Old video of Rajkumar Hirani saying FTII man inspired 3 Idiots role goes viral

An old video of filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani explaining the inspiration behind 3 Idiots' iconic character Phunsukh Wangdu has gone viral on social media. The clip resurfaced after actor Aamir Khan dismissed the long-standing belief that the character was based on activist Sonam Wangchuk, with Hirani revealing that Wangdu was actually inspired by a real-life man who secretly attended the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) under another student's identity.The clip is from a February 2025 podcast with film trade analyst Komal Nahta.Speaking about the inspiration behind Aamir Khan's character, Hirani said, "Aamir (Khan) ka jo character hai woh humare FTTI se liya hai. Main naam nahi le sakta. He is a character who wanted to become a filmmaker, but he didn't get admission to the film institute. Another friend of his got admission, but his father didn't let him go. The father said, 'You won't go into cinema, you become an engineer.'""So this man went to the institute using the other person's admission and lived there. We didn't get to know about this. After he passed out from the college, we found out that he had a different name. He said, 'Main certificate thodi lene aaya hoon, mujhe toh cinema sikhna tha, sikh liya.' It's a true story. That character is the character," the filmmaker added. The resurfaced clip comes after Aamir Khan addressed the long-standing speculation linking Phunsukh Wangdu to Sonam Wangchuk.Speaking at a British Film Institute event in England on Thursday, the actor said the claim was incorrect and that neither he nor the film's makers knew Wangchuk while making 3 Idiots. Responding to a question, Khan said, "“No, no. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing the film, 3 Idiots. I know I saw a video of Chatur (Omi Vaidya) recently. He is wrong. Maybe that's what Chatur thinking. Neither Raju nor Abhijat Joshi, who were the two writers, nor I - we didn't know about Mr Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good in any case. He doesn't have to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him."For years, many believed that Phunsukh Wangdu was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk. The debate resurfaced after US-based actor Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in 3 Idiots, recently expressed support for Wangchuk and claimed that the character had been based on him. Vaidya also shared photographs with the activist on social media.Wangchuk has been making headlines over his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, which began on June 28 under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). He is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak. Despite concerns over his deteriorating health, Wangchuk has continued his fast, drawing support from several politicians and Bollywood celebrities.- EndsPublished By: Pritinanda BeheraPublished On: Jul 17, 2026 17:03 IST