer in exploring male frustration.