So, another one of your books is being made into a movie. How did the deal come about? The book, Five Point Someone was recommended to Rajkumar Hirani by Vidya Balan. She had read the book and she loved it. I really have to thank her for this. And as a gift, I named one of the characters in my book after her.
You wrote the script for Hello. What about 3 Idiots? No. They had their own team to do that bit.
Hello flopped in the box office. What are your expectations about 3 Idiots? Everyone's hopes are high. That’s what happens when books are made into movies.
The expectations are tremendous and when they walk into the theatre, they expect the world.
Hirani says that the movie is loosely based on the book though? That’s right. The story has been changed considerably. But the message about education is still the same.
How okay are you with the story being changed? Many Hollywood movies are made from books. But you see, in that context, there is only a change in the medium. But in this case, three things change — medium, language and audience. And so, you simply can’t have a loyal adaptation of the book.
It’s only expected that the story is changed to suit those needs.
When compared to the title Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots seem a little cheesy.
Would you have preferred the original title? As I said earlier, even the title had to be changed to suit the needs. And I was completely okay with it. They just used the book to make a movie and I’m happy.
What's next? Two States - the story of my marriage was just released. Three Mistakes of my Life is being made into a movie. Abhishek Kapoor who directed Rock On! is currently working on it. And I’m doing the core screenplay for the movie.
Screenplay, scriptwriting… so any plans to turn director soon? No. I’m happy doing what I’m doing right now — writing and blogging. And I have a good fan following that a lot of directors don’t have. O, another one of your books is being made into a movie. How did the deal come about? The book, Five Point Someone was recommended to Rajkumar Hirani by Vidya Balan. She had read the book and she loved it. I really have to thank her for this. And as a gift, I named one of the characters in my book after her.
You wrote the script for Hello. What about 3 Idiots? No. They had their own team to do that bit.
Hello flopped in the box office. What are your expectations about 3 Idiots? Everyone's hopes are high. That’s what happens when books are made into movies.
The expectations are tremendous and when they walk into the theatre, they expect the world.
Hirani says that the movie is loosely based on the book though? That’s right. The story has been changed considerably. But the message about education is still the same.
How okay are you with the story being changed? Many Hollywood movies are made from books. But you see, in that context, there is only a change in the medium. But in this case, three things change — medium, language and audience. And so, you simply can’t have a loyal adaptation of the book.
It’s only expected that the story is changed to suit those needs.
When compared to the title Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots seem a little cheesy.
Would you have preferred the original title? As I said earlier, even the title had to be changed to suit the needs. And I was completely okay with it. They just used the book to make a movie and I’m happy.
What's next? Two States - the story of my marriage was just released. Three Mistakes of my Life is being made into a movie. Abhishek Kapoor who directed Rock On! is currently working on it. And I’m doing the core screenplay for the movie.
Screenplay, scriptwriting… so any plans to turn director soon? No. I’m happy doing what I’m doing right now — writing and blogging. And I have a good fan following that a lot of directors don’t have.