Published Paper Details:

In contemporary Indian English literature, popular fiction has emerged as a significant medium for offering accessible narratives that reflect complex social realities faced by the urban middle class society. Chetan Bhagat's novel, One Arranged Murder (2020) exemplifies this approach by coalition of crime fiction with a critical examination of arranged marriage, gender roles, family pressure, emotional alienation and middle-class distress. This paper explores a thematic study of One Arranged Murder as a work of popular fiction that transcends entertainment to engage with influential social issues, particularly those related to women, patriarchy and the tradition of arranged marriage. It also observes how the novel critiques arranged marriage, emotional constraint, surveillance of women, and the contradictions of modernity. This study reveals the anxieties of a transitional society where traditional norms persist despite apparent progress. Even though the novel does not offer radical solutions, it plays a crucial role in initiating social discourse through accessible storytelling. While the novel exposes systemic anxieties and inequalities, it ultimately reflects the limitations of popular fiction in envisioning radical social change. This paper situates the novel, One Arranged Murder within the broader discourse of popular fiction as a form of social commentary in contemporary Indian English literature.