Short-term memory or convenient denial? Sonam Wangchuk on Aamir Khan’s “we never met” claim

Highlights

• Sonam Wangchuk jokingly responded to Aamir Khan saying they had never met before 3 Idiots.
• The Ladakhi activist pointed to an old video showing Aamir watching one of his speeches.
• Wangchuk also addressed the long-running debate over whether he inspired Aamir’s Phunsuk Wangdu character.

Sonam Wangchuk has responded with a cheeky jab at Aamir Khan after the actor claimed he did not know or meet the Ladakhi activist while 3 Idiots was being made.

The long-running connection between Wangchuk and the film resurfaced after Aamir addressed the belief that his character, Phunsuk Wangdu, was inspired by the education reformer. Aamir said he was unaware of Wangchuk at the time, adding that director Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi also did not know about him.

Wangchuk, however, has a different recollection of his interaction with the actor.

Sonam Wangchuk jokes about Aamir’s memory

Speaking to YouTuber Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk recalled an earlier meeting with Aamir and pointed to a video that he said showed the actor watching one of his speeches while dressed in his Ghajini look.

That gave Wangchuk an opportunity for a joke referencing Aamir’s character in the 2008 film, who suffers from short-term memory loss.

“Maybe he was so immersed in the Ghajini character that he suffered short-term memory loss and forgot about it within 15 seconds,” Wangchuk said, adding that he was therefore “not surprised”.

He maintained that their interaction was more substantial than a brief introduction.

“We had met at length and discussed several ideas,” he said.

Did Wangchuk inspire 3 Idiots?

Wangchuk also offered a more nuanced view of the debate surrounding Phunsuk Wangdu.

Rather than describing 3 Idiots as a direct account of his life, he suggested that some of the ideas he discussed with Aamir could have influenced the film.

According to Wangchuk, Aamir may have taken ideas from their conversation, discussed them with his team and eventually developed them differently for the movie. He also suggested that the film’s co-writers or director may not have known the original source of those ideas.

“If he incorporated it this way, perhaps his co-writers or directors didn't realise that he had brought in these ideas after meeting me and discussing them,” Wangchuk said.

He also made it clear that he was not particularly concerned about the issue, adding, “It doesn't bother me. Let it go.”

The comments add a fresh twist to a debate that has followed 3 Idiots for years, with Wangchuk now choosing humour rather than confrontation to respond to Aamir’s recollection of their past meeting.