Five Point Someone

Five Point Someone: What not to do at IIT is a 2004 novel written by Indian author Chetan Bhagat. The book sold more than a million copies worldwide. The Hindi movie "3 Idiots" is based on this book.The book was also adapted into a play by the theatre company "Evam.
Plot.
The book is narrated by Hari, with some small passages by his friends Ryan and Alok, as well as a letter by Hari's girlfriend Neha Cherian. It deals with the lives of the 3 friends, whose elation on making it to one of the best engineering colleges in India is quickly deflated by the rigour and monotony of the academic work. Most of the book deals with the numerous attempts by the trio to cope with and/or beat the system as well as Hari's fling with Neha who just happens to be the daughter of Prof. Cherian, the domineering head of the Mechanical Engineering department of their college.
It takes some dark turns every now and then, especially when it comes to the families of the protagonists. Most of the action, however, takes place inside the campus as the boys, led by the ever creative Ryan, frequently lamenting how the internationally lauded IIT system has stifled their creativity by forcing them to value grades more than anything else. Uninspiring teaching and numerous assignments add to their woes, though the boys do find a sympathiser in Prof Veera.
Translation.
The book has been translated into Hindi and is published by Prabhat Prakash Advaniji releases two novels; Five Point Someone and One Night @ the Call Centre]. Organiser. 9 November 2008.It set a record by being purchased by 30,000 people in one month, and has gone on to become a top seller in Hindi.
Reception.
Despite its commercial success, the book was universally panned by contemporary book critics in India, with some calling it 'fast food literature'. Many discarded it as 'Bollywood on paper' referring to its over the top nature. Amit Mishra, writing for The Last Critic, refers to the book as ' bereaved of all the literary juice' and lacking literary 'standard'.
Film adaptations.
This book was made into two films, "3 Idiots" in Hindi and "Nanban" in Tamil. The names of the characters and their attributes were changed. Also, both the films were not full adaptations of the books, as many of the scenes from the book, including the climax, were changed in the films.
Following the success of "3 Idiots" in East Asian markets such as China and Hong Kong, the producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has announced that Hong Kong film star Stephen Chow (known for comedy films such as "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fu Hustle") will be producing a Chinese remake of the film. Chopra also announced that there are plans for a Hollywood remake, and is in talks with three different American studios interested in remaking the film. Chopra stated that there is an Italian film studio also interested in remaking the film.
"3 Idiots" controversy.
Before the release of the film, director Rajkumar Hirani commented on the relationship between "Five Point Someone" and "3 Idiots" stating:
The day after the film opened, Chetan also noted:
A controversy developed a few days after the release, however, over the fact that Chetan's credit, "Based on the novel "Five Point Someone" by Chetan Bhagat" appeared in the closing credits rather than in the opening ones. At that time, Bhagat stated that he "was expecting an opening credit and I was quite surprised on not seeing it. They had bought the rights, made the payment and committed to a credit in the contract. It’s there, but it’s not about it being there, it’s about the placement and the prominence." In a 31 December 2009 blog post on his personal website, Bhagat stated that he was told the movie was only 2–5% based on the book, but when he saw it, he felt that it was 70% of the book. He also argued that he was misled by the makers of the film, though he noted, that "this has nothing to do with Mr. Aamir Khan [...] I am a big fan of Aamir and he has made my story reach people. However, he was told by the makers not to read the book, and he hasn’t. Thus, he cannot comment on the issue in a meaningful manner"
A few people responded to Chetan's statements. According to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), during a press conference with reporters producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra "clarified that in the agreement between the producer and Bhagat, it was clearly mentioned that the author’s name would be put in the closing credits." IANS also reported that Chopra "lost his cool" and "asked a reporter to shut up after being questioned whether his hit "3 Idiots" was lifted from author Chetan Bhagat’s book "Five Point Someone."" Chopra later apologised, stating: "I really think I’m silly. I was provoked, but I shouldn’t have done this. I saw myself on TV and saw how I was shouting ‘shut up, shut up’ like an animal. I told myself — ‘what nonsensical behavior’." Aamir Khan also responded to these claims. Rajkumar Hirani stated that "We have officially bought the rights for the film. We drew a contract with him and it clearly mentions about the position of his credit. With open eyes he had seen the contract, consulted his lawyer and signed the agreement [...] In the contract, we have said that the title would be given in the rolling credits. We haven't changed the font size. We haven't increased the speed of the title. It's exactly there where it was agreed to be." Legal documents concerning the relationship between Bhagat and the filmmakers have been added to the Vinod Chopra Productions website as well.