The renewed focus on ‘3 Idiots’ has revived one of Bollywood’s longest-running debates: Who was the true inspiration behind Rancho, the film’s iconic protagonist? Although many have linked the character to a renowned education reformer over the years, the filmmaker Rajkumar Hiraniproducer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and actor Aamir Khan All have offered different explanations for Phunsukh Wangdu’s origins, making the mystery even more intriguing.
Aamir Khan rejects popular belief
The controversy resurfaced after Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in ‘3 Idiots’, supported Sonam Wangchuk during his ongoing hunger strike saying, “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die.” His statement reignited speculation that the film’s central character was based on Wangchuk.However, speaking during an interaction at London’s BFI Southbank, Aamir Khan dismissed this assumption. “Neither Raju and Abhijat, who are the writers of the film, nor I knew about Sonam at the time we were making ‘3 Idiots’.” Calling the belief a misconception, Aamir clarified that the makers were not aware of Wangchuk while developing the film.
Rajkumar Hirani traced the roots of Rancho to FTII
Director Rajkumar Hirani had earlier spoken about the origins of Rancho during an interview with Komal Nahta. According to him, the philosophy of the character comes from his days at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).Recalling the experience, Hirani said, “I often thought that there were so many interesting stories here that one day they should be shown in films.” He then narrated the story of an FTII aspirant who reportedly attended classes in the identity of another student simply because he wanted to learn filmmaking.Explaining why the incident stuck with him, Hirani recalled the student’s response after completing the course. “I never wanted one. I just wanted to learn how to make movies.” The filmmaker said that this belief that education is about learning more than certificates became one of the foundations of Rancho’s character, with several real-life incidents eventually shaping the script.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra said Rancho mirrored his own life
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, however, has presented a completely different account over the years. During a session at NFDC’s Film Bazaar in 2014, Chopra stated that Rancho was largely inspired by her personal journey. “Rancho’s character is based on me. It’s inspired by my life.”He revealed that he rarely attended classes during his FTII days and even flunked the final exam. Years later, after earning an Oscar nomination for ‘A Meeting with Faces’, the high school invited him back and honored him by presenting him with his certificate of approval. Chopra also shared that his family had wanted him to become a doctor, while he was secretly into filmmaking.Recalling the moment she finally confessed to her father, she said: “I thought he was going to congratulate me. Instead, he looked at me and said, ‘You cheated on me,’ and slapped me with love and affection.”
Another inspiration behind Phunsukh Wangdu
Years after claiming that Rancho was based on his own life, Chopra added another dimension to the story. At the Himalayan Film Festival in Ladakh in 2021, he revealed that the character’s full name, Phunsukh Wangdu, was inspired by his former FTII classmate Phuntsok, affectionately referring to him as “Phuntsok Ladakhi”.
A debate that does not fade away
Released in 2009, ‘3 Idiots’ was an official adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘Five Point Someone’. Since then, discussions about Rancho’s actual inspiration have continued for more than a decade.With Aamir Khan reiterating that neither he nor the film’s writers were aware of Sonam Wangchuk during the making of the blockbuster, and Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra offering differing accounts over the years, the true inspiration behind one of Indian cinema’s most beloved characters remains open to interpretation.