Engineer, teacher and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk is in the news for his indefinite hunger strike over the alleged NEET paper leak and is now on its 18th day. Looking for the Ministry of Education: Dharmendra: Pradhan’s resignation, Wangchuk has reportedly lost more than 8 kg since the start of the protest on June 28, while a drop in his blood pressure has sparked concerns about his health. As messages of support poured in from across the country, the actor: Omi Vaidyawho played Chatur Ramalingam in: 3 Idiotsshared an emotional post that read, “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die.”Omi’s reference to Phunsukh Wangdu dominates the long-running debate surrounding: 3 Idiots. As more viewers interact: Aamir KhanSonam Wangchuk’s character, the education reformer has repeatedly denied that she was the inspiration behind the role. He maintains that he was never consulted during the making of the film, was never allowed to use his life or work, and never received a response after writing to the filmmakers demanding an explanation. “They secretly came to my school to shoot the film,” he once said.During a Josh Talks session, Wangchuk recalled how he first discovered the human connection between him and: 3 Idiots. “I worry because people always 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.Explaining why he rarely talks about the film, Wangchuk says he doesn’t want to create a false narrative. “Many journalists and young people ask me about the film. I want to tell them that I have nothing to do with it. But this is also a lie.”He continued to narrate the meeting Aamir: Khan in Mumbai in 2008 while receiving a CNN-IBN award for his work on education in Ladakh. According to Wangchuk, he used the opportunity to pitch an idea for a film focused on the Siachen conflict.“I told him, ‘Can you make a film about the Siachen tension, where countries are fighting on a piece of ice while spending nearly Rs 7 crore every day? Can we show that common people from both countries are solving the problem and that money is being used for education?’Shortly after the award ceremony, Wangchuk traveled to France to study Earth Architecture. It’s just after 3 Idiots was released the following year when he realized that people believed the film was based on his life. “People tell me, ‘The film you’re based on is amazing.’ I was shocked. They also said they showed my school.”Curious, he contacted his school and learned that a film crew had indeed visited the campus but did not reveal the identity of the project. “They planned to bring a lot of plastic material, so we didn’t give permission. Later, they shot at another nearby school.”Despite the similarities, Wangchuk said he thought he was preventing the public from challenging the filmmakers because they were already facing a dispute with the author. Chetan Bhagat. “I don’t want people to think that I’m also trying to get money from the filmmakers.”Instead, he waited until the legal deadline to seek compensation had passed before writing to the makers, reminding them that he had met Aamir before the making of the film and expressing disappointment at not being consulted. “They never answered. Nor would I expect them to. I have better things to do in life.”Wangchuk also questioned the country’s priorities, arguing that the culture of artists often overshadows real-life achievements. “Our country gives too much importance to Bollywood and cricket. We try to achieve greatness through films, while we should do these things in real life.”