A Friday press conference in Noida by the makers of
3 Idiots turned into a full-blown war of words between the media and the filmmakers when the producer shouted at a TV reporter who asked him about the controversy raised by author Chetan Bhagat.
HT City had broken the
story of Bhagat, author of
Five Point Someone, being upset because although the movie was based on his best-selling book, the makers had buried his name almost at the end of the roll of credits. He even wrote about it on his blog, and was flooded with supportive responses from fans.
Asked about the controversy, Chopra told the reporter: “Have you read the book? No, you have not read the book. So shut up.”
Earlier the film’s leading actor Aamir Khan claimed Bhagat himself had once admitted the film was very different from the book. “Now that the film has been successful, he is trying to get some credit,” Aamir said.
Speaking to HT over phone, Bhagat said, “I’m surprised they’ve treated journalists like this. They believe they are above others.”