Aamir Khan Says Rancho Was Not Inspired by Sonam Wangchuk

Guwahati: The Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has dismissed long-standing claims that his iconic character Phunsukh Wangdu, known as Rancho, from the 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots, was inspired by education reformer and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, describing the belief as a "misconception".

The clarification comes as Wangchuk's ongoing hunger strike has drawn nationwide attention, reviving speculation that the beloved character was based on him. While expressing concern for Wangchuk's health and admiration for his work, Aamir said the character was never directly inspired by the activist.

Amir Khan made the remarks during the closing event of the London Indian Film Festival, where he attended a special screening of his critically acclaimed film Lagaan. During an interaction with the audience, Aamir was asked about the widely held belief linking Wangchuk to Rancho.

Aamir said, "No, that is not true, actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were making 3 Idiots. I recently saw a video of Chatur, 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 (Rajkumar Hirani or Abhijat Joshi), who are the two writers, nor I knew about Mr Sonam at that time."

He added, "However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case. He doesn't have to be the inspiration for a character in 3 Idiots for us to respect him and the work that he does. I wanted to clarify this from a factual point of view."

Meanwhile, ex wife of Amir Khan and  filmmaker Kiran Rao joined several prominent academics, artists and public figures in signing an open letter on  16^th July’s night urging Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike. The letter also appealed to the Union Government to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the activist regarding his demands.

Also Read- “Don't Let Phunsukh Wangdu Die” Omi Vaidya Backs Sonam Wangchuk as Hunger Strike Enters 17th Day