Adapting 'Half Girlfriend' for big screen was difficult: Mohit Suri

Mohit Suri is back with yet another love story "Half Girlfriend", which is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel of the same name and the director says it was difficult to translate the book into a two-hour format for the celluloid.

"It is difficult as you can't base the entire book in a two-hour film. There is a lot that you need to edit and make sure all the essential points are not lost out. We have changed certain things and Chetan Bhagat has been quite co-operative," Mohit told PTI.

"I have never made a film that had a story that people already knew. There is definitely pressure to living up to it (response the book got). But I have tried not to let this factor (pressure) affect me and have tried my best to stay honest to the story."

It is the story of a rural Bhojpuri-laced Hindi-speaking boy (Arjun Kapoor) from Bihar as he enrolls himself at an English-medium college and falls in love with a rich Delhi girl (Shraddha Kapoor) who wants to be his half girlfriend.

"'Half Girlfriend' is a story about about a guy who can't speak English and despite Hindi being our national language the hypocrisy in India is that those who don't speak English are looked



down upon as people who speak English are forward. "It's an interesting concept. I wanted to show how two people come from different worlds and try to figure out whose world is a right," the filmmaker says.

Mohit has worked with Shraddha earlier in "Aashiqui 2" and "Ek Villain" but this romantic drama marks his first outing with actor Arjun."We (referring to him and Shraddha) share a great relationship that has been successful on screen. This is my first film with Arjun and he is very endearing in the film.. it was interesting to work with him."

There were reports that all was not well between Mohit and Arjun, while they were shooting for the film. Brushing aside the rumours, Mohit says, it is unfair to put these allegations. "It's not true at all. It's bad to report such things. I have never had an issue with him. I don't know why people are saying we had an issue. There were reports that he used to come late on the sets, but he was there for his grandmother's funeral, he wasn't partying.

"He has been honest to the film and I would like to work with him again."

Produced by Ekta Kapoor, "Half Girlfriend" will release on May 19.