'Half Girlfriend' is purely fiction': Chetan Bhagat

Mumbai: Author Chetan Bhagat, who has been slapped with Rs 1 crore defamation suit, has denied that "Half Girlfriend" has any reference to the family of erstwhile princely state of Dumraon in Bihar.

The author said there was some "misunderstanding" as his book is a work of fiction. Chandra Vijay Singh has brought the defamation suit against Bhagat for allegedly portraying the male members of his family in negative light.

Bhagat said there was no relation between the family he mentions in his book with the real one.

"Somebody in Bihar feels they belong to the family, which is fictionally represented in the book. But it is fiction. So



the question of defamation does not arise and I don't know these people. I don't even know they existed.

"Once they said they were not happy I said, 'let's be friends and let's have a friendly chat'. That I will say to anyone. If I don't know someone exists, how will I defame them? It is a misunderstanding. They have asked us to respond to them so we will respond," Bhagat told PTI here.

The author is confident that the matter will be sorted out.

"The court will decide. It is almost a compliment if people feel my story in 'Half Girlfriend' is real, it is not. I am shocked that people feel that way," he said.