Kartik Aaryan at India Today Mumbai Conclave: Playing Murlikant Petkar inspires me
Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan expressed immense gratitude for playing India’s first Paralympic gold medallist Murlikant Petkar in the Kabir Khan-directed film Chandu Champion at India Today Mumbai Conclave 2024. He highlighted the importance of bringing such inspiring stories to light and the impact it has had on him personally and professionally.
Indian actor Kartik Aaryan shared his feelings about playing India’s first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar in Kabir Khan directed Chandu Champion. The actor expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity and called it one of the most important roles of his career.
Speaking about the honour of bringing Petkar’s story to screen at the India Today Conclave, Aaryan said, “I feel it is a great privilege for me to be sharing the stage with a Paralympian. For me, this is a very important moment – this is the story of Murlikant Petkar sir, India’s first Paralympic gold medallist. His story was never told till now. There are so many stories that need to reach a wider audience.”
Aryan said that learning about Petkar’s life had a profound impact on him both personally and professionally. “When I heard his story, I was very inspired and motivated by it. However, it was also sad that I did not know this story, and neither did anyone around me. It is a challenging story – in fact, it is extremely rare for India to win a gold medal in swimming at the Paralympics on that world stage. He set a standard 50 years ago, and it is a very important story for us to share and show people.”
Kartik’s opinion on playing sensitive characters
During a session titled Yes We Can: India’s Paralympic Stars, Kartik reflected on the challenges of portraying such a sensitive and inspiring person. The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 actor highlighted the importance of capturing the essence of Petkar’s resilience. “When I first heard the story of Chandu Champion, there was something special about the way Kabir Khan sir wrote and visualised the film with the writers. The film celebrates every moment of the story. It doesn’t just focus on empathy or the tragic elements; it highlights the determination, courage and resilience of the character. Throughout the film, you don’t feel like they are lacking in anything. The way they are portrayed in the film, they appear as superheroes,” the actor said.
For Aryan, Petkar’s indomitable spirit stood out the most. He said, “When I worked on Chandu Champion, I saw the same thing in Murlikant sir’s story. He never gave up. He was a wrestler first and then became a swimmer. He was supposed to be selected for boxing but he was shot during the war and a bullet hit his spinal cord, which left him paralysed and unable to walk. So he had to change his sport. I think it reflects the ‘never give up’ attitude. I could relate to it and it inspired me in my life too.”
The actor emphasised the importance of celebrating achievements like Petkar’s, saying, “You should celebrate their achievements and I am so inspired by all these stories.”
Chandu Champion is directed by Kabir Khan. Starring Vijay Raj, Bhuvan Arora, Yashpal Sharma, Rajpal Yadav and others, the film is slated to release on June 14, 2024.
