Comments on: Five Point Someone v/s 3 Idiots – A closer look

By: hirenpatel7928

hirenpatel7928 — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:00:07 +0000

I have read the above story…but I feel it is true that Mr. Chetan Bhagat (I respect him personally and do not have any crudge against it)..Mr. Bhagat is lying in his blogs and interview…
Just compare the interviews of Mr. Bhagat (first he accepts he was given the script to be read and later he denies all that repeatedly in his interview to a TV Channel..please see below links and listen from Horse’s mouth… I think I agree with 3 Idiots team that they have honored the contract but Mr. Bhagat (like an after thought of a person who has missed an opportunity) is cribbing for publicity……

By: sweta

sweta — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:02:34 +0000

i read the book long before i watched the movie…..the basic idea has been inspired by F.P.S. with few changes here and there….the due credit should go to the writer and on Mr. Hirani s part should stop calling it his original writing..

By: Vijay

Vijay — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:50:35 +0000

I had watched 3 idiots a couple of months ago and read Five Point Someone only yesterday.I do agree that the basic idea of the film is from F.P.S but it would be harsh on the film to call it a copy.The film is a Bollywoodised version of the book and the narrative structure is modified to coat the movie with messages and ideals which Raju Hirani , the director is a master at.The film is more about populating its message for the masses and Hirani and Abhijat Joshi have rightly taken the mainstream path.The film may be called an idealistic version of the book..

By: Sasi Paranthas

Sasi Paranthas — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:22:05 +0000

Nice comparison and some excellent thoughts in the post as well as in the comments. Though CB deserves full opening credit, expecting it from Bollywood and that too after that lame contract is idiotic.
I’ve given up on Bollywood. 3i is typical masala movie – not of the type that I like. Though FPS is not a masterpiece, it is awesome compared to the movie.
Some intelligent director like Anurag Basu, Nishikant Kamat, Vishal Bharadwaj, Madhur Bhandarkar, Shimit Amin, Nagesh Kukunoo or even Shyam Benegal, Mani Rathnam, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Farhan Akhar would have done wonders with this story. Sadly it’s landed into VVC and RH’s lap. I would love to see someone from the aforementioned list doing a brand new movie on FPS.

By: chander

chander — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:39:19 +0000

While the comparison is nicely written, I disagree that the movie was based largely on the book. There are many elements in the movie that are not there in the book. I have read the book and have seen the movie. Before seeing the movie I was for Chetan Bhagat and against Vinoo Vinod Chopra (thought him crazy even when I saw him ranting in the press Conference). But after seeing the movie, I wanted to apologize to Mr. Chopra for even thinking the thought and I was extremely dissappointed with Mr. Bhagat. I thought that this movie can be actually called as ‘inspired by’.

I think the writer thought that this movie would not perform well at the box office like ‘One night at a call center’ and then after the success of the movie…. Hackneyed as it may sound, these are my two cents

By: vinita

vinita — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:45:36 +0000

I read the comparison of Three Idiots vs Five point someone. It sort of confirmed my belief that the film was indeed based largely on the novel. I had read the novel many years back (when it first came out..) so this review by Mr Kamath really refreshed my memory and impressions. Really excellent comparison……….
It is indeed a pity that when we associate Mr Hirani with integrity and gandhigiri et al; he himself behaves like Lucky Singh. Obviously, with the help of crafty lawyers he caricatures in his movies. May be the contract was the way Mr Chopra says; and Mr Bhagat has really signed away the film rights and even nominally agreed with the byline he allegedly got as credits in the correct font with the right time duration; a public acknowledgement would have certainly given more credibility and grace to the whole murky episode.In fact I am sure the writer duo should have had a moment of remorse when they accepted the filmfare award for best story. I don’t know the difference between screen play and story; but certainly the story was Chetan Bhagat’s!! This was typically Bollywood finesse dealt with in the classic hindi manner style; which is famous for loosely copying anything from plots to dialogues,to music from the plethora of world cinema /world music; and indianize it with minor changes here and there and pass off as one’s own original!! Kudos Mr Hirani and Mr Chopra.

My take…even if originally the idea was borrowed and accordingly dealt with legally with honest intention of making a film just ideating from there and not actually lifted from there; then they could have gone beyond the contract; revisited the contract with mr bhagat and given him his due credit here……………..

By: RN

RN — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:02:17 +0000

Very aptly said. 5 point someone is the story and 3 idiots is the screen play version. Admittedly, there has been a lot of creative inputs from Hirani and Ahijat Joshi to have made 3 Idiots the rib tickler it was. The book was a plain yet grasping narrative whereas the movie was a laughter riot. But still, it seems imbecilic that someone would claim the movie is not a remake of 5PS.
To a person like me who read the book well before the movie was even thought of, I could connect every scene in the book to what the actors were brilliantly enacting!

3I is definitely a creative masterpiece – something that Bollywood was lacking in this genre. Full credits to Hirani and Joshi for that. Yet, I would have expected the credits to open with something like “Based on 5 Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat”. As you said, if this could happen to a well known author with a huge fan following, imagine what would become of the small time aspiring writers. This is murder of creativity!

By: Piyushkumar

Piyushkumar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:41:57 +0000

3 idiots is mostly based on the book ” five point someone ” written by chetan bhagat
movie is most simmilar to stories in 5 Pt. Somvn

By: k

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:31:40 +0000

Your post was insanely good. Keep it up!

By: yogi

yogi — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:38:43 +0000

Great work. Really appreciate the work done. I loved the book more than movie. Movie is anyways a Bollywood MASALA film. But this was a Blockbuster just because it was an author backed story. Just think the same storyline if it wasn’t lifted from the book ? It wud not have been so much successful.

yogi