Bestselling Author Sold His Story For Just Rs 11 Lakh, It Became A Rs 350 Crore Blockbuster

When 3 Idiots hit theatres in 2009, it became a cultural phenomenon — redefining Bollywood storytelling and cementing Aamir Khan’s legacy. But behind the film’s massive success lies a little-known fact that author Chetan Bhagat recently revealed: while the film grossed around rs 350 crore worldwide, he earned only Rs 11 lakh for selling the rights to his book Five Point Someone.

Speaking on Kushal Lodha’s podcast, Bhagat shared that his debut novel’s adaptation deal was modest by today’s standards. “We had settled for a Rs 1 lakh contract for 3 Idiots, with an agreement of a Rs 10 lakh bonus. And after the success of the film, they did give me the bonus,” he said.

At the time, Bhagat was just three novels old and had recently quit his banking

job. 3 Idiots marked the first major adaptation of his writing — a turning point that made him one of India’s most recognisable authors. “I was pretty new then. Later, such rights were sold for crores. But when I sold the rights, I didn’t even know if the film would ever be made — it was an unconventional story. Nobody imagined Aamir Khan would do it,” he explained.

Bhagat added that, looking back, he still feels the deal was fair. “I know it sounds small compared to what the film made, but it was fair for the situation,” he said.

He also compared his fee to actor pay scales at the time, revealing that even top stars weren’t earning the astronomical sums they do today. “Vidhu Vinod Chopra was also making Parineeta then. I can’t confirm the numbers, but I was told Saif Ali Khan, the lead actor, was being paid Rs 25 lakh. So comparatively, Rs 11 lakh for a successful film seemed fair,” he said.

The author went on to explain that for future films like 2 States and Half Girlfriend, he structured his deals differently, breaking payments into stages — part upfront, part after production approval, and the rest before release.

3 Idiots, based on Bhagat’s 2004 novel Five Point Someone, went on to become one of India’s highest-grossing and most loved films, while also launching Bhagat into a full-time writing career that would inspire a new wave of campus fiction and Bollywood adaptations.