Legendary Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has finally clarified the age-old rumor regarding his landmark movie 3 Idiots, stating categorically that his character of Phunsukh Wangdu, better known as Rancho, was never inspired from Ladakhi educational visionary Sonam Wangchuk.
There has been a lot of debate among fans comparing Rancho’s unconventional approach to education in the 2009 movie with the efforts made by Wangchuk in revamping the education process in Ladakh. The commonality in names, i.e. Wangdu and Wangchuk, had led many people to speculate this. But Aamir has debunked this notion and termed it a “misconception.”
Speaking during a Q&A session at the London Indian Film Festival, Aamir was asked about the belief that Sonam Wangchuk inspired Rancho. Responding to the question, the actor said:
“No, that’s not true actually. That is a misconception.”
The actor said that he himself and the makers of the film 3 Idiots had no knowledge about Wangchuk during the making of the film. He specifically mentioned director Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi, saying:
“I didn’t know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing this film, 3 Idiots.”
According to him, the assumption that Rancho was directly inspired by Wangchuk grew later and became a widely accepted belief despite not being factually correct.
Aamir praises Sonam Wangchuk despite denying the link
As much as he was addressing the misunderstanding, Aamir was keen not to ignore the contributions of Wangchuk. Aamir pointed out that despite the 3 Idiots character being not inspired by Wangchuk, his contributions ought to be appreciated.
“What Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case.”
Moreover, Aamir was worried about the health of Wangchuk given that he had been undergoing a hunger strike. He stated that Wangchuk did not have to be associated with a movie character in order to earn respect for what he does.
Why fans connected Rancho with Wangchuk
Speculation arose due to the several resemblances between Wangchuk and Rancho’s personality. In 3 Idiots, Rancho questions conventional teaching methods, promotes creativity and thinks that students need to seek knowledge instead of grades.
On the other hand, Wangchuk has been working on unconventional educational ventures and teaching students in Ladakh. Many people believed that Wangchuk had inspired the character of the main protagonist of the movie due to his unique educational approach.
The rumors were fueled even more when the actor who played Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, Omi Vaidya, posted a video message claiming that the inspiration for the character of Rancho came from Sonam Wangchuk. Commenting on the rumor, Aamir Khan quoted the statement made by Chatur and denied it.
“I saw a video of Chatur just recently, and he said that. But he is wrong. Maybe that’s what Chatur was thinking,” Aamir Khan commented.
With Aamir Khan’s clarification, the long-standing speculation around Rancho’s connection with Sonam Wangchuk appears to have finally been put to rest.
More than a decade since its release, 3 Idiots still stands as a landmark movie, and Rancho is still recognized as an example of challenging the system and acquiring knowledge in unconventional ways. Despite all the rumors regarding the inspiration behind the film, the message that comes out of it still holds meaning for many.