'3 Idiots' entirely based on my work: Chetan Bhagat

Well-known writer, Chetan Bhagat said here today that although the film 3 idiots was not a carbon copy of his book, Three Mistakes Of My Life, it was based entirely on it.

Addressing a press conference, he said that the controversy about not giving proper credit to him in the film had led to some exchange of hot words with the film's producer Vidu Vinod Chopra and its hero, Aamir Khan.

The writer said that there was no need for Aamir Khan to enter the controversy particularly since he had admitted to not having read the book. Bhagat said that he did not want the controversy to drag for a long time as he did not want to stoop to the level of its producer and hero.

He said, in the western world, a film's writer is given credit at the right place. The writer said that right now, some steps were being taken,after his controversy, to set right things in Bollywood.

Bhagat said that a meeting was held recently between producers who were represented by Aamir Khan and lyricists who were represented by Javed Akhtar.

He said that at the meeting Javed reminded Aamir that he was not a big star when he sang the song Papa Kehte Hain Bada Naam Karega and it was the song which had given him popularity.

The writer said that he had drawn a lot of inspiration from Congress president, Sonia Gandhi who had declined to become the country's prime minister in 2004.

"I think that the people of India began loving Sonia only after she renounced prime ministership," Bhagat said.

The writer is now on a tour of India conducted by the Taxila school of Business Management. He said that the tour will take him to 70 small towns and cities of the country where he would interact with youth mostly students. He said that some of the things shown in the film Three Idiots were not in his book.
     
"I know that it is not easy to leave education midway as it might harm one's career," Bhagat said.