Aamir Khan said his character Phunsukh Wangdu in the film *3 Idiots* was not inspired by activist Sonam Wangchuk [1, 2].
The clarification addresses a long-standing public belief that the movie's portrayal of an innovative educator was modeled after Wangchuk's real-life work in Ladakh. Because the film achieved global success, the perceived connection between the fictional character and the actual educationist has remained a point of public interest for years.
Khan spoke during an "In Conversation" event at the BFI Southbank as part of the London Indian Film Festival on Thursday [1, 3]. When journalist Nabanita Sircar raised the topic, the actor said the story was not based on the activist [1].
"It's a misconception," Khan said [1].
He said the creators of the film were unaware of Wangchuk's existence during the development of the script [2]. According to Khan, the film's makers did not know about the educationist while developing the story [2].
Beyond the cinematic connection, Khan addressed the current situation regarding Wangchuk's health. The activist has been conducting a hunger strike to protest the leak of the NEET question paper [1, 4].
"Hope he ends his fast," Khan said [4].
The actor's comments in London serve to decouple the artistic fiction of the movie from the political and social activism of Wangchuk, while acknowledging the physical toll of the activist's current protest [1, 4].
“"It's a misconception."”
By explicitly denying the inspiration for Phunsukh Wangdu, Aamir Khan is separating the legacy of a commercial blockbuster from the real-world political struggles of Sonam Wangchuk. This distinction is important as Wangchuk's current hunger strike over education system failures brings renewed attention to his role as a reformer, a role that the public had already conflated with the fictionalized version of a genius educator in *3 Idiots*.
