New Delhi: Speaking for the first time on the ongoing hunger strike by climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, actor Aamir Khan has said that while he, like everyone is also concerned about Wangchuk’s health and life, but contrary to popular perception, the character Phunsukh Wangdu from the movie 3 Idiots is not based on Wangchuk.“No that’s not true actually. No, that is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam that time when we were doing this film 3 idiots. I know that I saw a video of Chatur, just recently he said that…No, he’s wrong. Maybe that’s what Chatur was thinking but I want to tell you that neither Raju, not Abhijat who were the two writers, nor I, we didn’t know about Mr Sonam,” said Khan in response to a question by journalist Nabanita Sircar, who shared a video of the conversation with Khan on X.“However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work in any case. He doesn’t have to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him and the work that he does,” he added.Khan, who made the comments during an event at the British Film Institute (BFI) also said that Wangchuk had himself previously clarified that the character is not based on him.Today at @BFI I asked Mr Amir Khan about @Wangchuk66 and his fast. Here is his response: @abhijeet_dipke @CJP_2029 @Cockroachisback @SauravDassss pic.twitter.com/jkeKFssrDX— nabanita sircar (@sircarnabanita) July 16, 2026“I think all of us are very concerned for his health and his life. We hope that it ends well. All of us are hoping that he ends his fast,” Khan told Sircar, when asked about Wangchuk’s hunger strike, which entered its 20th day on Friday (July 17).Earlier this week, actor Omi Vaidya, who had played the character of Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots – a hugely popular film which has attained cult status since its release in 2009 – had stated in an Instagram video that the character of Phunsukh Wangu was based on Wangchuk, whom Vaidya had met.“I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die,” Vaidya had said, urging the people to pay attention to Wangchuk’s hunger strike and do their bit to stop him from dying.Vaidya’s Instagram video went viral with over 9 million likes, while several users had also questioned the silence of Khan on the issue, who played the main protagonist in the movie.Notably, Wangchuk has in the past distanced himself from the film.“If you say inspired, then I won’t deny it. A lot of people say the film is based on me, but I don’t agree with that. The right word is that it may have been inspired or influenced. At the same time, I don’t want people in this country to accept something simply because it is associated with a film. So even if the film is influenced by me, I am not very proud of it. And if it is not inspired by me, I don’t regret it either,” Wangchuk had said while appearing on the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati, reported Indian Express.“I am troubled because people constantly ask me, ‘Is your school the one shown in 3 Idiots? Are you Phunsukh Wangdu?’ I want to clarify: No, I am not Phunsukh Wangdu. I am Sonam Wangchuk. I don’t work in films, I work in real life. I work on innovations that can go from India to the world and make our country proud,” Wangdu had said in a Josh Talks session.In the last few days, a number of academics, writers, political leaders and artists have appealed to Wangchuk, urging him to call off his fast even as his health continues to deteriorate.Anxiety is mounting over Wangchuk’s deteriorating health as there is silence from the government on his fast as well as his demands. Doctors monitoring his health have reported significant weight loss and declining vital parameters, sparking fears about the consequences of the prolonged fast. He is reported to have lost 9 kilos and weakened significantly.Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike began on June 28 at Jantar Mantar, where he joined the ongoing protest of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which started on 20 June. He announced that he would fast until the government responded to the movement’s demands.