Chandu Champion is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film that Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment is producing. It was written and directed by Kabir Khan. Kartik Aaryan plays Murlikant Petkar, the first Indian gold champion in the Paralympics.

The film narrates the inspirational tale of India’s first gold medallist at the Paralympic Games, Murlikant Petkar. It chronicles his life from early infancy through his military career and ends with him winning a gold medal for India.

The story opens in 2017, with an aging Murlikant Petkar (Kartik Aaryan) giving the police an explanation of why, after winning the gold medal for India, he deserved to get the Arjuna Award. Raised in the Islampur village of Sangli, young Murlikant aspires to be an Olympic gold medallist wrestler. The first hour is captivating, covering Murli’s early years, his military service, his boxing titles, and the pivotal 1965 Kashmir conflict in which he was shot nine times. Petkar lost his ability to walk and endured a protracted coma, but his spirit has not wavered.

Murlikant Petkar faced numerous obstacles in his life, but none were so great as to destroy his spirit. He was dubbed “Chandu Champion” and made fun of when he was a little child for having dreams. But he was always going to be a warrior. In order to realize his ambition of competing in the Paralympics, Petkar dedicates the second hour to learning how to swim. His story is amazing and turbulent, full of unexpected twists that inspire compassion and admiration. Petkar is just getting nearer to his ambition with each tragedy and incident.

I couldn’t help but wonder at one point how Murlikant Petkar was the Indian equivalent of Forrest Gump. His life story continues taking unforeseen turns that make you feel bad for him. Nevertheless, Petkar gets closer to his ambition with every setback and incident. The road to the big screen is not an easy one. However, Kabir Khan and authors Sudipto Sarkar and Sumit Arora have done a fantastic job putting it all together, particularly in the first part.

With the addition of new characters and several time travels, the second half, however, loses a little of its steam. In spite of this, the movie is still encouraging, uplifted, and appreciative of Petkar’s path. The use of humor keeps the tale from being too serious by giving it a lively feel.

Kartik Aaryan gives his greatest performance to date in Chandu Champion, directed by Kabir Khan. It is admirable how much the actor changed physically to become Murlikant Petkar; it shows how committed he was to playing the part. Kartik’s portrayal has been made more genuine by Kabir Khan, who has given him the freedom to honestly and fully convey every feeling and ambition of Murlikant Petkar. The actor’s Marathi accent is flawless. Kartik is amazing from start to finish.

The biopic’s supporting cast, which includes Bhuvan Arora and Rajpal Yadav, injects humor into the story to keep it from being too depressing or serious. In his role as Tiger Ali in Murlikant, Vijay Raaz excels as well.

In Chandu Champion, Kabir Khan tells an honest tale that illuminates the path of an unsung hero. Few had previously examined Kartik Aaryan’s range, which the director skillfully displays. The way Kabir Khan gives secondary characters a chance to shine and highlights their significance to Murlikant Petkar’s journey is one of the movie’s standout features. Without detracting from the main idea, every character—from his brother to his buddy and coach—is given enough screen time.

We have witnessed the director’s capacity to arouse intense emotions in Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). A number of scenes in Chandu Champion really affect the viewer, illuminating Murlikant’s difficult but inspirational path.

Pritam’s music is exceptional; in particular, the song “Tu Hai Champion” is strong and inspirational.

All things considered, Chandu Champion is a profound homage to Murlikant Petkar’s remarkable life. In addition to praising his accomplishments, Kabir Khan and Kartik Aaryan draw attention to the perseverance and commitment needed to overcome great challenges. This biography is powerful to see because of Kartik Aaryan’s outstanding performance and Kabir Khan’s sincerity in narrating the tale of the unsung hero.