Mumbai: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has dismissed the long-standing belief that the iconic character, Phunsukh Wangdu (Rancho), from the film ‘3 Idiots’ was based on engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk. The actor has categorically denied that his film is not based on the life of Ladakhi innovator and education reformer.
What did Aamir Khan say?
While speaking at the London Indian Film Festival amid Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing hunger strike, Aamir Khan said neither he nor 3 Idiots’ writers knew about Wangchuk while making Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 blockbuster.
When asked about Sonam Wangchuk, the actor put an end to the misconception surrounding 3 Idiots stating that his film is not based on him.
“There is a misconception that 3 Idiots was based on Sonam Wangchuk’s life. That is not true. When the film was being written, we had no information about Sonam Wangchuk, and I did not know him personally. Having said that, the work Sonam Wangchuk is doing is absolutely right. He is on a hunger strike, and many people feel he should end it now because his health is deteriorating,” Khan said during a post-screening Q&A session at the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF).
What did Aamir say about ‘3 Idiots’ co-star Omi Vaidya?
At the event, when Aamir Khan was asked if 3 Idiots was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk, the actor said, “No, that’s not true. It’s a misunderstanding. When we were shooting 3 Idiots, I didn’t know about Mr. Sonam. I saw a video of Chatur (Omi Vaidya) and he said that. He’s wrong.”
“What Chatur (Omi Vaidya) said in the video is incorrect,” Khan said.
Aamir Khan further said, “Maybe Chatur was thinking the same thing, but I want to tell you that neither Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) and Abhijat (Abhijat Joshi),who were the two writers, nor I knew about Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing doesn’t have to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him. In fact, Mr Sonam himself has said that the character is not based on him. He has also clarified.”
What did Aamir Khan say about Sonam Wangchuk’s health?
Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, is in critical condition. When asked about his health, Aamir said, “I think all of us are very concerned for his health and life. We hope that he ends his fast.”
