Another earnest biopic in the mold of Srikanth, which released last month. Kartik Aaryan is stellar in this moving tale. Simple, straightforward and motivational without getting too funky or cute. Less cinema, but more a parable of inspiration. But all the same, agreeable.
The Good
- Sincerity of narration
- Karthik Aaryan
- Well crafted scenes
The Bad
- Lack of drama
The Indian movie scene is in the midst of a biopic fest and movies based on real-life incidents, so it seems. In the last few years alone, we have had movies like Maidaan, Sam Bahadur, Gangubai Kathiawadi, 12th Fail, Shershah, Sardar Udham, Pippa, Main Atal Hoon, and Swatantra Veer Savarkar. A few more, like Chakda ‘Xpress, Ekkis, and Emergency, are in the making.
The trend shows two things. One, there is a dearth of new film fiction. Two, real-life personalities and incidents have not been adequately showcased in mainstream media. Take the example of Srikanth, the story of the visually handicapped CEO of Bollant Industries. Srikanth Bolla’s story needed to be told so the new generation could understand his fight against extreme odds. Aside from being good drama material for the screen, such stories also prove to be motivational. The cinema part may be relatively less, but that is not the point of such endeavours.
![Chandu champion 1](https://i0.wp.com/tbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chandu-champion-1.jpg?resize=814%2C543&ssl=1)
Much like Srikanth, Chandu Champion is a tale of courage and perseverance against impossible obstacles. It is the story of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist. He won an individual gold medal in the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany. He set a world record in the 50 m freestyle swimming event at 37.33 seconds. He participated in javelin, precision javelin throw and slalom in the same games. In 2018, he was awarded with the Padma Shri.
The real kick lies in Petkar’s backstory. He started as someone interested in wrestling. But an incident, which was both tragic and comic in his home village, forced him to run away and join an arm of the Indian armed forces. As a jawan in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), he shifted his focus to boxing and prepared himself for the challenges in international competitions. But just as his sports career seemed to take off, fate intervened in the form of the 1965 India-Pak war. Petkar took bullets to his leg and was left paralyzed down below the waist. His world had come crashing down. But he had a large heart filled with an undying spirit, so he picked himself up and prepared for the Paralympics. In 1967, he became the Maharashtra state champion in shot put, javelin, discus, weightlifting, table tennis and archery in the games for those physically challenged. The highlight of Petkar’s career was the gold he won in the 50-meter freestyle swimming event in the 1972 Summer Paralympics held in Germany. With this achievement, he set a new world record and became India’s first Paralympic gold medallist.
For those wondering why such a detailed background of the person rather than anything on the film as such, well, it is because the director Kabir Khan sticks to the original story for the most part. Though the story on screen unfolds in blocks of flashbacks, the larger treatment is simple and straightforward. The director doesn’t attempt anything cute. That may be the film’s strength, but it may also be its weakness.
The film, however, rests on the earnestness of Karthik Aaryan. Long typecast as the lover boy, Karthik has undergone a remarkable physical transformation to look like Petkar (and this is well documented in media reports already). The striking physical change shows how invested Karthik is in the role. His understanding of the character, which does not beg for sympathy but looks for dignity and acceptance, is well brought out. For example, in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), there is a stentorian boss in the armed forces, and there is also a romantic angle. It also shows these types of stories lend themselves to only such narratives and become cliches in the long run, as it were.
![Chandu Champion](https://i0.wp.com/tbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chandu-Champion.jpg?resize=814%2C428&ssl=1)
Kabir and Karthik have understood that the film’s story is known (or at least doesn’t hold many surprises), and the heart lies sincerely and solemnly in its telling. Sometimes, such stories can be emotionally manipulated to tug at your heartstrings. Kabir Khan stays away from that path. Karthik infuses the role of champion with all the heroism it deserves and never resorts to anything silly. This has to be among his best performances ever in his growing career. The physical transformation in the second half is a play for the gallery. And it is convincing of his inner conviction.
Vijay Raaz, as the strict boxing coach, is well cast. Others like Rajpal Yadav, Sonali Kulkarni, Shreyas Talpade, and Brijendra Kala play their limited parts without much fuss. The recreation of the period is also done without much fanfare or unduly drawing attention to it. The film also points out the late recognition of the Padma Shri in 2018, which came Petkar’s way.
Petkar was a true champion. And the film is deservedly true to him.