‘3 Idiots’ not based on Sonam Wangchuk: Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan clarified that his "3 Idiots" character Rancho was not based on Sonam Wangchuk, calling it a misconception. While praising Wangchuk's social work, Khan expressed concern over the activist's indefinite hunger strike and urged him to end his fast for health

New Delhi: Bollywood star Aamir Khan said his character in the film “3 Idiots” was not based on Sonam Wangchuk, calling it a “misconception” and expressed concern over the activist’s hunger strike.

Khan attended the Q&A session at the London Indian Film Festival, where he was asked by a reporter to address Wangchuk’s protest. The video has been circulating on the internet.

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“3 Idiots” was directed by Rajkumar Hirani and released in 2009. It featured the actor in the role of Phunsukh Wangdu (Rancho).

Khan said during the making of the film neither he nor the writers of the film knew about Wangchuk.

“No, that’s not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing this film ‘3 Idiots’… I want to tell you neither Raju nor Abhijat, the writers of the film, nor I. We didn’t know about Mr Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case. He doesn’t have to be based on the character of ‘3 Idiots’ for us to respect him and the work that he does,” he said.

The news about Wangchuk came to the spotlight on Tuesday, after Omi Vaidya, who also featured in the film, shared the video on his X handle, claiming Khan’s character in the film was based on the activist and urged people to draw their attention to his deteriorating health.

“I know that I saw the video of Chatur (Vaidya’s character), just recently… he is wrong,” Khan added.

The actor concluded by urging Wangchuk to stop his hunger strike. “I think all of us are very concerned for his health…We hope that it ends well. All of us are hoping he ends his fast and looks after his health,” he said.

The activist has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after joining the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on June 28.

According to the medical bulletin, Wangchuk has lost more than nine kg since beginning his hunger strike. His blood sugar was recorded at 80 mg/dL, pulse rate at 72 per minute, while his blood pressure was 105/61 mmHg in the lying position and 101/65 mmHg while sitting. Doctors said his hydration was fair and he remained mentally alert.

Several celebrities have expressed their concerns over Wangchuk’s condition. including Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Sonakshi Sinha and Abhay Deol, among others.