Aamir Khan’s Wangchuk denial reopened by old clip

A resurfaced 2008 clip has cast fresh doubt on Aamir Khan's claim that he and the makers of "3 Idiots" had never heard of Sonam Wangchuk while developing the 2009 hit.

Speaking last week at the London Indian Film Festival, the actor called the belief that his character Phunsukh Wangdu was based on the Ladakhi educator a "misconception", insisting that neither he, director Rajkumar Hirani nor writer Abhijat Joshi knew Wangchuk at the time.

The viral footage tells a different story. It shows Wangchuk at the CNN-IBN Real Heroes awards in Mumbai in April 2008, roughly a year before the film's release, recalling how he pitched Khan a movie idea centred on the Siachen conflict. 

He suggested a plot in which ordinary citizens from both sides ease tensions, freeing military spending for education. Khan, he says, listened closely and watched a presentation on his work, while archival clips show the actor applauding as Wangchuk collected his award.

Wangchuk, now weakened by a lengthy hunger strike in Delhi, later learnt that a crew had sought to film at his Ladakh school but were refused over undisclosed plans to bring plastics on-site; they shot nearby instead.

Opposition figures including Manoj Jha and Sanjay Singh have questioned Khan's timing. Online opinion remains split, with some citing the clip as proof of an earlier meeting and others noting that celebrities meet countless people.