Boyfriend Without Benefits

In the novella "Boyfriend Without Benefits" by Chintan Bhagat, set in contemporary urban India, 26-year-old Priya Mehta, an ambitious tech professional earning 12 LPA in Mumbai, meets 24-year-old Nitin Kapoor, an IIIT-Hyderabad graduate contentedly employed at his father's modest manufacturing firm for about 4.8 LPA. Their initial connection at a party sparks a genuine romance, fueled by Nitin's kindness and Priya's drive, as they share simple dates like beachside pav bhaji and supportive late-night gestures. However, societal and familial pressures soon expose their ambition chasm: Priya's Brahmin family disapproves of Nitin's Punjabi background and perceived lack of drive, while his family worries her high-powered career will clash with their simple life. Friends echo these concerns, planting doubts in Priya about "carrying" a partner, leading to tensions over Nitin's complacency amid caste divides and financial expectations. As their relationship deepens, conflicts escalate through family confrontations, Priya's promotions to 18 LPA and beyond, and a pregnancy scare that underscores their unpreparedness. Priya pushes Nitin to upskill via courses like data science on Coursera, but his initial inertia culminates in a breaking point at a lavish wedding, prompting a separation. While Priya excels on an international project in Singapore, rising to 22 LPA, Nitin confronts his stagnation, completes certifications, and secures a 10 LPA job, demonstrating growth. They reunite, marry modestly, and navigate married life with proportional financial splits (e.g., 65/35 based on income) and shared domestic equity, addressing ongoing disparities as Priya reaches 28 LPA and Nitin 16 LPA. The story culminates in Bangalore, where Priya accepts a 45 LPA Director role, and Nitin supports the move by landing a 20 LPA position at an EV startup, shedding his fears for true partnership. Through vivid sensory details of Mumbai's chaos and Bangalore's freshness, the novella explores themes of love versus stability, cultural expectations in arranged versus love marriages, and the true "benefit" of mutual growth over material metrics like packages or homes. Ultimately, Priya realizes that enduring love requires evolving together, bridging ambition gaps through equity, compromise, and shared leaps into the unknown.