>Rodw at 19:05, 1 July 2021

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{{short description|2004 novel by Chetan Bhagat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2020}}
{{advert|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Five Point Someone: What not to do at IIT
| author = [[Chetan Bhagat]]
| country = [[India]]
| genre = Fiction, [[Buddy film|Buddy]]
| publisher = [[Rupa & Co.]]
| isbn = 81-291-0459-8
| image = Five Point Someone-What not to do at IIT.jpg
| caption = First edition
| release_date = 4 August 2004
| pages = 270
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| media_type = Paperback
}}
'''''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.<ref name="sales">{{cite web|title=The Age of Bhagat|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/chetan-bhagat-novel-half-girlfriend-two-million-copies-set-to-roll-off-press/1/379631.html|date=28 August 2014|work=India Today|access-date=20 August 2014}}</ref> The [[Hindi]] movie ''[[3 Idiots]]'' and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] movie [[Nanban (2012 film)|Nanban]] is based on this book.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2016/10/16/nl-interviews-part-2-chetan-bhagat-on-feminism-and-one-indian-girl|title=NL interviews (Part 2): Chetan Bhagat on feminism and One Indian Girl|date=15 October 2016|publisher=News Laundry / You tube channel|access-date=10 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.india.com/entertainment/bollywood-news-chetan-bhagat-accuses-vidhu-vinod-chopra-of-driving-him-close-to-suicide-after-3-idiots-calls-out-elite-critics-4091009/|title=Chetan Bhagat Accuses Vidhu Vinod Chopra of ‘Driving Him Close to Suicide’ After 3 Idiots, Calls Out ‘Elite Critics’|publisher=India.com|date=July 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/vidhu-vinod-chopra-drove-me-close-to-suicide-claims-writer-chetan-bhagat-2266452|title=Vidhu Vinod Chopra "Drove Me Close To Suicide," Claims Writer Chetan Bhagat|date=July 21, 2020|publisher=NDTV}}</ref>The book was also adapted into a play by the theatre company "Evam.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-03-31|title=Theatre Review: Five Point Someone|language=en-IN|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/theatre-review-five-poin2020t-someone/story-Y1sdvblVlt61Lc1xFD2PrN.html|access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-11-27|title=Five Point Someone|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/theatre/Five-Point-Someone/article15719767.ece|access-date=2020-08-14|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==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'.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mishra |first1=Amit |title=Five Points Someone – Book Review – Chetan Bhagat |url=https://thelastcritic.com/novel/five-points-someone-book-review-chetan-bhagat/ |website=The Last Critic |access-date=27 December 2020}}</ref>

==Film adaptations==
{{further|3 Idiots|Nanban (2012 film)}}

This book was made into two films, ''[[3 Idiots]]'' in [[Hindi]] and ''[[Nanban (2012 film)|Nanban]]'' in [[Tamil language|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.

*Ryan Oberoi : Ranchoddas Shamaldas Chanchad (Rancho) aka Phunsukh Wangdu (played by [[Aamir Khan]] (Hindi))/Panchavan Parivendan (Pari) aka Kosaksi Pasupugazh (played by [[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]] (Tamil)), – A young, energetic and supposedly wealthy college going student who is passionate about engineering. Though Rancho wants to be an engineer, he leans more towards inventing rather than seeking for a job in an [[Multinational corporation|MNC]] unlike his other college-mates. According to him, one's profession should be something he or she loves doing, irrespective of how much it pays. He also keeps stating throughout the film that one should run after excellence, not after success. Rancho also believes in the concept of "All Is Well", in which people should focus on the present and live it as it is, instead of worrying over the future. There are many significant differences between the Ryan and Rancho characters, both in their background and attitudes.
*Hari Kumar : Farhan Qureshi (played by [[R. Madhavan|Madhavan]] ([[Braj Bhasha|Hindi]]))/Venkat Ramakrishnan (played by [[Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1979)|Srikanth]] ([[Tamil language|Tamil]])) – The narrator of the story, a young college going student who loves wildlife photography, but is being forced by his parents to become an engineer. Hari's background (as acknowledged in one chapter of the book) was not elaborated upon. However, Hari seemed to be auto-biographical and the "Krish" character in Chetan Bhagat's ''[[2 States: The Story of My Marriage|2 States]]'' (who apparently continues on from the Hari character) would provide greater details about Hari's background.
*Alok Gupta : Raju Rastogi (played by [[Sharman Joshi]] (Hindi))/Sevarkodi Senthil (played by [[Jiiva]] (Tamil)) – A young and insecure college going student who isn't confident enough to deal with problems in life all by himself and always relies on God. Raju's only mission in life is to pull his family out of poverty, improve their economic status and get his elder sister married. This character is very similar to the one in the book.
*Prof. Cherian : Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus) (played by [[Boman Irani]] (Hindi))/Virumaandi Santhanam (played by [[Sathyaraj]] (Tamil)) – A hugely competitive, efficient, strict and disciplined man who has been running the Imperial College of Engineering (Ideal Engineering College in Tamil) for the last three decades. He believes that life is a race, the ones who are not efficient about work and time get crushed. He sneers at Rancho's concept of studying for knowledge rather than marks and constantly spars with him and his friends due to this. He is known as "Virus" among the students. Virus has a greater role at the college when compared to Prof. Cherian.
*Neha Cherian : Pia Sahastrabuddhe (played by [[Kareena Kapoor]] (Hindi))/Ria Santhanam (played by [[Ileana D'Cruz]] (Tamil)) – A young, beautiful, eccentric doctor, daughter of Viru Sahastrabuddhe and Rancho's love interest. This character is a complete departure from the book, because in the book, she was Hari's girlfriend. Also while Pia and Rancho finally end up together, Neha and Hari maintain a long distance relationship despite of Hari's job at Mumbai and Neha at Delhi.
*Venkat : Chatur Ramalingam (played by [[Omi Vaidya]] in Hindi)/Srivatsan (played by [[Sathyan Sivakumar|Sathyan]] in Tamil) – A competitive and studious [[South India]]n college student ([[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|NRI]] student in Tamil) who believes rote learning is the only way to excellence and also believes that there is no time for creativity and innovation in the turbulent and competitive race of life. Venkat has a small role in the book, while Chatur is one of the major characters in the movie.

Following the success of ''3 Idiots'' in [[East Asian cinema|East Asian markets]] such as China and Hong Kong, the producer [[Vidhu Vinod Chopra]] has announced that [[Cinema of Hong Kong|Hong Kong film]] star [[Stephen Chow]] (known for [[comedy film]]s such as ''[[Shaolin Soccer]]'' and ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]'') will be producing a [[Cinema of China|Chinese remake]] of the film. Chopra also announced that there are plans for a [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] remake, and is in talks with three different American studios interested in remaking the film. Chopra stated that there is an [[Cinema of Italy|Italian film]] studio also interested in remaking the film.<ref name="indiatimes_remake">{{cite news|title=3 Idiots getting Hollywood remake|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-05/news-interviews/30476966_1_idiots-ongoing-international-film-festival-hindi-film|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831121002/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-05/news-interviews/30476966_1_idiots-ongoing-international-film-festival-hindi-film|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 August 2013|access-date=29 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=5 December 2011}}</ref>

== Awards ==
*Indo-America Society's Society Young Achiever's Award (2004)
*The Publisher's Recognition Award (2005)

*It was adapted into a play by the theatre company "Evam" which took it on a national tour in India in 2010.

== ''3 Idiots'' controversy ==
Before the release of the film, director [[Rajkumar Hirani]] commented on the relationship between ''Five Point Someone'' and ''3 Idiots'' stating:
:Chetan gave me this book to read and I wanted to make a film on it. But I knew right from the start that I could not make a film completely on the book, as it was very anecdotal and a film needs a plot. So I had decided to rewrite it in a screenplay format. You'll see that the film is very different from the book. After I wrote the script, I called Chetan and narrated it to him. I told him that if he did not like the script, I would stop the project. But he was okay with it.<ref>[http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/dec/23/slide-show-1-rajkumar-hirani-on-3idiots.htm#contentTop "Aamir's dedication is mistaken as interference"], Rediff.com, 23 December 2009.</ref>

The day after the film opened, Chetan also noted:
:Initially I did sit down with Raju and Abhijat while they were deciding to make a film based on 'Five Point Someone'. I even went to IIT with Abhijat a couple of times. But it was just not possible for me to be involved at every stage of the screenplay writing process since I was in Hong Kong at that time, working full-time and busy writing other books. Moreover, Abhijat is based in USA, Raju was in the US for quite a while working on the screenplay but it was not practical for me to do that [...] The film retains the soul of the book. ''3 Idiots'' is different from the book but at the same time it does borrow many things from the book. The core theme and message of the film is coming from the book itself. And that's why the makers have officially credited the film as 'Based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat.'<ref name=Bhagatint>[http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/chetan-bhagat-interview-261209.html "3 Idiots retains the soul of Five Point Someone"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130217224552/http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/chetan-bhagat-interview-261209.html |date=17 February 2013 }}, Chetan Bhagat interview, ''One India''.</ref>

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.<ref name=akinterview>{{cite web|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/interviews/02-aamir-khan-interview-011005.asp |title=Interview:Aamir Khan |publisher=GlamSham |access-date=5 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308111215/http://www.glamsham.com/movies/interviews/02-aamir-khan-interview-011005.asp |archive-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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."<ref>Sharma, Neha.[http://www.hindustantimes.com/Chetan-Bhagat-feeling-cheated/H1-Article1-491135.aspx "Chetan Bhagat feeling cheated?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225125702/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Chetan-Bhagat-feeling-cheated/H1-Article1-491135.aspx |date=25 February 2010 }}, ''Hindustan Times'', 27 December 2009.</ref> 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"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chetanbhagat.com/blog/general/a-book-a-film-and-the-truth |title=A book, a film and the truth |access-date=6 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225052408/http://www.chetanbhagat.com/blog/general/a-book-a-film-and-the-truth |archive-date=25 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.''"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/vidhu-vinod-chopra-loses-cool-over-3-idiots-credit-row-lead_100297690.html|title=Vidhu Vinod Chopra loses cool over '3 Idiots' credit row (Lead)|date=1 January 2010}}</ref> 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’."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-03/india/28134698_1_chetan-bhagat-vidhu-vinod-chopra-idiots|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025192109/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-03/india/28134698_1_chetan-bhagat-vidhu-vinod-chopra-idiots|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-10-25|title=Vidhu apologises, Hirani flaunts pact with Chetan|agency=TNN|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> [[Aamir Khan]] also responded to these claims.<ref name=akinterview/><ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_upset-aamir-khan-hits-out-at-novelist-chetan-bhagat_1329677 Upset Aamir Khan hits out at novelist Chetan Bhagat]. ''Daily News and Analysis''. (1 January 2010). Retrieved 5 January 2012.</ref> [[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."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120612045736/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-04/news-interviews/28142618_1_chetan-bhagat-due-credit-idiots 3 Idiots may sue Chetan Bhagat]. ''The Times of India''. (4 January 2010). Retrieved 5 January 2012.</ref> Legal documents concerning the relationship between Bhagat and the filmmakers have been added to the [[Vinod Chopra Productions]] website as well.<ref>[http://www.vinodchopra.com/ Vinod Chopra Films: Legal agreements]. Vinodchopra.com. Retrieved 5 January 2012.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.chetanbhagat.com/books/fps/}}

{{Chetan Bhagat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Five Point Someone - What Not To Do At IIT}}
[[Category:2004 Indian novels]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Indian English-language novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in India]]
[[Category:Fiction set in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Campus novels]]
[[Category:Novels set in Delhi]]
[[Category:Rupa Publications books]]
[[Category:Indian Institutes of Technology in fiction]]
[[Category:Novels by Chetan Bhagat]]
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into plays]]
[[Category:2004 debut novels]]

Five Point Someone - Revision history

>Rodw at 19:05, 1 July 2021