Sonam Wangchuk’s wife takes a dig at Bollywood after watching The Odyssey

Social entrepreneur Gitanjali Angmo, activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, has shared her admiration for Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, while also offering her thoughts on the current state of Hindi cinema. In a recent post, she recalled meeting the Oscar-winning filmmaker in New York in 2024 and suggested that Bollywood should revisit its potential to tell India’s epic stories with greater depth and purpose.Sharing a photo with Nolan, Gitanjali described watching The Odyssey on the big screen as an unforgettable experience.“Watched Odyssey yesterday. Surreal to see on screen what was still a conversation when I accidentally met Christopher Nolan in New York in 2024. Its themes feel so familiar to the Indian imagination: the hero’s journey, dharma and destiny, exile, temptation, homecoming, the human being tested and transformed along the way.”She went on to highlight India’s rich storytelling tradition and urged Bollywood to explore it with greater ambition. “India is sitting on a treasure-house of such epics. Imagine bringing them to cinema with scale, sensitivity and intellectual depth. Cinema is more than entertainment. It shapes minds. Perhaps Bollywood needs to rediscover its role as one of our most powerful classrooms.” Her remarks come weeks after Sonam Wangchuk’s 26-day hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where he demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for greater accountability and reforms in India’s examination system following the NEET paper leak. During the protest, many expected Aamir Khan to publicly support Wangchuk, particularly because his 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots has long been believed by many to have drawn inspiration from the activist’s life. The discussion gained further attention after actor Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in the film, spoke in Wangchuk’s favour.However, during an interaction at the British Film Institute (BFI), Aamir dismissed the long-standing claim that the character or film was based on Wangchuk.“No, that’s not true, actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam Wangchuk at that time when we were doing the film. I know that, I saw a video of Chatur, just recently he said that… No, he’s wrong. Maybe that’s what Chatur was thinking but I want to tell you neither did Raju, nor Abhijat (one of the two writers), nor I, we didn’t know about Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing is good work anyway. He doesn’t need to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him and the work he’s done.”Soon after Aamir’s remarks, an old video showing the actor meeting Wangchuk in 2008—one year before 3 Idiots was released—resurfaced online. The clip sparked debate on social media, with some fans questioning the actor’s statement, while others criticised him for not lending his support to Wangchuk’s campaign.For those unaware, Wangchuk concluded his 26-day hunger strike on July 23–24, 2026, after holding discussions with Union Minister J.P. Nadda and other government representatives. Days later, on July 25, 2026, Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down as India’s Union Minister for Education.

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