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Why are R Madhavan and Chetan Bhagat fighting on Twitter?

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Mohammad Bilal
Mohammad BilalDec 21, 2021 | 15:11

Why are R Madhavan and Chetan Bhagat fighting on Twitter?

Actor R Madhavan and writer Chetan Bhagat had a virtual war on twitter which left fans puzzled as to whether it was a gimmick or a real one. The two themselves gave the answer in the end.

What happens when an actor and a writer start taking digs at each other publicly? While one is a highly respected actor loved by millions across the country, the other is a popular writer. While the actor questioned the writer's writing credentials, the writer reminded the actor of his work in a movie on his book. It was a virtual Books vs Movies war. Lines were drawn and battle was inevitable between R Madhavan and Chetan Bhagat.

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BOOKS VS MOVIES

The spat started when Chetan Bhagat answered a movies vs books question, which was posted by Netflix on Twitter. Chetan quickly responded, “My books, and the movies based on them.” R Madhavan wasted no time replying: “Hey Chetan…My bias is movies > books.”

Chetan then asked Madhavan if he had heard of any movie better than its respective book; to which Madhavan said, “YES! 3 Idiots.”

Bhagat's reply was stern: “You’re flaunting 3 Idiots to ME? Don’t try to preach to the choir, maybe you should go actually read my books.” For those who came in late, Chetan Bhagat is the writer of Five Point Someone, on which 3 Idiots was loosely based.

To which Madhavan said, “If you love books so much, why are you in my new show? Decoupled streaming only on Netflix”.

Bhagat said that he would prefer a Pulitzer over a 'pan-masala branded award show'. He also took a swipe at Madhavan when he reminded him of his character Farhan in the movie 3 Idiots.

Madhvaan had a solid reply. He said that he’s not known just as Farhan, but also as Manu from Tanu Weds Manu, Kartikh from Alaipayuthey, and his favourite, Maddy, 'kyunki mein rehta hoon sab ke dil mein'. The reference of Maddy was from his debut Bollywood movie Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein co-starring Dia Mirza and Saif Ali Khan.

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Until now, fans were keenly watching and even participating in this verbal spat between the two, but Chetan was quick to dispel any motives attached to this conversation and he asked Madhavan if he liked his Netflix debut, Decoupled.

Decoupled, which released on December 17, stars both Madhavan and Chetan Bhagat. In the web series, Madhavan plays the second best-selling author who is constantly in competition with Chetan Bhagat.

Madhavan was quick to respond. He said, “I would say just like your books, you are also better on the big screen! Hahahahaha.. actually you were Brilliant bro.”

ALL IS WELL

Madhavan finally put to rest all speculation of a Twitter war, and called this just a publicity gimmick planned by the two. Madhavan said, “Hey if course it’s scripted. @chetan_bhagat is my bro… we are just doing the publicity drill.”

Chetan Bhagat responded with a “Love u bro!”

So, sit back and relax. All is fine between R Madhavan and Chetan Bhagat, and it was a  publlicity ploy hatched by the two to draw attention to their new web series, Decoupled, on Netflix.  

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DID CHETAN BHAGAT WRITE 3 IDIOTS?

All through this, what caught people's attention was a statement from R Madhavan. Madhavan said in a reply to Bhagat that 3 Idiots was anyway better than the book. Bhagat was quick to remind Madhavan of his character 'Farhan' from 3 Idiots, which was based on Hari from Bhagat's book Five Point Someone.

The characters of Aamir Khan (Rancho), Sharman Joshi (Raju), R Madhavan (Farhan), Boman Irani (Virus) and Kareena Kapoor (Piya) were indeed based on the characters of the book but the plot and the climax scene were rewritten by director Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi to better suit the big screen. 

Last updated: December 21, 2021 | 15:11
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