The debate over whether Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots character was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk has taken a fresh turnSonam Wangchuk has now responded to Aamir’s claim that they never met before the film was made
Published: August 30, 2026, 1:52 PM IST
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Sonam Wangchuk responds to Aamir Khan’s ‘We never met’ claim before 3 Idiots (PC: Twitter)
The 3 Idiots connection between Aamir Khan and Sonam Wangchuk has found its way back into the spotlight, and this time, Wangchuk has a rather witty responseThe Ladakhi educator and climate activist has addressed Aamir’s recent claim that he did not know him when 3 Idiots was being madeWhile the actor had called the long-standing connection between Phunsukh Wangdu and Sonam Wangchuk a misconception, the activist has now recalled a meeting between the twoAnd his explanation comes with a rather unexpected reference to one of Aamir’s most memorable characters.
Sonam Wangchuk responds to Aamir Khan’s ‘we never met’ claim
The latest development comes after Aamir Khan recently addressed the belief that his character Phunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiots was based on Sonam WangchukAamir said the claim was a misconception and stated that he did not know Wangchuk when the Rajkumar Hirani directorial was being madeHe also said that the film’s writers were not aware of him at the time.
Sonam Wangchuk has now offered his side of the story while speaking to YouTuber Prakhar GuptaHe pointed to an old video showing Aamir at an event where Wangchuk was present and recalled that they had interacted before 3 Idiots.
According to Wangchuk, their meeting was not simply a passing introductionHe said the two spoke in detail and discussed a lot of thingsIn the podcast he said, “Uss time jab unhone kaha ki hum toh mile bhi nahi the… Toh baad me kuch videos aaye jisme woh Ghajini outfit mein mere ek speech ko dekh rahe theShayad woh Ghajini outfit mein the toh short-term memory loss huwa hoga, 15 second me bhul gaye hongeToh, mai hairaan nahi hoonWarna bahot detail mein mile the hum (At the time, when he said that we had never even met, some videos later surfaced showing him watching one of my speeches while dressed in the Ghajini outfitPerhaps he was so immersed in the Ghajini character that he suffered short-term memory loss and forgot about it within 15 secondsSo, I’m not surprisedOtherwise, we had met in great detail).”
Why did Sonam Wangchuk mention Aamir Khan’s Ghajini?
Sonam Wangchuk’s response took a humorous turn when he referred to Aamir’s role in GhajiniIn the 2008 film, Aamir played Sanjay Singhania, a character who suffers from short-term memory loss
Sonam Wangchuk said, “Humne suna hai na, woh apne character mein ghus jaate haiToh shayad Ghajini mein itne ghuse the ki jab woh award function me aaye, jisme main award le raha tha, woh bhi bhul gaye hongeWarna bahot detail mein mile, bahot ideas discuss kiye (We often hear that actors get so deeply into their characters. Maybe he got so immersed in Ghajini that when he came to the award function where I was receiving an award, he forgot that tooOtherwise, we had met at length and discussed several ideas).”
Wangchuk further recalled that Aamir had attended an award function where he was receiving an awardHe maintained that they had met at length and discussed several ideas during their interaction.
About 3 Idiots and Sonam Wangchuk connection
The connection between 3 Idiots, Aamir Khan’s character Phunsukh Wangdu aka Rancho and Sonam Wangchuk has remained debated for yearsWangchuk himself said in 2018 that the film was “not a biopic” but was “inspired” by himHowever, Aamir Khan recently denied this, saying neither he nor director Rajkumar Hirani or writer Abhijat Joshi knew Wangchuk while making the film
This triggered renewed debate, especially after actor Omi Vaidya said Phunsukh Wangdu was based on WangchukMeanwhile, Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra have offered different accounts of what inspired Rancho.
