Chandu Champion Review

The year 2024 should aptly be called the year of biographical films in Bollywood. So far, six movies - 12th Fail, Maidaan, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Srikanth, Amar Singh Chamkila and Main Atal Hoon - have been released. Chandu Champion is the seventh biographical movie - and ten more biopics are lined up for release this year. Are filmmakers suddenly so enamoured by true stories, or are these movies a safe bet for making money? The jury is till out. But while 12th Fail, Amar Singh Chamkila, Maidaan and Srikanth stood out for their cinematic merit, the others were either propaganda films or lessons in how not to make a movie.

Chandu Champion is about Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medalist. He won an individual gold medal in freestyle swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany, setting a world record in the 50m event with a time of 37.33 seconds. He also received a Padmasri. And this movie is an engaging portrayal of his struggle.

A boy named Murlikant Petkar (Kartik Aaryan) from Sangli, Maharashtra, dreams of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. However, after a riot breaks out after he defeats the village headman's son in a wresting bout, he leaves his village and runs away to save his life. He joins the Indian Army, gives up wrestling - his childhood passion - and becomes a boxer. During the 1965 war, he is hit by nine bullets, one of which remains lodged in his body, leaving him unable to walk. His family refuses to take him back home. Despite this, his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal remains unchanged.

The hero of Chandu Champion is the story itself. This is not surprising, as you can see from any of director Kabir Khan's movies. Indeed, while this one may be marketed in the name of Kartik Aaryan, it will always remain a Kabir Khan film. His mastery of the craft ensures that the emotions his films evoke are universal. The story is so interesting, and the execution so impeccable, that it needs one to just be human to appreciate this film. The movie does not offer anything entirely new, but is still fresh. It can perhaps be likened to Forrest Gump and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, but it belongs to a different category, and the similarities anyway don't take up much screen time.

What's not so good about the movie is that it sometimes takes artistic liberties for no good reason. For example, in one scene, Murli is wrestling, and pauses to look at the money he has received as a prize, making it seem as though his opponent has also stopped - this feels unrealistic. Additionally, a song sequence set on a moving train stretches cinematic liberty too far, and seems out-of-place.

This movie can be called Aaryan's best work yet. His transformation from a young man bursting with passion and determination to one dealing with dejection, becoming handicapped, staying in a comatose stage for two years, and then reaching for the stars is especially profound. He offers great takeaway moments when he plays naive, both verbally and through gestures, as the character demands.

Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kala, and Rajpal Yadav provide comic relief throughout the movie. Notably, their roles are not forced - they play key characters, especially Kala and Raaz. Removing them would have been disastrous for the film. Kala's character appears intermittently, for a few seconds each time, but steals the show nevertheless. Raaz, as Aaryan's boxing coach, stays much longer, much like Forrest's Lieutenant Dan, and makes the moments his own.

The visuals are a strong point of the movie, showcasing era-appropriate details that must have been an expensive affair. An entire train, inside and out, was modified to represent the '60s. The same goes for the genuine Willys Army cars, cantonment settings, costumes and other props. There's no lack of attention to detail.

Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography makes this movie a spectacle. For those who don't know, Chatterjee is a regular cinematographer for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films, and brings a similar grandeur to this project.

The background score by Julius Packiam is surprisingly good. However, the song compositions by Pritam are mostly underwhelming, except for the standout track Sarphira. None of the other songs will leave a lasting impression, and or even linger for more than a few minutes once you're out of the cinema.

Acting and execution aside, this is a must-watch film just to learn about an inspiring athlete who won the first Paralympic medal for India. Rest assured, you'll leave the cinema satisfied.