After the war of words over the credit issue in blockbuster '3 Idiots', author Chetan Bhagat on Tuesday apologized to actor Aamir Khan and the filmmakers, saying he would like to put a lid on the controversy and "move on".
The author, whose book 'Five Point Someone' became the basis for the film, had accused the producers of not giving him due credit in the movie.
"I definitely do not have anything against team '3 Idiots'. I may have some issues on the mistake they may have made but nothing about their personality or the kind of people they are. I apologise to their families if there was any distress caused to them," Bhagat told a news channel.
"I also want to thank all my fans, who stood by me but I don't want them to turn against anyone especially Aamir. I love Aamir and they should continue to love Aamir. I also apologise to his fans," Bhagat said.
Aamir, who plays Rancho in the movie, had blasted Bhagat for being "hungry for cheap publicity" and trying to take the credit away from the scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi.
Bhagat had retorted to the allegations by saying that Aamir should stay out of the issue as he has not even read the book.
He had called Khan and the film-makers --producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Director Rajkumar Hirani-- "uncivilised people", saying, "They are making a fool of themselves."
Bhagat said he has tried to give a closure to the whole controversy and has "moved on".
"While we maintain our stance on the issue, me and my fans want to move on, and we have," Bhagat wrote on his blog.
The controversy started after Bhagat blogged about his disappointment over not being given proper credit in the film. He rued the fact that his name appears in the end credits of the movie while the story credit was shared by Abhijat and Hirani.
Aamir and the filmmakers reacted sharply to allegations, accusing the author of hankering for publicity after the film's success.
The whole issue turned ugly after Chopra told a journalist to "shut up" when questioned about the similarities between the book and the film. Chopra later apologised to the media for his behaviour.
Next day, Hirani and Joshi issued a clarification to Bhagat's allegations and also uploaded the contract signed by the author on their website, refuting Bhagat's charges.
But Bhagat continues to stick to his point that the contract was abused by the makers.
"They did not buy rights of the book, they bought the rights to adapt the book, a basic error they continue to make whether out of lack of knowledge or to evade the issue. And yes there is a contract to adapt the work but it doesn't mean they can claim authorship of the story. You can buy a painting, not claim you painted it - basic copyright law. My points are valid, and I am not a liar. Anyway, like I said, we've moved on," Bhagat said in a latest blog post.
'3 Idiots' is about two friends who set out on a journey to find their friend 'Rancho', who disappears after graduating from the engineering college. The film has grossed more than 200 crores at the box office since its release this Christmas. PTI
