Sonam Wangchuk's wife takes a swipe at Bollywood while praising The Odyssey: ‘Need to rediscover its role’

During Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike for educational reform, Aamir Khan had faced trolling for not supporting the activist in his cause.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife and social entrepreneur Gitanjali Angmo recently praised Christopher Nolan's latest film, The Odyssey. She also recalled meeting the acclaimed filmmaker in 2024 and shared a photo with him. However, while appreciating The Odyssey, she also shared her views on Bollywood, which many may interpret as a subtle jibe at the Hindi film industry.

Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali Angmo takes a dig at Bollywood.

What did Gitanjali Angmo write?

Gitanjali gushed over The Odyssey and described watching the film on the big screen as a "surreal" experience. She wrote, "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."

Sharing her thoughts on Bollywood, she wrote, "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."

When Aamir Khan denied knowing Sonam Wangchuk

Last month, when Sonam Wangchuk was on a hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with reforms and accountability in India's examination system following the NEET paper leak, many expected Aamir Khan to support the activist. Many believed that his blockbuster film 3 Idiots was based on Wangchuk's life, especially after 3 Idiots actor Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in the film, spoke in favour of Wangchuk.

However, during an interaction at the British Film Institute (BFI), Aamir denied knowing the activist during the making of 3 Idiots. He said, “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."

After Aamir's statement, a video of the actor meeting Wangchuk in 2008, a year before the release of 3 Idiots, went viral. Following this, many fans questioned the superstar's statement, while others criticised him for not supporting Wangchuk's movement.

For the unversed, Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike on July 23–24, 2026, after meeting Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and other government representatives. A few days later, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as India's Union Minister for Education on July 25, 2026.