On Thursday, Aamir Khan closed the London Indian Film Festival with a special appearance for the screening of Lagaan, where he was asked about Sonam Wangchuk.
Actor Aamir Khan has finally broken his silence on educator and activist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike. The actor addressed the long-standing belief that his character Rancho in 3 Idiots was based on Sonam Wangchuk, clarifying that this was not the case. However, Aamir said he is deeply concerned about Sonam Wangchuk’s health and expressed hope that he would call off his fast soon.
Aamir Khan speaks up
On Thursday, Aamir closed the London Indian Film Festival with a special appearance for the screening of Lagaan. The film was showcased as LIFF’s closing‑night highlight, with Aamir attending a post‑screening conversation reflecting on the film’s legacy 25 years after release. The actor also answered audience questions during the session.
During the conversation, Aamir was asked about Sonam Wangchuk, whose life is widely believed to have inspired his character, Rancho, in the blockbuster 3 Idiots. The discussion also touched upon Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing indefinite hunger strike, with the actor being asked to share his thoughts on the issue.
Talking about Sonam Wangchuk inspiring 3 Idiots, 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 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 (Rajkumar Hirani or Abhijat Joshi), who are the two writers, 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 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”
Following this, Aamir was asked about the growing concerns surrounding Sonam Wangchuk’s health as he continues his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“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,” Aamir said.