Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has dismissed claims that his iconic character Phunsukh Wangdu (Rancho) from the 2009 film 3 Idiots was inspired by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, calling it a “misconception”.
Khan addressed the issue during a Q&A session at the London Indian Film Festival, where a reporter asked him about Wangchuk’s ongoing hunger strike. A video of the interaction has since been widely shared online.
“3 Idiots”, directed by Rajkumar Hirani and written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi, featured Khan as Rancho, a character known for challenging conventional education systems.
Responding to the question, Khan said that neither he nor the film’s writers were aware of Wangchuk while making the film.
“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 discussion gained attention after actor Omi Vaidya, who played the character Chatur in the film, shared a video on X claiming that Khan’s character was based on Wangchuk and urged people to pay attention to the activist’s declining health.
Addressing Vaidya’s claim, Khan said, “I know that I saw the video of Chatur (Vaidya's character), just recently. He is wrong.”
Khan also expressed concern over Wangchuk’s health and appealed to him to end 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.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after joining the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest on June 28, seeking Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
According to a medical bulletin, Wangchuk has lost more than nine kg since beginning his fast. Doctors said his hydration level was fair and that he remained mentally alert. 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.
Several celebrities, including Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Sonakshi Sinha and Abhay Deol, have also voiced concern over Wangchuk’s condition.
(With inputs from PTI)