Not Sonam Wangchuk, This MYSTERY Man From Rajkummar Hirani's Life Inspired Aamir Khan's Rancho

While many know that filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's '3 Idiots' was inspired from Chetan Bhagat's bestselling book 'Five Point Someone', not many know that Rancho's character came from somewhere else. 

While many know that filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's '3 Idiots' was inspired from Chetan Bhagat's bestselling book 'Five Point Someone', not many know that Rancho's character came from somewhere else. 

Source : IMDb

Aamir Khan's character from the iconic film '3 Idiots', Rancho, is a favourite in popular cinema among fans. His eccentricities and attitude towards life made him an inspiration for many out there. However, while many know that filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's '3 Idiots' was inspired from Chetan Bhagat's bestselling book 'Five Point Someone', not many know that Rancho's character came from somewhere else. 

In a clip that has been going viral on social media, we see Rajkumamr Hirani admit that the character of Rancho was inspired from a fellow colleague of his from FTII who under someone else's name faked to study there for three years. It was only after he passed out that people found out his name was not registered. 

The mystery man behind Rancho character

In the video, Hirani says in Hindi, "Aamir's character in 3 Idiots is inspired by a real-personality from our institute( FTII). The person wanted to be a filmmaker but he did not get admission to the institute. However, a friend of his got through but his father did not allow him to pursue cinema studies. So, in place of his friend, the person who inspired the character, joined the institute and took on his identity."

“Nobody found it out until he passed out from FTII after three years. It was only then that everyone found out that his name was something else. People told him that he would not get the certificate, to which the man said that he was not there for the certificate. He had come to learn cinema and he learnt it,” Hirani added.

Rancho also inspired from Sonam Wangchuk 

However, Hirani mixed that personality with that of another real-life hero, engineer, innovator and education reformist named Sonam Wangchuk. 

Earlier, in an interview with The Lallantop, Wangchuk shared his thoughts about the film, saying that though he liked the film, he partially disconnected from the character. He playfully added, "What do I say, but somebody else told me to say that I am a lot more beautiful than the character shown in the film. So how do I attach myself with that character?"

About 3 Idiots

‘3 Idiots’ starred Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. Three friends who meet at a premier engineering college and the adventures they go through. A coming-of-age film about following your aptitude and doing well in it, ‘3 Idiots’ was a big blockbuster and one of the most prominent films from the last decade to come from Bollywood. It has acquired a cult status in India now.