- Release Date: 14/06/2024
- Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Yashpal Sharma
- Director: Kabir Khan
Chandu Champion is generic and predictable but has emotional depth and great performances from Kartik Aryan and the ensemble cast
— Ambar Chatterjee
Chandu Champion chronicles the extraordinary journey of India’s first Paralympic gold medal winner, Murlikant Petkar. The film traces his humble origins, his meteoric rise as a boxer, and his tragic suffering as a paraplegic following his exploits in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, where he was shot nine times and remained in a coma for about 2 years. After spending a prolonged period in agony, he bounces back to life and decides to face his challenges head-on. With the help of his former boxing coach, he competes in the Paralympics, and the rest as they say is history.
Introducing a Forgotten Hero:
I hadn’t heard about Petkar, and had it not been for this film, I would never have known his story. For this reason alone, Kabir Khan deserves my respect and appreciation for making a film of this nature, especially after the way audiences treated his exceptionally well-made and inspiring epic, 83.
Predictability in Storytelling:
I have to agree that “Chandu Champion” progresses generically and predictably ticking every box that is necessary for a sports biopic. How Murlikant Petkar dreams of being an Olympian, how he starts off in sports, how he joins the army, and what happens next all feel very similar to previous films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Bharat, and even the recent Maidan. Once he is bedridden and has to fight back to compete in the Paralympics, the film takes a path that feels awfully similar to one of my favourite sports biopics of recent times, Soorma. This predictability may be one of the most underwhelming aspects of a film directed by Kabir Khan, but the film never lost me on the emotional front.
Strong Emotional Core:
Kabir Khan’s heart seems to have been in the right place when it came to storytelling and instilling a sense of pride in what was being documented as Murlikant Petkar’s achievements and it shows in his handling of the emotional scenes and dramatic aspects of the film. These scenes felt so on-point, impactful and engrossing that I was willing to overlook the recycled look and feel of the film for most of its runtime. The important characters are well-written and acted with such power and authority that they constantly hold your attention, preventing you from slipping into boredom or a sense of déjà vu.
Kartik Aaryan’s Transformation and Solid Performance:
Kartik Aaryan evidently worked extremely hard for the film, transforming himself physically for the character. He had to learn at least two sports in detail and another to a certain level of proficiency to make his character feel authentic and worthy of the greatness of the man he was portraying. He seems to have done enough to not only transform physically for the role but also learn the techniques of the sport to appear authentic and realistic.
Kartik was always a likeable face, and he had a certain way of approaching every character. You see glimpses of that attitude in his portrayal of Murlikant, but in this case, his approach and attitude suited the rendition of the real character. The good news for him was that there are no recent memories of the real Murlikant and hence it was never difficult to accept Kartik as the man no matter what path he took to expressing the numerous nuances of the character.
When you see the real character at the end of the film, you realize how far-fetched the casting of Kartik Aaryan really was for the role. It must have been difficult for Kabir Khan to accept someone so different from how the real Murlikant looked, especially after doing a film like 83 where his choice of actors and their transformation through makeup and prosthetics made them look like the real players. However, Kartik had the freedom to portray the character in his own way, which he does with gusto. His biggest victory comes from making you feel the helplessness and innocence of a man who has been belittled all his life and is desperate to either succeed or die.
The way his family treats him after the incident that leaves him paralyzed and the lack of support throughout his life takes a toll on him, which is beautifully brought out by Aryan. He is not only able to bring out the childlike simplicity of the character but also his steely resolve and bullish power. These factors make Kartik Aaryan’s performance compelling and emotionally impactful in key scenes.
Vijay Raaz’s Sensational Performance:
Vijay Raaz as Murlikant’s coach and father figure throughout the film was sensational. I have come to expect nothing but the best from him every time he appears on screen, and he does not disappoint here. His camaraderie with Kartik Aaryan and how the two react to each other take the drama to the next level. They are always able to impact the audience with their poignant lines, primarily because of how wonderfully the drama is transposed from the screen to the audience thanks to their simmering performances. Raaz also has a fair amount of quirk to pull off, which he does in his trademark style. Many will cite this performance of Raaz as similar to many of his previous characters, and they will be correct. However, what he brings to the table here is not only thought-provoking but also intriguing and poignant. For that reason alone, I am willing to ignore the familiarity of his performance with his previous roles.
The Power of a True Story:
Apart from the performances of Kartik Aaryan and Vijay Raaz, the biggest draw is the true story at the core of the film. It is impossible to ignore a great underdog story like this. Add to that the challenges of that particular era, when nothing had the potential to go viral, and you understand what it must have taken for such a man to find his much-deserved respect and honour in a large country like ours. As I mentioned before, just getting to know about a true hero like Murlikant Petkar makes this film worthwhile for me. It is also a no-brainer that the drama of the film is well-written, proficiently acted, and successfully reaches the most inert of audiences.
Final Words:
However, one also has to acknowledge that this film felt like similar to a hundred other films that came before it, with not a single moment standing out in its execution or novelty. From a visionary director like Kabir Khan, I expected more. He could have made this film into a modern classic, but he ended up playing it safe, which turned out to be the film’s biggest downfall. There were a few scenes that led to nothing, and I felt really strange why someone of Kabir Khan’s calibre would even include those scenes. Having said that, Chandu Champion is still a worthy one-time watch, especially for a generation like ours that knows so little about our own true heroes and is busy worshipping cricketers and film stars who have been carefully manufactured and promoted as the torchbearers of honour and pride of this country. At a time like this, a film like Chandu Champion feels necessary and important.
Ambar Chatterjee's Reviews 