Meet Murlikant Petkar: The Real Chandu Champion Hero
Chandu Champion is based on the real-life story of Murlikant Petkar, born in a village near Sangli (Maharashtra). A spirited young boy who grows up dreaming about winning a gold medal for India at the Olympics in wrestling, Murli goes on to join the army and represents India in boxing. After being grievously injured during the 1965 war, following which he slipped in and out of coma for two years, he trained as a paralympic swimmer.
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. 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.
Murlikant Petkar is 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. In the same games he participated in javelin, precision javelin throw and slalom. He was a finalist in all three events. In 2018, he was awarded with the Padma Shri.
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.
He participated in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he won the gold medal. Like many sportspersons, even Petkar’s service to the nation was forgotten. Only after he applied for the Arjuna Award in 2017 was he conferred with the Padmashri the following year.
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