Adapting Popular Culture in Chetan Bhagat’s Half Girlfriend

Abstract

This paper analyses the representation of popular culture in Half Girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat through the lenses of cultural hegemony and the culture industry. Set against the backdrop of globalized India, the novel reflects the aspirations, anxieties, and identity struggles of Indian youth, particularly in relation to class, language, and social mobility. Drawing on the theories of Theodor Adorno and Antonio Gramsci, the paper argues that the dominance of English-speaking elite culture in the novel represents a hegemonic structure that shapes individual consciousness and reinforces social hierarchies. Through the character of Madhav Jha, Bhagat portrays the internal conflict between regional identity and metropolitan sophistication. Madhav’s insecurity about his English fluency exposes how linguistic capital becomes a marker of superiority in contemporary India. At the same time, the novel itself operates within popular culture, using accessible language and relatable themes to engage mass readership. Ultimately, Half Girlfriend both reflects and critiques the cultural forces that shape modern Indian identity in a globalized world.