When Sonam Wangchuk Distanced Himself From 3 Idiots: 'If The Film Is Influenced By Me, I Am Not Very Proud'

Sonam Wangchuk, the renowned engineer, climate activist, and education reformer from Ladakh, launched an indefinite hunger strike on June 28, 2026. He is demanding that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign following allegations of a leaked NEET exam paper. The protest has entered its 18th day. Wangchuk has shed over 8 kgs while his blood pressure has dropped significantly, triggering health concerns. Several celebs and politicians have urged him to stop the protest.

Omi Vaidya, who starred in 3 Idiots, voiced his support for Wangchuk. "I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die," Vaidya said in an Instagram video.

When Sonam Wangchuk said, ‘I am not Phunsukh Wangdu'

People have assumed that Aamir Khan's character Phunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiots was inspired by the Ladakhi reformer. Wangchuk has repeatedly separated himself from the production. He stated that the creators never approached him for input or sought his approval. He added that his subsequent correspondence to the producers raising concerns about the exploitation of his life story went unanswered. "They secretly came to my school to shoot the film," he once claimed.

Earlier, during his appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Wangchuk told Amitabh Bachchan, "If you say inspired, then I won’t deny it. A lot of people say the film is based on me, but I don’t agree with that. The right word is that it may have been inspired or influenced. At the same time, I don’t want people in this country to accept something simply because it is associated with a film. So even if the film is influenced by me, I am not very proud of it. And if it is not inspired by me, I don’t regret it either."

Why Khan distanced himself from 3 Idiots

During a Josh Talks session, he expressed frustration over constant inquiries about whether his school is the one shown in the film. "I am troubled because people constantly ask me, ‘Is your school the one shown in 3 Idiots? Are you Phunsukh Wangdu?’ I want to clarify: No, I am not Phunsukh Wangdu. I am Sonam Wangchuk. I don’t work in films; I work in real life. I work on innovations that can go from India to the world and make our country proud."

When Wangchuk met Aamir Khan

In 2008, Wangchuk met Khan in Mumbai while attending an event.

Wangchuk pitched a film idea to the superstar regarding the Siachen conflict. He wanted to highlight how redirecting the Rs 7 crore daily military spending could fund education.

"I told him, 'Can you make a film on the tension in Siachen, where countries are fighting over a piece of ice while spending nearly Rs 7 crore every day? Can we show that ordinary people from both countries solve the problem and that money is instead used for education?'"Wangchuk said.

Khan listened and also watched an audio-visual presentation of Wangchuk's work during the award ceremony.

When Wangchuk came to know about secret shooting of 3 Idiots

Wangchuk knew that a film had been made only after receiving congratulatory emails. "People told me, ‘The film based on you is fantastic.’ I was shocked. They also said they had shown my school," he said.

When he contacted his staff, they confirmed a film crew had visited secretly. The school denied the crew permission to shoot because they planned to bring plastic materials onto the campus. The filmmakers subsequently shot at a nearby school instead.

Wangchuk deliberately didn't object due to a concurrent controversy between the filmmakers and author Chetan Bhagat.