The true story of Chandu Champion, the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Paralympics, is presented here. Murlikant Petkar is a modest country youngster who aspires to be an Olympic gold medallist for India. He is ridiculed and called Chandu Champion by the entire hamlet. In pursuit of his ambition, Murli studies free style wrestling and enlists in the Indian army in order to get access into the world of professional boxing. However, a bullet wound to his spine left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Murli trains hard in swimming and enters the 1972 Paralympics through a backdoor, never losing sight of his goal. A fascinating two and a half hours can be spent watching Petkar’s nearly impossible life tale on celluloid.
Beginning with the opening scene, in which an elderly Murlikant wishes to file a formal complaint against former Indian Presidents for failing to grant him the Arjuna medal he is due, director Kabir Khan captures our attention with his underdog drama.
Technically speaking, Chandu Champion does well; the war scenes are expertly performed, and the period setting is especially strong. The song ‘Satyanaas’ is hilariously envisioned on a train. This film, directed by Kabir Khan, maturely stays true to its central theme of a common guy rising against all difficulties, without adding any needless love angles!
This is the actual account of Chandu Champion, the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. Murlikant Petkar is a humble village boy who wants to represent India in the Olympics and win an Olympic gold medal. The entire hamlet calls him Chandu Champion and makes fun of him. Murli learns free style wrestling and enlists in the Indian army in an attempt to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional boxer. He was, however, paralyzed from the waist down due to a bullet wound to his spine.
With relentless training, Murli reaches the 1972 Paralympics via a backdoor, never losing sight of his objective. Watching Petkar’s almost unbelievable life story on celluloid will captivate you for two and a half hours.
Beginning with the opening scene, in which an elderly Murlikant wishes to file a formal complaint against former Indian Presidents for failing to grant him the Arjuna medal he is due, director Kabir Khan captures our attention with his underdog drama.
Technically speaking, Chandu Champion does well; the war scenes are expertly performed, and the period setting is especially strong. The song ‘Satyanaas’ is hilariously envisioned on a train. This film, directed by Kabir Khan, maturely stays true to its central theme of a common guy rising against all difficulties, without adding any needless love angles!
That being said, the movie might not be appealing to the general public who are looking for raucous entertainment. The boxing and freestyle wrestling contests are well-shot, but they don’t have the same energy and grit as Salman Khan’s Sultan (2016) and Mithun Chakraborty’s Boxer (1984). The paralympic swimming competition’s grand finale is disappointing once more because it lacks the thrilling moment that was there in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’s intercollegiate cycle race (1992).
The casting is excellent. Even in a little capacity, Bhagyashri Borse, an Indian journalist born and raised in Tokyo, makes a significant impact. As Murli’s guru, Vijay Raaz is really amazing. The small crowd that watched the movie with me at Movietime Starcity in Matunga gave a loud round of applause when he unexpectedly appeared in a pivotal sequence.
Expectedly skilled are Yashpal Sharma, Rajpal Yadav, and Shreyas Talpade (who is listed as a special appearance).
Lastly, its hero Kartik Aaryan is the rightful owner of Chandu Champion. The actor puts a lot of physical and emotional effort into the role, and it shows beautifully on screen. Every scene in which Kartik appears, whether it is as the desi pehelwaan Murli or as a paralyzed armyman bemoaning his destiny, is excellent. He is the owner of Chandu Champion and he owns the film. Indeed!
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