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Aamir always denied Wangchuk inspired '3 Idiots,' but there's more... 
17 Jul 2026

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is facing backlash for denying that his iconic character Phunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiots (2009) was based on real-life engineer-turned-activist Sonam Wangchuk.

However, a decade-old video has surfaced where Khan made the same statement, insisting that the film was inspired by Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone and not any real person.

But this is not the end of the entire scenario.

In 2016, Khan clarified Wangdu's inspiration
Consistent stance

In a video from December 2016, Khan was asked if Wangdu was inspired by Wangchuk. He responded, "Who is Sonam?" and then added, "Our film was adapted from the book."

When reminded that Bhagat wrote the bestselling book, he confirmed it and said, "Yes, Chetan Bhagat. He had written a book Five Point Someone. 3 Idiots is based on that book not on any real-life person."

What Khan said recently
Recent developments

At the London Indian Film Festival on Thursday, a journalist asked Khan about Wangchuk's ongoing hunger strike and his association with 3 Idiots.

Khan replied, "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."

"However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case."

He noted he was "concerned" about Wangchuk and hoped the educator would end his fast soon.

Wangchuk recalled meeting Khan back in 2008
Earlier claims

Now, while Khan has always maintained that his film was based on the book, Wangchuk had also clarified years ago that he had nothing to do with the movie.

But in a Josh Talks episode, the environmentalist had recalled meeting Khan back in 2008 when he was scheduled to receive an award for his work in Ladakh.

Later, Wangchuk found out a film team had sought permission to shoot at his school campus, but were denied due to environmental concerns.

Wangchuk asked '3 Idiots' team about similarities...
Enquiry

The crew hadn't disclosed the project's name, and after being denied, shot the sequence at a nearby school. After 3 Idiots was released and fans hounded Wangchuk about the similarities, the activist decided to find out more.

He said that he didn't publicly confront the makers as he didn't want "people to think I was also trying to get money" (3 Idiots makers had a scuffle with Bhagat). Instead, Wangchuk wrote to the makers asking for clarification; they never replied.