Why did Aamir Khan's Phunsuk Wangdu in ‘3 Idiots’ remind audiences of Sonam Wangchuk?

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has clarified that his iconic ‘3 Idiots’ character, Phunsuk Wangdu, was not inspired by education reformist, innovator, and social activist Sonam Wangchuk. Yet, for years, many viewers have believed otherwise, largely because of the striking similarities between the fictional character's philosophy and Wangchuk's real-life work in education and innovation.

Khan's recent statement at the London Film Festival has reignited the debate over whether or not his character was inspired by Wangchuk. But why did so many people associate the character with Wangchuk in the first place? Here's a look at the similarities that fuelled the comparison.

Why the comparisons then?

Even if Khan may have officially clarified that Phunsuk Wangdu is a character that isn’t based on Wangchuk’s life, several social media users claim to believe otherwise. Some of the primary factors that led to these comparisons include the common Ladakh background, Phunsuk Wangdu and Wangchuk shared; they both challenged the conventional ways of education, believed in practical learning over textbook learning, and promoted innovation and problem-solving. Furthermore, just like Wangchuk, Khan’s character in the film also holds an engineering background.

Some social media users also claimed that the makers of ‘3 Idiots’ also shot at Wangchuk’s school in Ladakh, “They even shot a scene in their school. And this statement. We did not know!! Lol, I’m boycotting Aamir’s movies henceforth. Oh in future he might make one biopic on Sonam Wangchuk (SIC),” commented one Neha Jha on an Instagram post.

So, where did Phunsuk Wangdu’s character come from?

While the character has become one of Khan’s best performances over the years, its roots came from author Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘Five Point Someone,’ which was released in 2004, and was adapted by Hirani into a movie.

Both Hirani and Joshi reworked many elements of Bhagat’s novel while adapting it into the film.

Meanwhile, here's what Aamir Khan said:

In a fresh statement, Khan claimed that neither he, the film’s director Rajkumari Hirani, nor writer Abhijat Joshi was aware of Wangchuk at the time of making the film, and that the character isn’t based on him. Khan further claimed that Wangchuk himself, in the past, had clarified that the character wasn’t based on him.