Chandu Champion is finally in theatres and fans of Kartik Aaryan will finally get to see their star in a never seen before avatar. After much anticipation and excitement, the audience will get to witness director Kabir Khan, producer Sajid Nadiadwala and Kartik Aaryan's labour of love, hardwork and dedication. Right from the poster release to the trailer and the songs, Chandu Champion has kept fans hooked to what is coming their way. Kartik's transformation has left fans in disbelief and excited to see more of him in a genre and role that he hasn't attempted so far. But does Chandu Champion deliver as per expectations? Read our Chandu Champion movie review before you book your tickets or head to the theatres.
Chandu Champion movie review
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Bhuvan Arora, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav
Director: Kabir Khan
Release date: June 14, 2024, in theatres
What is Chandu Champion about?
Kabir Khan's Chandu Champion is based on the life of Padmashree Murlikant Rajaram Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medalist. Murlikant won a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Paralympics, held in Germany's Heidelberg and also set a new world record in the 50 m freestyle swimming event, at 37.33 seconds. But the film is much more than just this historical moment from his life. The story begins from the start, where Murli was just an 8-year-old, where the seed was sown in his soul that one day, he will become a champion who wins Gold for the country at the Olympics. But the journey wasn't easy for this child from a family that struggles everyday to make ends meet. How he overcomes challenges one sport at a time and develops an unwavering positive attitude and achieves his goal with the conviction 'Main kar lega', is what Chandu Champion is all about.
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Watch the trailer of Chandu Champion here:
What's hot about Chandu Champion?
Chandu Champion may look like a sports biopic but it is more than just that. Kabir Khan brings a lot of heart to the story about a man who despite all odds, could achieve his dream, that seemed unreasonable, unachievable for everyone around him. There is a scene in the movie where Kartik Aaryan's character Murli, gets angry at those laughing at him and his dream of becoming a champion. He asks them, 'Hasta kaiko hai?' And his elder brother tells him, 'Why won't they laugh? What have you done for them to believe that you can be a champion?' That's when Murli decides to go all out and show everyone, 'Chandu nahin, Champion hai mein'. The narrative is simple and thankfully the makers haven't exaggerated the events and tried to keep it as real as possible, thus making the story and the character's failures and triumphs relatable. It is exasperating to see how life keeps on setting Murli's plans haywire and yet how he gets back on track each time.
For a film which is sensitive and inspirational and based on a true story, using songs the right way can be tricky. But Kabir gets it right and the songs suit perfectly to the situations and complement the narrative. The dialogues are nothing fancy, there is no faaltu ka dialogue baazi happening, as the story in itself is so inspiring that it doesn't need forced frills. The focus has been to keep it simple, real and relatable and that works perfectly for Chandu Champion. As Kartik Aaryan's character Murli says in one scene, '... har Chandu jo champion banna chahta hai, har Chandu jo champion ban sakta hai...', the story may be of a man from a small, lesser-known town in Maharashtra, but has a universal appeal.
Now, coming to the man of the moment, Kartik Aaryan. This young star is all set to redefine what hardwork, dedication, transformation and being a true Champion is all about. He has delivered a solid knockout to his critics and detractors. This has been a challenging role at many levels and Kartik has gone all out and broken any personal limitation that he must have found himself bound with. As he keeps saying in the movie, 'main kar lega', it is now evident that whatever new challenging film or role comes his ways, he will be able to do complete justice and deliver as per his director's vision. This young man is getting better and better with each project that he does. While he already has a huge and growing fan following of the young, old and kids, he is also proving to be a bankable star with consistent good performances that draw audience in. Kartik is not even competing with his contemporaries anymore, he is just focusing on one-upping himself. So a big round of taaliyaan for Kartik Aaryan.
Vijay Raaz as Tiger Ali, Murlikant's coach is cast perfectly. While he is cold he is also caring and balances the bouquets and brickbats to keep his students grounded. He and Kartik as Ustad and Patthu are endearing. Bhuvan Arora as Karnel Singh, Murli's one and only BFF is a very fine actor and complements the lead perfectly without being reduced to a caricature. We wish to see him do more projects. Rajpal Yadav and Yashpal Sharma don't have much to do but deliver the few scenes that they have effortlessly.
Chandu Champion is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and he is one producer with a great sense of the business as well as the audiences' pulse. After consistently championing stories that need to be shared with the masses, he has once again proved that he has his heart in the right place by supporting a film like Chandu Champion. This highlights his commitment to bring to the fore stories that matter.
What's not?
While there is a lot about how Murlikant prepared for the various sporting events that took him closer to his dream of fetching gold for India, there is not much shown about his personal life. He is shown to be all consumed by just one dream in life, but there could have been more about how he was in his personal space. While his family life before the gold medal was kind of non-existent, there could have been some scenes that showcase him with his new family - moments with his wife and kids.
Watch an exclusive interview of Kartik Aaryan here:
BL Verdict
Chandu Champion is an inspiring true story of grit and determination, and it fills your heart with hope and faith. Watching Murlikant overcome one challenge after another will instil the belief in you that nothing is impossible if you really work towards it. Kartik Aaryan delivers his career best performance and it's a delight to watch him in this never seen before avatar. Go and watch it with the entire family this long Eid Al Adha weekend.
About the Author
Smrity Sharma
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