Previous Year Question
The author of the book which recently became the root cause of the controversy regarding the script of the film “Three Idiots” is—
Abhijat Joshi
Mohammad Khalid
Chetan Bhagat
Rajkumar Hirani
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Chetan Bhagat is the author of the popular English novel Five Point Someone: What Not to Do at IIT. Published in 2004, it was his debut novel. The story revolves around three students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), focusing on academic pressure, friendship, and personal life.
The film 3 Idiots, released on 25 December 2009, was inspired by Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone. The film was directed by Rajkumar Hirani, while its screenplay was written by Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. It was produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and featured Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi in leading roles.
Following the film's release, a controversy arose during December 2009–January 2010 over the credit for the original story. Chetan Bhagat alleged that he had not received sufficient prominence despite the film being based on his novel. The filmmakers maintained that the rights to the novel had been legally acquired and that he was acknowledged in the film's closing credits according to the agreement.
The central issue concerned the distinction between credit for the original novel and credit for the film's independently developed screenplay. Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani were associated with the film's screenplay, whereas Chetan Bhagat was the original author of Five Point Someone.