Actor Aamir Khan has expressed concern over educator and activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health amid his indefinite hunger strike, while clarifying that Wangchuk did not inspire his character Rancho in the blockbuster film 3 Idiots.
Aamir made the remarks during a special appearance at the closing ceremony of the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF), where Lagaan was screened to mark its 25th anniversary. During a post-screening interaction, the actor responded to audience questions about 3 Idiots and Sonam Wangchuk.
Addressing the long-held belief that Rancho was based on Wangchuk, Aamir said it was a misconception.
“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. I saw a video of Chatur just recently, and he said that. But he is wrong. Maybe that is what Chatur was thinking, but I want to tell you that neither Raju nor Abhijat, who are the two writers, knew about Mr Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case. He doesn’t have to be based on a character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him and the work that he does. I wanted to share this from a factual point of view,” Aamir said.
Responding to a question about Wangchuk’s ongoing hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the actor voiced concern over his health.
“All of us are very concerned for his health and his life. We hope it ends well. All of us are hoping that he ends his fast,” he said.\\
Earlier this week, actor Omi Vaidya, who portrayed Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, had extended his support to Wangchuk through a video on social media. In the video, Omi stated that Aamir Khan’s character Funsukh Wangdu was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk and urged people to pay attention to the activist’s deteriorating health and the cause he is advocating.
Aamir’s remarks, however, have clarified that the makers of 3 Idiots were unaware of Sonam Wangchuk while developing the film and that the perceived connection between Wangchuk and Rancho is factually incorrect.
