Sonam Wangchuk on Aamir Khan's 'No Meeting' Claim: 'Maybe Ghajini Caused Memory Loss'

Innovator Sonam Wangchuk has responded to Aamir Khan's recent statement that he had never met him before making the 2009 film 3 Idiots, and that the character Phunsuk Wangdu was not inspired by Wangchuk. Reacting during a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk recalled their interaction and humorously suggested the actor may have simply forgotten.

"He said we had never met. Then some videos emerged in which he was watching my speech in his Ghajini outfit," Wangchuk said. "As he was in the Ghajini look, maybe he would have suffered short-term memory loss. He must have forgotten after 15 minutes. I am not shocked. We had a detailed meet."

Wangchuk also took a light dig at Aamir's well-known habit of immersing himself deeply into his characters. "We have heard that he enters deeply into his characters. Maybe he was so deeply into his Ghajini character that he forgot that he attended the award function where I was awarded," he added, noting that they discussed many ideas during that meeting.

The innovator explained why he believes their interaction could have influenced certain elements of the film's character, without necessarily being a direct biographical account. "This is what is called influence and inspiration. Maybe he would have taken some parts (of his life) and added in the script," Wangchuk said. "Maybe he didn't tell his team that he saw all this and spoke with me. He would have said he has added these things just like that. So, the writers and the director wouldn't have known that Aamir added these details after meeting someone and discussing with him. That's why he must have forgotten. It doesn't matter to me."

The debate resurfaced in July when Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in 3 Idiots, claimed that Aamir's character was inspired by Wangchuk. This came at a time when Wangchuk was on a hunger strike during student protests related to the NEET question paper leak.