Sonam Wangchuk detained: The Ladakhi engineer who inspired Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots character

While Sonam Wangchuk is a well-known figure in Ladakh, he rose to national prominence when Bollywood actor Aamir Khan portrayed a character inspired by him in the 2009 film 3 Idiots. Aamir’s character, Phunsukh Wangdu, popularly known as Rancho, was depicted as a brilliant and inquisitive engineering student who mentors his classmates at the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE).

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During an old interview with The Lallantop, Wangchuk opened up about his thoughts on 3 Idiots. He revealed that he did not completely relate to the character of Rancho. “Yes, I have watched the film. It was a nice film with a good message. Main toh kya kisi aur ne kaha ki aap ye boliye ki film mein jo kirdar dikha rahi hai mein unse bahut zyaada khoobsurat hu. Mein kaise inse jodo khud ko (What do I say but somebody else told me to say that I am a lot more beautiful than the character shown in the film. So how do I attach myself with that character?)” he said.

3 Idiots, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, featured Aamir Khan alongside R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film was a massive box office success, holding the title of the highest-grossing Indian film until 2013. It also went on to win three National Film Awards.