Arcadia

plot thickens in the '3 Idiots' row.

Rajkumar Hirani, director of 3 Idiots, has accused writer Chetan Bhagat of "slander" and insists that the film's makers have rights to his novel.

"I want to tell Chetan to stop this slandering, talk the truth and say 'all is well'," Hirani said on Saturday.

Bhagat, on his blog and in an interview to CNN-IBN has alleged, that 3 Idiots is based on his novel Five Point Someone but the film’s makers have not given him credit prominently. Bhagat claims the plot and, characters in the movie were copied from his book.

Hirani denies this. "A perception is being created in the media that we have copied the script and story of Chetan Bhagat's novel. I want to clarify that we have bought the story," he said.

Hirani claimed Bhagat had signed a contract with the film's makers. "He has given us the rights to modify the story. We have nowhere promised him to give a title (credit) in the beginning (of the movie). We have given him a title at the correct place. He is wrong in saying that his name is after the junior artistes. His name comes after the main artistes of the film."

Hirani insists that Bhagat was clearly told that the movie would change the novel's story. "I told him we'll have to change it a bit – a novel and film are different from each other."

Source: Buzz18