The controversy over Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' dragging the star, the producer and author Chetan Bhagat, whose novel was the basis for the successful film, escalated on Friday with the media caught in an ugly crossfire and was told to "shut up" amid high drama.
An upset Aamir at a press meet in Kolkata and in Noida, a Delhi suburb, trained his guns on Bhagat accusing him of being hungry for publicity after the author pointed fingers at the star and the makers of the blockbuster for not giving him due credit.
Aamir accused Bhagat of trying to take away the credit from the film's scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi, who the star said was working on the script for three years. He also said publicity-seeking people were trying to generate a controversy.
In his response, Bhagat called Khan and the film-makers --producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Director Rajkumar Hirani--as "uncivilised people" and rejected allegations that he was hankering for publicity. "They are making a fool of themselves," he said.
The press meet of the film crew in Noida turned ugly when their reaction was sought on Bhagat's allegation against them.
Chopra lost his cool when a journalist said the film was similar to the book. When Chopra asked that journalist whether he has read the book, he replied in negative after which the producer asked him to shut up.
Aamir also inquired from the journalist whether he had read the book.
When Chopra's outbursts were strongly objected to the assembled media, Aamir asked him to apologise but the producer refused.PTI
