Bollywood actor Aamir Khan on Wednesday clarified that the character played by him in the movie “3 Idiots” is not based on Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently on hunger strike as part of a protest against India’s education system at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, calling it a “misconception”.
Khan also expressed concerns about the activists’ decision to go on a hunger strike.
The video shows Khan attending a question and answer session held at the London Indian Film Festival. At this event, one of the reporters had approached him with questions regarding the hunger strike staged by Wangchuk.
“3 Idiots”, which was helmed by Rajkumar Hirani, was released in 2009 and starred Aamir as Phunsukh Wangdu (“Rancho”).
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During the making of the film Khan himself admitted that neither he nor the writers were aware of Wangchuk’s existence until this news broke out.
He said, "No, that's not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing this film '3 Idiots'... I want to tell you neither Raju nor Abhijat, the writers of the film, nor I. We didn't know about Mr Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case. He doesn't have to be based on the character of '3 Idiots' for us to respect him and the work that he does.”
Tuesday saw Wangchuk gain prominence as Omi Vaidya, another participant in the movie — shared the video on his X handle asserting that Khan’s character in the movie had been based on the activist. He implored everyone to draw their attention to the activist’s deteriorating health.
"I know that I saw the video of Chatur (Vaidya's character), just recently... he is wrong," Khan added.
The actor concluded by urging Wangchuk to stop his hunger strike. "I think all of us are very concerned for his health...We hope that it ends well. All of us are hoping he ends his fast and looks after his health," he said.
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Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s famed Jantar Mantar site last month after joining the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest seeking the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan for alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on June 28.
Wangchuk’s physical condition as stated by doctors in the medical bulletin includes losing more than nine kg from when he started his hunger strike. Blood sugar levels of 80 mg/dL were observed while his pulse rate was measured at 72 per minute. In the lying position his blood pressure was noted down as 105/61mmHg but dropped to 101/65mmHg in a sitting position. Doctors also mentioned that his hydration level was good and he remained mentally alert all through.
Celebrities too are raising concern regarding Wangchuk’s health such as Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Sonakshi Sinha and Abhay Deol among many others.
