Anuja Chauhan: News

Born in Meerut, Anuja Chauhan is an Indian author, screenwriter, and former advertiser best known for penning the best-selling novels ‘The Zoya Factor’ (2008) and the ‘Battle for Bittora’ (2010), which were later adapted into movies. After working 17 years in J Walter Thompson (JWT), an advertising agency, including in the positions of vice-president and executive creative director, Chauhan took to full-time writing. Her first literary work is ‘The Zoya Factor.’ Though the novel was initially dismissed after being termed as ‘Mills and Boon-ish’ (Mills & Boons is the UK-based publishing company, known for publishing chick lits, romantic, and regency novels), it was praised for the depth of the characters and descriptions. ‘The Zoya Factor’ won Cosmopolitan Magazine’s India’s Fun Fearless Female award for literature in 2008 and India Today Woman Award for Woman as Storyteller in 2009. The film was later adapted and produced by Fox Star Studios, Adlabs, and Walkwater films, under the direction of Abhishek Sharma. It was released in September 2019, starring Sonam Kapoor and Dulquer Salmaan. Chauhan’s other critically acclaimed literary works include ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls,’ which was later adapted into Zee TV show ‘Delhi Waali Thakur Girls,’ ‘The House That BJ Built’ (2015), ‘Baaz’ (2017) and ‘Club You To Death’ (2021). In 2011, Chauhan was featured in Femina Magazine on the list of the 50 most beautiful women in India. She is also the recipient of the 2017 Femina Women Achievers Award. She is married to television presenter and producer Niret Alva and her mother-in-law is Margaret Alva, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress.