Actor Aamir Khan has addressed a viral video posted by his 3 Idiots co-star Omi Vaidya regarding the inspiration behind the character Phunsukh Wangdu. In the clip, Vaidya, who played Chatur, backed activist Sonam Wangchuk’s protest and repeated the character’s. Correcting this claim, Khan stated, “What Chatur (Omi Vaidya) said in the video is incorrect”. Clarifying the film’s origins during a post-screening session at the London Indian Film Festival, Khan explained that writers had no prior knowledge of the Ladakhi reformer.
“There is a misconception that 3 Idiots was based on Sonam Wangchuk’s life. That is not true. When the film was being written, we had no information about Sonam Wangchuk, and I did not know him personally. Having said that, the work Sonam Wangchuk is doing is absolutely right. He is on a hunger strike, and many people feel he should end it now because his health is deteriorating,” Khan said.
While setting the record straight, Khan extended strong moral support to Wangchuk during his ongoing protest. He emphasized that the innovator’s work “doesn’t have to be based on a character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him”. In addition, he also expressed deep concern regarding the activist’s rapidly deteriorating physical state during this current fast.
