Did Sonam Wangchuk inspire Rancho in ‘3 Idiots’? Aamir Khan says no, while Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra share different stories
The renewed spotlight on ‘3 Idiots’ has revived one of Bollywood’s longest-running debates: Who was the real inspiration behind Rancho, the film’s iconic hero? While many have linked the character to a well-known education reformer over the years, director Rajkumar Hirani, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and actor Aamir Khan have given different explanations about Phunsukh Wangdu’s origins, making the mystery all the more interesting.
Aamir Khan rejects popular belief
The discussion resurfaced after Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in ‘3 Idiots’, extended his support to
Sonam Wangchuk
During his ongoing hunger strike, he said: “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die.” His statement reignited speculation that the film’s central character was based on Wangchuk.However, speaking during an event at BFI Southbank in London, Aamir Khan rejected this assumption. “Neither Raju and Abhijat, the writers of the film, nor I knew about Sonam at the time we were making 3 Idiots.”
Amer described the idea as a wrong idea and explained that the film makers were not aware of Bangchuk during the development of the film.
Rajkumar Hirani traced Rancho’s roots to FTII
Director Rajkumar Hirani had previously spoken about the origins of Rancho during an interview with Komal Nahta. According to him, the philosophy behind the character came from his days at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).Recalling his experience, Hirani said, “I often thought that there are a lot of interesting stories here that should be shown in films one day.”
He then told the story of an FTII aspirant who reportedly attended classes under the identity of another student simply because he wanted to learn filmmaking.Al Hirani explained why the incident stuck with him, recalling the student’s response after the course ended. “I never wanted to. I just wanted to learn filmmaking.” This belief that education is about learning and not degrees became one of the foundations of Rancho’s character, with several real-life incidents ultimately shaping the script, the director said.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra said Rancho reflects his own life
However, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has given a completely different narrative over the years. During a session at NFDC’s Film Bazaar in 2014, Chopra claimed that Rancho was largely inspired by his personal journey. “Rancho’s character is based on my personality. It’s inspired by my life.”He revealed that he rarely attended classes during his FTII days and even failed the final examination. Years later, after he received an Oscar nomination for the film “Meet the Faces,” the institute invited him again and honored him with his passing certificate.
Chopra also said that his family wanted him to become a doctor, while he was secretly pursuing filmmaking.Recalling the moment he finally confessed to his father, he said: “I thought he was going to congratulate me. Instead, he looked at me and said, ‘You cheated on me,’ and gave me a slap with love and affection.”
Another inspiration behind Phonsukh Wangdu
After years of claiming that Rancho’s novel was inspired by his own life, Chopra added another dimension to the story. At the Himalayan Film Festival in Ladakh in 2021, he revealed that the character’s full name, Phunsukh Wangdu, was inspired by his former FTII classmate, Phuntsok, whom he affectionately referred to as “Phuntsok Ladakhi”.
A debate that refuses to fade away
Released in 2009, ‘3 Idiots’ is an official adaptation of the novel ‘Five Point Someone’ by Chetan Bhagat. Since then, discussions about Rancho’s real-life inspiration have continued for more than a decade.With Aamir Khan now confirming that neither he nor the film’s writers knew about Sonam Wangchuk during the making of the film, and Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra giving different narratives over the years, the true inspiration behind one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved characters remains open to interpretation.
