Months after Salman Khan’s casual remark “Sonam, it’s done bro” became one of the most quoted Bollywood lines of the summer, Sonam Wangchuk has finally broken his silence. The Ladakhi activist and education reformer appeared on a podcast hosted by YouTuber Prakhar Gupta, where he was shown a T-shirt printed with the now-famous phrase. Far from being annoyed, Wangchuk smiled and said he would keep the T-shirt as a “healthy sentiment.” When the host pressed him for a reaction to Salman’s original appeal, he chose his words with characteristic restraint.
“Majbooriyan hoti hongi sabki. Aage peeche, daayen baayen dekhna padta hai. Lekin unhone kuch kaha uski main izzat karta hoon,” Wangchuk said. Translated, he meant: everyone must have their own compulsions; one has to look behind and ahead, to the left and right; but I respect whatever he has said.
He went on to explain that public life involves multiple pressures. A film actor, a politician, a corporate leader - everyone has to pay attention to their circumstances before taking a public position. That is why, he suggested, even sympathetic celebrities sometimes stop short of fully endorsing agitations. “But I respect whatever he said,” he reiterated. The remark was vintage Wangchuk: firm, philosophical, and remarkably free of bitterness.
The viral post that started it all
The exchange between Wangchuk and Salman took place in July, when the country was in the middle of a heated controversy over the NEET-UG paper leak. On July 8, Salman addressed the protests in a social media post. He welcomed the fact that students were uniting to demand a better education system. The next day, he followed up with a longer appeal. He asked students to trust the Prime Minister and go home, assured them that strict action would be taken against the leak, and then turned his attention to Wangchuk.
“The students are at top priority, educationally and security-wise, so they need not worry and have their parents worried for them. The Honourable Prime Minister has tweeted, and I am sure that he will take strict action against all those people who are responsible for this leak. So students, plz go back to your parents n homes. Sonam, it’s done, bro. Don’t extend this. Keep the spirit for another day if there be a need, which I doubt, n eat something. If u want, will send u food from home,” Salman wrote.
The last few lines were meant as a friendly nudge, but the internet saw something else. The phrase “Sonam, it’s done, bro” was instantly clipped, captioned, and reworked into memes. It appeared on merchandise, in comment sections, and in jokes about everything from relationship quarrels to election results. Wangchuk, who has a history of using humor to make serious points, responded with a light-hearted joke when he was offered a T-shirt with the line on the podcast. He said he would keep it as a “healthy sentiment” - a subtle reminder that not every viral moment has to be hostile.
Key facts at a glance
- Sonam Wangchuk reacted to Salman Khan’s “Sonam, it’s done bro” remark on a podcast with Prakhar Gupta.
- Wangchuk said he respects Salman for speaking up, but added that everyone has their own compulsions.
- The viral line was from a July post by Salman urging Wangchuk to end his hunger strike over the NEET-UG paper leak.
- Wangchuk’s hunger strike ended after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and other protest demands were accepted.
The NEET-UG paper leak and the protests
The controversy that drew Salman into the debate began with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Undergraduate, commonly known as NEET-UG. The exam is the gateway to medical and dental colleges across India. When the results were announced, allegations of paper leaks, malpractices, and irregularities surfaced from several states. Protests erupted in Delhi and other cities, with students demanding a re-test, a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, and action against the officials responsible.
The protests found an unlikely political vehicle in the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical collective of students that used absurdist humour to highlight systemic failures. The CJP organised demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and called for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement drew attention from opposition leaders, academicians, and celebrities. It was during one of these demonstrations that Sonam Wangchuk announced an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the protesting students.
Who is Sonam Wangchuk?
Wangchuk is not new to public life. Born in Ladakh, he founded SECMOL - the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh - to transform education in a region where school drop-out rates were dangerously high. His alternative school at Phey became a model for contextual, community-based learning. He also pioneered the Ice Stupa technique, a simple method of creating artificial glaciers that store winter water for irrigation in Ladakh's cold desert climate. His work has earned international awards and comparisons to the fictional engineer Phunsukh Wangdu in the film “3 Idiots”.
Wangchuk has often used relentless, creative forms of protest. In 2018, he went on a hunger strike for Ladakh's statehood. In 2019, he staged a protest in Delhi over demands for Ladakh's inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. His methods are peaceful but persistent. This time, he stood with students who argued that a flawed examination system had damaged their futures. His decision to go on hunger strike on June 28 at Jantar Mantar gave the NEET protests a powerful visual: a respected elder enduring physical hardship for the sake of young people he had never met.
The hunger strike and its aftermath
The fast continued for weeks. On July 6, Delhi Police shifted Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital following an order from the Delhi High Court, which noted that his health was deteriorating. From there, he was moved to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. The medical transfers did not change his resolve; he remained on fast and insisted that his condition was a necessary price for justice.
The protest finally ended after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister. The CJP later stated that the government had accepted its key demands, including an assurance that no legal or police action would be taken against the protesters. Wangchuk's hunger strike was called off, and the pavements of Jantar Mantar fell silent once again.
Bollywood weighs in
Salman was not the only film personality to take note. Sonakshi Sinha, Shabana Azmi, and Prakash Raj were among the actors who extended support to the student demonstrators. But it was Salman's message, with its odd mix of Hindi-English slang and fatherly concern, that captured the public imagination. The fact that Wangchuk responded with dignity rather than sarcasm only added to the story. In an age of outrage-driven discourse, the two figures demonstrated that a public disagreement need not turn into an online war.
The meme effect
The viral nature of the remark also raises questions about how serious political issues are often consumed in India. A single line from a celebrity's post can overshadow the substance of a protest. For days, social media was dominated by jokes about Salman sending food, while the deeper demand for a transparent medical entrance examination received comparatively less attention. Wangchuk's podcast appearance, however, redirected focus to the underlying conversation. By accepting the T-shirt and acknowledging Salman's good intentions, he refused to let the meme become the entire story.
Salman Khan's upcoming films
On the work front, Salman Khan's schedule remains busy. He will headline Apoorva Lakhia's period action-drama Maatrubhumi, which also features Chitrangada Singh. The film was originally slated for an April release but was postponed; a new release date has not yet been announced. Salman has also teamed up with actress Nayanthara for a project tentatively titled SVC63. Bankrolled by producer Dil Raju, the film is expected to arrive next year. Fans, meanwhile, continue to wait for his collaboration with filmmaker Atlee and other announcements that have been swirling in the trade press.
As Salman moves from one project to another, Wangchuk remains focused on his own campaigns for education, ecology, and regional rights. If anything, the “it’s done bro” episode has shown that even the most unexpected intersections of Bollywood and activism can produce a meaningful exchange. For Wangchuk, the moment is less about a superstar's words and more about the pressure that ordinary citizens face when they demand accountability. His response - respect for the speaker, clarity about his own position - offers a simple but powerful lesson: one can disagree without disrespect.
Source: MSN News