Aamir Khan shuts down ‘3 Idiots’ Sonam Wangchuk rumor

Aamir Khan has put a firm stop to one of Bollywood’s stickier fan theories: his “3 Idiots” character Phunsukh Wangdu, he said, was not based on educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.

The actor addressed the claim during a BFI In Conversation event at BFI Southbank, held as part of the London Indian Film Festival. The festival appearance also marked 25 years since the release of “Lagaan,” Khan’s 2001 film that later earned an Oscar nomination.

Khan called the “3 Idiots” link to Wangchuk a misconception. He said director Rajkumar Hirani, writer Abhijat Joshi and Khan himself were not aware of Wangchuk when they were making the film.

The question came after Omi Vaidya, Khan’s “3 Idiots” co-star who played Chatur, posted a social media video connecting Khan’s character to Wangchuk. The video also highlighted Wangchuk’s worsening health during a hunger strike calling for the resignation of India’s education minister.

Khan said Vaidya was mistaken, while still praising Wangchuk’s work. He told the audience that Wangchuk does not need to be tied to “3 Idiots” for people to value what he is doing.

Asked directly about the hunger strike, Khan said people were concerned about Wangchuk’s health and hoped the fast would end safely.

Khan looks back at ‘Lagaan’

The London event also turned into a career tour for Khan, who said he never expected to be discussing “Lagaan” on a London stage 25 years later. Looking back at the production, he said the team was frightened and focused on getting the film right.

Khan described “Lagaan” as a story about human resilience. The film, released in 2001, remains one of the defining titles of his career.

He also spoke about growing up in a film family, with both his father and uncle working as filmmakers. Khan said his family opposed his wish to act when he was young.

Before films took over, Khan reached state champion level as a junior tennis player. Recalling an exhibition match involving Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, he joked that he had the unusual privilege of watching both stars sit on either side of the net while trying to lower it.

Khan said his first time on a film set came when he was about seven or eight, during “Yaadon Ki Baaraat.” He remembered the makeup smelling awful and the set feeling dark, loud and intimidating.

Roles, risks and the next film

Khan named Ketan Mehta’s 1984 film “Holi” as a turning point, saying he joined partly because he wanted to see how a Steadicam worked. According to Khan, the equipment never arrived and the film was shot handheld.

Discussing Hindi cinema, Khan said he sees the 1950s and 1960s as Indian cinema’s golden era, pointing to the writers, composers and directors of that period. He described the 1980s as a low point for commercial cinema before younger filmmakers helped renew it.

Khan said he was “swimming against the tide” with some of his choices as a leading man, including Deepa Mehta’s “1947 Earth.” He also recalled rejecting a Mahesh Bhatt film during a run of box-office failures because he did not like the script, saying that decision helped him trust his instincts.

He said he later judged projects by three things: the script, his trust in the director and whether the producer would give the creative team the resources it needed.

Khan’s next project is “Silkyara 41,” an Indo-Australian feature from Aamir Khan Productions, Mind Blowing Films and Kabir Khan Films. The film is inspired by the 2023 rescue mission at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, India.

Written by Australian screenwriter Andrew Anastasios and directed by Kabir Khan, “Silkyara 41” centers on tunneling expert Arnold Dix’s role in the operation. Preparation is set to begin Aug. 1, with principal photography scheduled for November.

This story draws on original reporting from Variety.