NewDelhi: The Ladakh-based engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for days. The protest was started in the wake of the massive NEET examination paper leak controversy. It has crossed the 2-week mark, and he has lost around 9 kgs in this period, with serious concerns raised about his health. Amid this, several Bollywood celebs, including Atul Kulkarni, Anurag Kashyap, Swara Bhasker and Abhay Deol, among others, have extended their support to Wangchuk and his cause.
Aamir Khan on Sonam Wangchuk
Meanwhile, Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan recently closed the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) with a special appearance for the screening of Lagaan. The actor was present at the post‑screening conversation reflecting on the film’s legacy 25 years after its release.
During the conversation, Aamir was asked about Sonam Wangchuk, whose life is widely believed to have inspired his character, Rancho, in the blockbuster 3 Idiots. Answering the question about the movie and his current health, Aamir said, “No, that is not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing the film, 3 Idiots. I saw a video of Chatur just recently, and he said that. But he is wrong. Maybe that is what Chatur was thinking, but I want to tell you that neither Raju nor Abhijat (Rajkumar Hirani or Abhijat Joshi), who are the two writers, 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 a character of 3 idiots for us to respect him and the work that he does. I wanted to share this from a factual point of view.”
The actor was further prodded on about Wangchuk’s growing health concerns as he continues his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. “All of us are very concerned for his health and his life. We hope it ends well. All of us are hoping that he ends his fast,” Aamir said.
Omi Vaidya on Sonam Wangchuk
A few days back, Omi Vaidya, who played the famous character of Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, extended his support to Sonam Wangchuk. In a video shared on social media, Omi said:
“Did you know that Funsukh Wangdu from 3 Idiots is actually based on a real-life Ladakhi engineer, innovator, educator and reformer named Sonam Wangchuk? I’ve met this guy. He’s a pretty interesting character. Right now he is on a very long hunger strike. His blood sugar has gone down very much. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this. I don’t know if the media is reporting this. But this is a pretty important thing,”
Omi said, adding, “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die and I don’t think you want him to either”.
Bureau Report
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