Actor Aamir Khan has put an end to a long-standing belief about his iconic film 3 Idiots. Speaking at a question-and-answer session at London's British Film Institute on July 16, he said that his character Phunsukh Wangdu was not inspired by Ladakhi engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk.
According to Hindustan Times, Aamir called the popular belief a “misconception” and stressed that neither he nor the film's writers knew about Wangchuk during the making of the film.
Aamir Khan calls the claim a “misconception”
When asked about the connection between his character and Sonam Wangchuk, Aamir was clear in his response. “No, that is not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing the film, 3 Idiots,” he said, as reported by Zoom TV.
Aamir also mentioned that he recently saw a video where someone claimed the character was inspired by Wangchuk. “I saw a video of Chatur just recently, and he said that. But he is wrong,” he added.
"No, that is not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing the film, 3 Idiots." — Aamir Khan, as reported by Zoom TV
Aamir expresses concern over Sonam Wangchuk's health
During the same event, Aamir also spoke about Sonam Wangchuk's recent hunger strike. According to Hindustan Times, Aamir expressed concern over Wangchuk's health and said he hoped Wangchuk would end his fast soon.
Our Take: A necessary clarification on a long-held belief
In our view, Aamir Khan's clarification is important because it corrects a widely repeated story that has been accepted as fact for years. Many fans and media outlets have linked the character of Phunsukh Wangdu to Sonam Wangchuk, largely because of the similar surname and Wangchuk's work in education reform. But Aamir has now made it clear that this connection was never intended. While Sonam Wangchuk's real-life work in education does share themes with the film, the character was not based on him. This does not take away from Wangchuk's achievements — it simply sets the record straight about the film's origins.
