RAJKUMAR HIRANI SAYS CHETAN BHAGAT IS LYING

Posted by admin on January 3rd, 2010

We all know about the fights going on between the makers of blockbuster movie 3 Idiots and the author of the book Five Point Someone , Chetan Bhagat on which movie 3 Idiots is based. According to the Director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani , they have bought the rights of the book Five Point Someone from author Chetan Bhagat but according to Chetan Bhagat, only some part was to be taken from his original book.

The ongoing 3 Idiots credit controversy turned into a full blown war on Saturday with director Rajkumar Hirani accusing author Chetan Bhagat of “unnecessary slandering in public”. Hirani also maintained that 3 Idiots was not a copy of Bhagat’s bestseller Five Point Someone and that the filmmakers have bought the rights of the book.

“We legally purchased the rights of the novel, with complete authority to alter the text to suit the screen. We have always said that if we had not read the book we wouldn’t have made the film. But it must be remembered that the screenplay that has evolved from the book is very different from the book and has a life of its own,” Hirani said.

Hirani also rubbished Bhagat’s claims that he wasn’t shown the final script. “I gave him a four-hour narration of the script and he even signed a non-disclosure agreement which all actors, technicians and people working on the film sign upon reading the script so that details of the script don’t go out.”

In a press meet in Mumbai, Hirani distributed copies of the legal contract and a non-disclosure agreement signed by Bhagat on September 1, 2005 and October 3, 2007, respectively. In the legal contract between Vinod Chopra Films and Bhagat, it is mentioned that ‘It shall be obligatory on the part of the producer to accord credit to the author in the rolling credits… as under — Based on the novel Five Point Someone. “We’ve followed the legal contract and given him credit in the film’s rolling credits. The agreement was signed in September 2005. If he (Bhagat) had any issue with credits or money given to him, why did he wait for more that four years to respond? Most importantly, why wait till one week post release,” Hirani said.

Meanwhile, Bhagat still maintains that the filmmakers have snatched away his story credit. “How can they call it an original story and give story credit to Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi right upfront and hide mine totally? It’s an adaptation. The people who have done that have adapted my story, not written a new one. Maybe they can be co-credited for story, but how can they exclude me,” he said.

While the writer feels “deeply hurt” with the attitude of the filmmakers he insists that he won’t take them to court. “Let them win awards for my story. I am highlighting the issue so that it doesn’t happen to other authors. I won’t take them to court,” he said.

Now we have to see that where this fight is going.Is Chetan Bhagat doing all this just for easy publicity of his books and writings?Or this is the true thing which is going on.To whom we should believe?This is the big question.