“You need to pursue what you truly deserve.” Writer, producer, and director Kabir Khan in association with co-producer Sajid Nadiadwala brings the exceptional story of an uncrowned champion to Bollywood’s big screens. An athlete whose efforts went unrecognized until he highlighted them to the Indian government.

A CHAMPION MAY FALL BUT NEVER STOPS! FEATURING KARTIK AARYAN AS CHANDU CHAMPION!

This biographical drama is titled “Chandu Champion”. It was released on June 14, 2024. This film details the personal life, struggles, and achievements of physically impaired athlete Murlikant Petkar. Petkar was India’s first Paralympics Gold Medalist. Despite winning the Gold Medal for India at the 1972 Summer Paralympics, he was completely forgotten by the Indian government.

It was not until he aged and filed a police complaint for his right to the Arjuna Award that his efforts were recognized. He was awarded with an even higher honor, the Padma Shri. The film stars the Bollywood sensation Kartik Aaryan in the titular role of Murlikant Petkar who was also addressed as “Chandu Champion”.

CHANDU CHAMPION (2024) OFFICIAL TRAILER:

THE GOOD:

IT’S THE ERA OF KARTIK AARYAN!

This time Bollywood did justice to Paralympic athletes by coming up with an action and emotion-packed biographical drama on one of India’s National Award-winning Paralympic athletes.

Kartik Aaryan selects unique plots that can keep the audience engaged throughout. He happens to be one of the most talked about actors in Hindi cinema. Questions frequently arise about his career. People always doubt how long he can survive in this industry.

His 2022 crime-thriller “Freddy” released on Disney + Hotstar paved a new path for his stardom. It surpassed several high-budget theatrical releases. And now, the release of Chandu Champion has worked marvels for this budding superstar.

This biographical drama of a Paralympics Gold Medal and Padma Shri winner, Murlikant Petkar a.k.a “Chandu Champion” has showcased what a magnificent actor Kartik Aaryan is. He transformed himself significantly and reduced his body fat percentage to extreme levels to suit the eponymous character.

A young schoolboy, a master athlete, an Indian soldier on the battlefield, a Paralympic champion, and an aged man fighting for his rights. You will witness Kartik Aaryan in the various stages of Murlikant Petkar’s life.

It’s not easy to play the character who gets paralyzed on the battlefield and then goes to the Paralympics to win Gold for India. Kartik’s dedicated performance has shown results. You would find him a superb fit in the character of Chandu Champion. And believe me, the climax of Chandu Champion is exhilarating.

Kartik’s image happens to be that of a fun-loving lover boy. But this time he has unbelievingly transformed himself into the character of a world-class Paralympic athlete. With no romance or comedy, his marvelous acting solely relies on his impactful dialogue delivery, awesome athletic performance in his action sequences, and heart-touching emotions that can probably make you cry!

IMPECCABLE SUPPORT WITH FASCINATING VISUALS

Vijay Raaz plays Chandu’s coach, Tiger Ali who brought out the physically-impaired Chandu from his depression and suicidal tendencies and inspired him to compete in the Paralympics. Such moments like the return of Chandu’s old coach, who had earlier refused to train him, are emotion-laden and worth celebrating. This gave a moral boost to Chandu. Also, Rajpal Yadav’s hilarious punches and expressions in a few scenes added life to the screenplay.

The best parts about the screenplay are the unbeatable background music and awestrucking visuals in the athletic action sequences which made it ultra-thrilling. Even the strong supporting cast and popular cameo appearances had a considerable impact on the screenplay.

THE BAD:

When it comes to such a unique emotion-laden story, it’s obvious the audience expects the tracks in the movie to be top-notch. However, even if most of the tracks in Chandu Champion are melodious, unfortunately, they fail to appeal as they lack the musical X-factor. Still, the bouncy motivational track “Tu Hain Champion” can give you goosebumps.

Also, the war sequences showcasing Chandu battling for the Indian Army could have been portrayed more intensely. I must tell you that shooting the war sequence was challenging. It was filmed in a single shot at the high-altitude Aru Valley in Jammu, India.

THE VERDICT:

An astonishing fact is this happens to be one of those rare Hindi movies that have no lead female cast. You may be wondering, “Will Chandu Champion succeed in the Box Office as it has no lead actress and no romantic angle?”

The fact is it sure will! That’s because writer and director Kabir Khan embeds his movies with fascinating narratives that keep audiences engaged till the end. If you had seen his 2015 master-blaster action-thrillers “Phantom” starring Saif Ali Khan and “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” starring Salman Khan, you too would agree that he is indeed a genius director. Similarly, his latest release Chandu Champion is a complete family entertainer!

If you ask me, I would say that besides being inspirational, Chandu Champion also teaches us to pursue our rights. Paralympic Gold Medal winner Murlikant Petkar wasn’t recognized by the Indian government for his achievements until he filed a police complaint against the President of India.

Petkar had to highlight his achievements to the government after which he got recognition. In a similar manner, as human beings, we must not forget our rights. If we have achieved something, we must fight for it if our achievements get forgotten over time.

CHECK OUT KARTIK AARYAN AS CHANDU CHAMPION AT YOUR NEAREST THEATERS!