`Kai Po Che` not a political film: Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat insists that `Kai Po Che` is not a political film.

London: UTV`s next big release `Kai Po Che` may be set against the backdrop of the Godhra riots but writer Chetan Bhagat insists it is not a political film.

"Kai Po Che is not a political film. It uses the incident (Godhra riots) as a backdrop to tell a fictional story without taking sides. It is time to heal things and the film tells a very secular kind of story that will make people think," Bhagat told reporters. The film, which is adapted from his popular novel `The 3 Mistakes of My Life`, is the only Indian film selected in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival next month. "This is the best news we could have had for a non-star film. Our aim is for this film to do as much business in the overseas markets like UK and Europe as a big star film," he added. The author and columnist, who also worked on the script alongside director Abhishek Kapoor, believes the film will follow the trend of his best-selling novels that reflect the realities of middle-class India. "It will show India as it actually is. NRI audiences, who miss India, have certain expectations from Indian films to be larger than life and cater to that nostalgia. But that isn`t how things exactly are. "But that said, it does not mean this will be a boring film in any way. I think it will strike a chord with global audiences," said Bhagat, who has been named among India`s best-selling English language novelists by The New York Times. The IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad graduate gave up a career in investment banking in Hong Kong to focus on writing full time. Aamir Khan`s 2009 box-office hit `3 Idiots` was based on his novel `Five Point Someone ? What Not to do at IIT`, resulting in a controversy as Bhagat felt his story had not received its due credit from the makers of the film. But he now believes it is time to put that dispute to rest. "I have moved on, the makers have moved on. I was very new in Bollywood and miscommunications do happen. But three years have passed and I am just loving all the attention Kai Po Che has been receiving," he said. The film stars newcomers Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh in lead roles and releases worldwide on February 22. PTI