Chandu Champion is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film written and directed by Kabir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. It stars Kartik Aaryan as India's first Paralympics gold medallist Murlikant Petkar.[5][6]
Principal photography took place from July 2023 to January 2024 with filming held in London, Wai and Jammu and Kashmir. Chandu Champion was released on 14 June 2024.[7]
Plot[]
2017: An aged Murlikant Petkar arrives at a local police station, saying that he wants to file a complaint against the President of India for not being awarded the Arjuna Award for his achievements. He adds that him winning the award would help in the development of his village. When questioned by an officer about his eligibility, he recounts his remarkable journey:
1952: Murlikant grows up in a small village called Peth Islampur in Maharashtra. At a young age, he develops the ambition to win an Olympic gold medal for India, for which he is mocked and made fun of by his classmates and also scolded by his father.
Events lead him to run away from home and join the Indian Army Corps of EME, where he is selected and trained as a boxer. He is selected to represent India in boxing at the International Services Sports Meet 1964 in Tokyo, where he does well, but loses in the final round because he is distracted and not focused enough. Disappointed at his losing in spite of his potential, his coach Tiger Ali refuses to train him further.
1965: Their unit is involved in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, in which their camp comes under air attack. He is injured severely, with a bullet injuring his spine, rendering him a paraplegic. He is admitted to an infirmary for the war wounded, where, depressed at his condition and that he can never win an Olympic Gold, he has given up on life and attempts suicide.
1972: His former coach Tiger Ali visits him in the infirmary, and inspires him to compete in the Paralympics. He trains hard and qualifies for the 1972 Summer Paralympics in the 50 m freestyle swimming event. While he is there, the Palestinian terrorist attack on Olympics takes place, due to which the Paralympics is shifted to a different venue at Heidelberg. At the new venue, he is successful in progressing through the multiple heats and ultimately wins the Gold Medal, setting a new World record. Once news reaches his village, he becomes a celebrity and is welcomed back by the villagers with great fanfare.
2017: However, his achievements are forgotten over the years. The police inspector is impressed by his story but still suspicious about its authenticity. He contacts a journalist to write an article about him. Upon reading the article as well as receiving Petkar's application for the Arjuna Award, he is visited by a senior government official, who tells him that the Arjuna Award is too small an award for his achievements, and the government has instead decided to award him the Padma Shri.
2018: On 20 March, he received the Padma Shri from the President of India.[8]
It is narrated at the end that the inspiring story of Murlikant Petkar is a fruitful and befitting reply to all ups and down in life, crossing all obstacles, each and every mocking and every fun made of, with the dialogue by Murli, Ae, hasta kaiko hai? (Why are you laughing?).
Cast[]
- Kartik Aaryan as Murlikant Petkar alias Chandu Champion
- Ayan Khan Sroha as young Murlikant
- Vijay Raaz as Tiger Ali, Murli's mentor
- Bhuvan Arora as Garnail Singh, Murli's friend
- Yashpal Sharma as Major Uttam Singh
- Rajpal Yadav as Topaz, hospital wardboy later Murli's friend
- Aniruddh Dave as Jagannath Rajaram Petkar, Murlikant's elder brother
- Samyak Shringirishi as young Jagannath
- Shreyas Talpade as Inspector Sachin Kamble
- Nitin Bhajan as Murlikant's father
- Hemangi Kavi as Murlikant's mother
- Ganesh Yadav as Ganpat Bhau
- Bhagyashri Borse as Journalist Nayantara (special appearance)[9]
- Sonali Kulkarni as a journalist, who writes the article about Murlikant Petkar
- Hemant Choudhary as Brigadier at Secunderabad
- Brijendra Kala as a prisoner at police station
- Jagat Rawat as Doctor
- Dilnaz Irani as Nurse
- Adonis Kapsalis as Carlos Pedroza
- Shivraj Walvekar as Minister Vishwas Patil
Music[]
| Chandu Champion | |
|---|---|
| Pritam | |
| Released | 15 June 2024 |
| Recorded | 2023–24 |
| Length | 30:45 |
| Label | T-Series |
The music for the film is composed by Pritam, while lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, IP Singh and Kausar Munir. The first single titled "Satyanaas" was released on 24 May 2024.[10] The second single "Tu Hai Champion" was released on 30 May 2024.[11] The third single titled "Sarphira" was released on 8 June 2024.
| Track listing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Satyanaas" | Arijit Singh, Nakash Aziz, Dev Negi | 3:25 | |||||||
| 2. | "Tu Hai Champion" | Arijit Singh, Amit Mishra | 3:36 | |||||||
| 3. | "Sarphira" | Sreerama Chandra | 3:25 | |||||||
| 4. | "Jamoore" | Mame Khan, Kailash Waghmare | 3:53 | |||||||
| 5. | "Na Door Hai Na Paas Hai" | Darshan Raval | 4:07 | |||||||
| 6. | "Jeet Ka Geet" | Shaan | 4:20 | |||||||
| 7. | "Sarphira" (Climax Version) | Mohammed Irfan | 7:58 | |||||||
Total length: |
30:45 | |||||||||
Marketing[]
The film's trailer was released on 8 May 2024 at Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Aaryan's hometown Gwalior.[12] Aaryan promoted the film at the dance reality show Dance Deewane.[13] A special screening of the film was held for the Indian Army officers on 5 June 2024 in Delhi where Petkar was felicitated.[14]
Release[]
Theatrical[]
The film was theatrically released on 14 June 2024.[15]
Home media[]
The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video from 9 August 2024.[16]
Reception[]
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating from 14 critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[17] A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Chandu Champion rests on Kartik Aaryan's powerful performance and some strong moments."[18] Nishad Thaivalappil of News18 rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "Overall, Chandu Champion, skilfully directed by Kabir Khan, proves irresistible with its powerful feel-good story."[19]
Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Kartik Aaryan delivers an earnest performance in Murlikant Petkar's inspiring story."[20] Arushi Jain of India Today rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "What makes the Kartik Aaryan-led film worth a watch, is the way that Kabir Khan truly believes in his story and turns it into a feel-good experience."[21]
Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated 2.5/5 stars and notes "Chandu Champion is Kartik Aaryan's most ambitious work so far and the actor's muscular gusto is undeniable. There's visible fire in the man's belly but not enough soul."[22] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Kartik Aaryan makes you root for his character even though Kabir Khan's film falls into declarative, underlined patches."[23]
Box Office[]
As of 11 July 2024, Chandu Champion has grossed Template:INR in India and Template:INR overseas for a worldwide total of Template:INR.[4]
External links[]
Chandu Champion at IMDb- Template:Bollywood Hungama movie
References[]
- ↑ Chandu Champion (12A) (14 June 2024).
- ↑ Soni, Narendra. "जानें कितना है चंदू चैंपियन का बजट, कितनी ली कार्तिक आर्यन ने फीस और ब्लॉकबस्टर बनने के लिए फिल्म को कमाने होंगे कितने करोड़", NDTV, 14 June 2024. (in hi)
- ↑ "Kartik Aaryans Chandu Champion Surpasses Production Budget With Worldwide Gross Collection Of Rs 96 Cr", Zee News.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chandu Champion Box Office", Bollywood Hungama, 23 June 2024. (in en)
- ↑ "Kartik Aaryan completes shooting of Kabir Khan's 'Chandu Champion'", The Hindu, 1 February 2024. (in en-IN)
- ↑ "Kartik Aaryan's astonishing transformation for 'Chandu Champion' leaves Arjuna Awardee Virdhawal Khade in awe", The Times of India, 31 January 2024.
- ↑ Chandu Champion: Kartik Aaryan films 8-minute-long single-shot war sequence. Deccan Herald (12 October 2023).
- ↑ PRESIDENT PADMA AWARDS MURLIKANT RAJARAM PETKAR. The Hindu.
- ↑ "REVEALED: Meet Bhagyashri Borse, the mystery girl who features in Kartik Aaryan-starrer Chandu Champion", Bollywood Hungama, 25 May 2024.
- ↑ "Chandu Champion Song Satyanaas: Kartik Aaryan Dances Like Nobody Is Watching", NDTV, 24 May 2024.
- ↑ "Chandu Champion song Tu Champion Hai: Kartik Aaryan turns trials into triumph in Arijit Singh's inspiring song", The Indian Express, 30 May 2024.
- ↑ Historic launch of Chandu Champion's Trailer in Gwalior (in en) (21 May 2024).
- ↑ Kartik Aaryan dances with 'legendary' Madhuri Dixit to Chandu Champion song Satyanaas. Watch (in en) (25 May 2024).
- ↑ Kabir Khan on the special screening of Chandu Champion for army officials, "It was a very emotional moment" : Bollywood News (2024-06-07).
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddh2 - ↑ ‘Chandu Champion’ coming on OTT: Here’s where you can watch Kartik Aaryan’s gritty sports drama. The Economic Times.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Wd". Chandu Champion (in en). Fandango Media.
- ↑ Hungama, Bollywood. "Chandu Champion Movie Review: CHANDU CHAMPION rests on Kartik Aaryan's powerful performance.", 14 June 2024.
- ↑ Chandu Champion Review: Kartik Aaryan Delivers Best Performance of His Career in Kabir Khan's Film (in en) (13 June 2024).
- ↑ 'Chandu Champion' movie review: Kartik Aaryan delivers an earnest performance in Murlikant Petkar's inspiring story (in en-us) (2024-06-13).
- ↑ Chandu Champion Review: Kartik Aaryan, Vijay Raaz turn formulaic sports drama into a worthy watch (in en) (14 June 2024).
- ↑ Chandu Champion review:Crowd Pleasing Melodrama (14 June 2024).
- ↑ Chandu Champion movie review: Kartik Aaryan goes full-tilt in Kabir Khan's by-the-numbers biopic (in en) (2024-06-14).