Amid Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike, Aamir Khan Says ‘3 Idiots’ Character Wasn’t Based On Him

Mumbai: Aamir Khan has finally broken his silence on the ongoing debate surrounding his reported silence on activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

The discussion intensified after his ‘3 Idiots’ co-star Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in the film, publicly extended his support to Wangchuk.

During a recent interaction at the British Film Institute (BFI), Aamir was asked about Wangchuk and the long-standing belief that the character of Phunsukh Wangdu in ‘3 Idiots’ was inspired by the activist.

The actor, however, was quick to clarify that the character was not based on Wangchuk.

Aamir said that he, director Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi were not acquainted with Wangchuk when the film was being made.

While clarifying the connection, the actor also expressed concern about Wangchuk’s health and appealed to him to end his hunger strike.

“No, that’s not true, actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam Wangchuk at that time when we were doing the film. I know that, I saw a video of Chatur, just recently he said that… No, he’s wrong. Maybe that’s what Chatur was thinking but I want to tell you neither did Raju, nor Abhijat (one of the two writers), nor I, we didn’t know about Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work anyway. He doesn’t need to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him and the work he’s done,” Aamir said.

Aamir also pointed out that Wangchuk himself had clarified that the character was not based on him.

“Just from a factual point of view, I wanted to clarify,” the actor said.

When asked about Sonam’s ongoing hunger strike, Aamir said, “Well, all of us are very concerned about his health and his life. And we hope that it ends well. All of us are hoping that he ends his fast and looks after himself.”

Soon after the video surfaced online, Aamir’s statements drew mixed reactions from netizens.

Saurav Das, Chief Spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party, also reacted to the actor’s comments, describing his response as “disappointing.”

“Thank you for asking this question. his response was disappointing though,” he said.

Today at @BFI I asked Mr Amir Khan about @Wangchuk66 and his fast. Here is his response: @abhijeet_dipke @CJP_2029 @Cockroachisback @SauravDassss pic.twitter.com/jkeKFssrDX

— nabanita sircar (@sircarnabanita) July 16, 2026

Meanwhile, a number of celebrities, including Zeenat Aman, Soni Razdan, Omi Vaidya, Imran Khan, Swara Bhasker, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha and Fatima Sana Shaikh, have come out in support of Wangchuk. Several of them have also voiced concern over his declining health and urged authorities to find a resolution to the ongoing situation.

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