Kartik Aaryan, who is basking in the success of ‘Chandu Champion’, in a new video opened up about meeting his real-life inspiration Murlikant Petkar on the sets. In the video titled ‘Reel Meets Real’, Petkar praised Kartik and said that he played him almost perfectly.

In the video, Kartik expressed his gratitude and said, “I couldn’t even imagine that a non-swimmer like me could swim without the use of my legs. Meet the true champion who inspired me to achieve the impossible Padma Shri @murlikantpetka.”

He further thanked Petkar for being a living inspiration and stressed the importance of sharing his story to instill confidence in everyone. “First of all, thank you for being who you are and being a living inspiration. Your story was important for everyone to know – to make everyone believe in themselves. When Kabir sir first narrated the story of Chandu Champion, I couldn’t believe it could be a true story.”

Watch the video here:

The ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ actor said, “You have lived many lives in one life !! (You have lived many lives in one life). From not being able to believe your story at first to living your extraordinary life for almost two years, it has been an incredible experience and the greatest honour. My life has changed since you came into this world. I have never received so much love and appreciation for my work as I am receiving for Chandu Champion. It is overwhelming!! I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet you and relive some of the incredible, magical and inspiring moments of your life. Becoming an actor was a success (Becoming an actor finally paid off).”

‘Chandu Champion’ is based on the real-life story of India’s first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar. It also stars Vijay Raj and Rajpal Yadav in lead roles.