Is 3 Idiots based on Chatan Bhagat's book ???. Review on 3 Idiots

This controversy is at the moment very much on the air and the allegations and counter allegations are flying. The credit for the story is being given to someone else and Chetan has raised the issue by saying that he is hurt as he has not been suitably acknowledged.

I can see this to be a communication gap and the reason seems to be due to the diversified backgrounds both parties are coming from. Vinod Chopra is an acclaimed producer director and Chetan is a star in the writing of books. Let us face none of them is naive. They both are in the Jungle for long and they both understand the dynamics of the game.

Chetan is a qualified engineer from IIT and he is also from IIM that means his credentials are well understood - So how come both the parties are not understanding each other?

Chetan being an academic understands the meaning of references and cross references and without properly acknowledging someone's work he can not even move a step. For him acknowledgment is sacrosanct. The academia will chew him if he did not make correct references and acknowledgments in any thing he wrote. He comes from that strict culture of giving due where it is due.

Vinod Chopra and Hirani and their script writer is from Bollywood and they are not understanding the importance of acknowledgment specially if they have paid for the book. For Chetan they have bought the book but not his soul and his work still remains his. Hence it must be acknowledged. You can buy a painter's painting but you can not put your name on it, although it is yours and you may have modified it.

So it is the fundamental difference between the people from two different worlds.

If you see the film and also read the book there are stark resemblances and also differences. But these things will happen when an adaptation is made. There is no doubt that the film script has taken 3 years to come about because when an idea is adapted for it to look good, more work is needed then what you

would take to go original.

It is like altering a trouser - there is more work if a trouser has to be fit to a person of different size or has a patch put on it. The pant still belongs to Chetan even if it has got patches and someone else is wearing it. A writer is supreme and so we should treat him or her as the master of the story. He or she sets the direction, others just push the boat in that direction.

Although Salim Javed read English books and rehashed the stories to adapt to Indian mindset but this is work of an Indian author who writes in English but still sees Bollywood films and he is bound to get upset if he is not duly acknowledged.

Aamir has lost some credibility if he can not see the similarities in the book and film. His excuse is that he has not read the book, but then he should keep silence and just play dumb. The question now is who are the 3 idots? You tell me!