Bangladesh, July 18 -- Aamir Khan has dismissed the long-held belief that his 2009 blockbuster '3 Idiots' was based on education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, saying neither he nor the film's writers knew Wangchuk while making the film.

The actor made the remarks during a conversation at BFI Southbank on July 16 as part of the closing gala of the 17th London Indian Film Festival.

He was responding to a question about Wangchuk, who is currently on an indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi.

When an audience member suggested that '3 Idiots' had been inspired by Wangchuk, Aamir immediately rejected the claim. "No. That's not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn't know about Mr Sonam at the time when we were doing the film '3 Idiots'," ...