Aamir Khan says Rancho of '3 Idiots' was not based on Sonam Wangchuk

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan said yesterday (16 July) that his character in "3 Idiots" was not based on Indian social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly three weeks in solidarity with India's Cockroach Janata Party's sit-in over exam paper leaks.

Aamir called the comparison with the 59-year-old Wangchuk a "misconception" and expressed concern over the activist's hunger strike.

The actor made the remarks during a Q&A session at the London Indian Film Festival, where he was asked by a reporter about Wangchuk's protest.

The video has been circulating on the internet.

"3 Idiots" was directed by Rajkumar Hirani and released in 2009. It featured Khan in the role of Phunsukh Wangdu (Rancho).

Aamir Khan said that during the making of the film, neither he nor the writers knew about Sonam Wangchuk.

"No, that's not true, actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing this film, 3 Idiots… I want to tell you that neither Raju nor Abhijat, the writers of the film, nor I knew about it. We didn't know about Mr Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case."

Yesterday, the Delhi High Court directed the authorities to monitor Wangchuk's health as his hunger strike entered its 20th day at central Delhi's Jantar Mantar, and to intervene if his condition deteriorates.

It is the first time that a court has intervened in the protest as concern over Wangchuk's health mounts among his supporters.

The instruction means he could be moved to a hospital if his health worsens.