Dear All,
Thanks a lot for your immense support. I am humbled how you all have stood behind me, despite the so called powerful people on the other side. Yesterday, you saw their behavior. You can make your own conclusions. I would like people who have not read the book to not comment on the issue, and I have been requesting that from the start.
And while I feel no reason to respond to baseless statements, I would like to point out two things about me allegedly looking for publicity. One, I did contact them first through sms, even after the premiere. They did not respond. I sent two mails, along with a fan mail attached, on Dec 29, two full days before I did my blog entry (and I did the blog only after they started accusing me). My first mail was to the director, and he never responded. The second mail was to the director as well as cced to VVC’s brother, who also works in the production house and was supposed to ‘handle my case’. The director never responded. VVC’s brother did, and the reply was so vague, I have to paste it here to you to make your own conclusions. Secondly on publicity, I have written four books and over fifty columns. Authors can easily add a few controversial lines to their books and cause a stir to increase sales. You’d agree I’ve never had an issue like this with any of my books, or even a line of any of my columns, where I take extra effort to stick to the facts. In fact, people accusing me of that should introspect on if they haven’t read the book and are supporting the makers, how does it make them any different from a brand ambassador who is asked to peddle junk food.
I also want to address the so called contract and spell out the issue, which they are either unable to articulate or are hiding. Yes, there is a contract, which you ethically abused. But how can you give ANOTHER credit for story, not including me, without my consent, right upfront and hide mine totally? Isn’t that negating my already buried credit? Who will people see. Who will go and collect the story (not screenplay, which is separate) awards? The screenplay is not an issue here. 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? Add to that them constantly calling their story original, discrediting me in the media for over an year – does that not show an actual pattern of shutting me out? That is the issue.
People have known the issue. They have been busted. They quivered, shook, cursed and fell yesterday. Making mistakes is human. Not accepting it is a sense of entitlement that only comes from an unchecked ego. However, people have given their verdict.
The mails are attached below. The fanmail comes first (copied and pasted from gmail).
God Bless,
Me
FIRST MAIL:
hide details 12/28/09 (4 days ago) |
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Hello Chetan Sir,
Today I saw 3 Idiot’s. Somewhere I read that it is only 10% of “five point someone” but I think it was 80% of that. It was amazing experience and I would like to give you all credit for that great entertainment along with Amir khan.
Thanks ,
Sachin
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hide details 12/29/09 (4 days ago) |
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i have 100+ mails like this.
cheers!
chetan
—- THE ABOVE NEVER WAS RESPONDED TO —
SECOND MAIL:|
hide details 12/26/09 (6 days ago) |
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Dear Mr Chetan
Yesterday I saw a recent movie of Amirkhan, 3 idiots.
It is almost same as your 1st book 5.1 . Is it true.
But I have not seen your name or noticed .
Can you confirm this. ?
K G Sreeganeshan
hide details 12/29/09 (4 days ago) |
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my mailbox is filled..i have no idea who these people are.
god bless.
chetan|
show details |
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12/29/09 (3 days ago) |
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Noted. Thank you, Chetan.
Fans will be fans and all our mailboxes at this time are full of nothing but superlatives. Let us not only celebrate all aspects of creativity that went into the film but also learn from both our positives and negatives.
It was indeed good to meet you.
Best regards,
Vir K Chopra
(Ph.D. London School of Economics & Political Science)
Director
Vinod Chopra Films Pvt. Ltd.
—– AND THAT’S IT. ATTEMPTS TO REACH ON PHONE FAILED TOO. —–
You are rite chetan…the only thing that amuses me still is why aamir khan is commenting when he claims he has not read the book?
U have the support of all your fans including me although I haven’t read your books but have read the synopsis which is good enough to understand where you are coming from. The problem lies with the majority of our countries blind follower who feel heroes will only do good.
as my friend rightly said… i aint a AMIR KHAN FAN nemore…
Understand that there is frustration. But since you have received all the support and fans have acknowledged that the movie’s (3i) skeleton is FPS, why not let it go? You got what you want. 3i script had a lot of creativity weaved into it and that definitely made the scenes different. If you push it further, it will become a joke!
Hi Chetan!
I am a big fan of your that book!
That book is the only book I have ever read.
I wanted Amir to copy more of it… like you and your gf and then her dad catching u inhis shirt and all those steamy scenes…. but he did not there were lot of other scenes that I wished could have been copied but was sad to not to see them in film…
I don’t know what to say …
FOR ME: That book is the only book I ever read….
I wish Amir could copy everything .
Hi Chetan,
Just like the people on the other side are pointing out at scenes which are different. Why don’t you list out the scenes which are exactly like mentioned in the book?
That would push them against the wall. Yesterday’s reaction by VVC is not new, he is an arrogant soul, he has always been that way; prompting this open letter by Sajid Khan. http://www.ourbollywood.com/2007/09/sajid_khans_open_letter_to_vid.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OurBollywood+%28OurBollywood%29
Go CB Go.
Was a huge fan of Raju Hirani before this – He being from Nagpur and all that – but NO MORE NOW!!!
I am from engineering college and beleive me or not every engineer has read that book from my college… We all are big fan of that book…. Its like a holy book for all engineers…
I was sad that everything was not copied .. But still I would say it was 10-30% copied in different aspects!
This is absolute insanity… I don’t know what’s going in Mr. AK’s mind.. Why can’t he read the book and do a comparison..? Sir, you should get the “Story – Chetan Bhagat” title in the movie. I’ve read FPS years ago and saw the movie now..! Its a movie derived from FPS, the script writer just made simple makeovers. that’s it..!
I’m a big fan of Aamir and don’t know why he’s commenting without reading the book. It’s not him. His basis is the scripts and your basis is the final movie. Looks like a lot has changed in between. Let the truth prevail. You will always be supported.
P.S., it would have been better if you would have masked the email id’s. It will lead to privacy issues as all the mailid’s would be picked up by spam robots in no time at all.
I know you are online chetan!!!
U r d god and 5 pt sm1 is the holy book !!
Reply me here!
Ur fellow engineer!
Hi Chetan,
I will tell you a different story about this Chopra guy. Read Maximum City by suketu mehta. he describes his workings with chopra in great detail. suketu and chopra were collaborating on some project which ended in bitter acrimony on the side of suketu with chopra thretening to sue him. since this tactic has worked in the past (probably suketu did not consider it worthwhile to enter into litigation) he is trying to bully you too.
he is part of what I have started calling “Dirty Bollywood” (DB) … i did not know that i would have to include Amir too into DB. he is plain lying that so far he has not read FPS. he may not have read before the shooting begun but clearly has done after the movie was made … he is trying to show solidarity to “unknown bollywood script writers” coz they are part of DB too.
my only request to you is not to quiver. please go to court if necessary and teach a sound lesson to chopra and if amir wants to grate his ass too in between let him also be screwed. the way amir bursted out is just too shameful … outrageous … repulsive … abominable beyond words …
please carry on this fight to the end.
Hi Chetan,
I support your cause and I dont think u are after money or cheap publicity. U’ve never done that and your books sell like hot cakes due to their merit. As a die hard fan, I would like you to request not to feed media fodder to malign this simple case.
This is a simple argument and nearly all sane ppl are on ur side.
P.S. I’ve come across this blog which might interest you.
http://www.thefourthidiot.com/
No one can take away the pleasure we had from FPS. FPS reached to the masses and every student and those who were ever students went through it and enjoyed it. The VVC camp could think of transforming it into a movie only because of this fact. I m sure a large population of viewers saw the movie because it was (FPS+ Aamir Khan + Raju Hirani). Ignore this credit issue and enjoy the number of Tweets, comments and hits on your blog.
I can understand the pain which you should be going through. Please be strong and fight it. We are all with you.
Hello sir,
We will always be there with you. Such big names in Bollywood and they restore to such cheap tricks, Aamir khan making such allegations against you and VVC shouting “SHUT UP” at a journo that just shows there culture of making money at anyone’s cost.
The movie rightly says this our lives is a race.. and they are proving that through this controversy that they wil do anything to earn money and make allegations to win this money race.
You are the best Chetan… Shame on Aamir,Hirani and “SHUT UP”VVC
Hi Chetan,
I am following this issue very closely, truth is on your side.VVC is known for changing colors. e.g Maximum City author Sukethu Mehta also mentioned in his book VVC shifted focus on Hritik from Sanjay Datt for his movie Mission Kashmir after Hritik was in limelight after his first hit movie. VVC not followed agreed showcase of trailor of Rajniti from Prakash Jha with 3idots fearing loosing to Rajniti impact. Don’t expect from him anything but continue to tear his mask…we all are with you!
Pruthvi
I think you have achieved it..we know in real who 3 Idiots are..Now you shd chill and relax and maintain ur dignity.
Dear Chetan
With big power comes the big responsibility.
Please stand for what you are. And after this episode I don’t want you to loose anything.
Upset that the story of engineering life is getting lost somewhere.
Take good care
3 Cheers to engineering days!
To get my facts right you had sold the book rights to vvc films and you had signed an agreeement with them where they had also mentioned that your name will be in the rolling credits of the movie and you were paid the mutually agreed amount. Then why all this hue and cry. According to me Once I buy the rights for something it solely belongs to me and I can do whatever I want with the rights as long as it is within the purview of the agreement. Whether I say that the movie I make is 2% based on the book or 90% based on the book is my view and why should that be a problem