Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan has undergone a stunning transformation in his latest film Chandu Champion.
Directed by Kabir Khan (’83), the film is a biopic about Murlikanth Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medallist in 1972. Petkar served as a soldier in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war and was injured and disabled. He overcame this to become a champion athlete in multiple disciplines.
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“The character required a lot of skills, including swimming, boxing and wrestling. [Petkar] “I was very good at everything. I struggled to get into the deep end of the pool as I didn’t know how to swim professionally,” Aryan said. variety“And I never imagined that I would end up starring in a film playing a character who swims the way Murlikanth Petkar used to swim.”
The actor underwent a dramatic physical transformation for the role, undergoing a boot camp that lasted for 18 months, during which he lost a significant percentage of his body fat. “The skills and physical transformation require a lot of preparation, a lot of perseverance and a lot of mental balance. I have done romantic and comedy films and have never been in a situation like this. But it was the first time I had to do war scenes, wrestling and things like that,” said Aaryan, whose hits include the romantic comedy “Satyaprem Ki Katha” and horror-comedy “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2”.
The mental aspect of the transformation was equally demanding and in this regard Aaryan got a lot of help from Khan. “I was intrigued to know what Murlikant Petkar’s thought process was like. Kabir sir always told me that it’s all about willpower and that’s a line in the film too – a man who basically refused to surrender no matter what the situation, no matter how difficult or tough the circumstances,” Aaryan said.
Unlike many actors of his generation, Aaryan doesn’t come from a Bollywood family. The son of doctor parents, he hails from Gwalior in central India. He had to move to Mumbai, home of the Hindi film industry, to pursue his dream of becoming a Bollywood star. After several rejections, Aaryan stumbled upon an ad on Facebook for debut director Luv Ranjan’s Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011).
Aaryan played one of the three leads in this comedy about a male bond. The film was an unexpected hit and spawned a hit sequel in 2015, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2. Aaryan’s breakout role came in 2018 with the love triangle comedy Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, also directed by Ranjan, which became one of the biggest hits of the year.
“I am truly a person from the outside world. It was a dream come true for me to play a role like this and that line in the film about a man who refuses to surrender really resonated with me so for me it was like a once in a lifetime role,” Aaryan said. “It’s like a reward for playing a role as big as ‘Chandu Champion’.”
Aaryan’s next project is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which is nearing completion and is scheduled for release during Diwali this autumn. He is set to begin shooting for the Anurag Basu-directed film in August.
Produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Kabir Khan Films, Chandu Champion will be released in theatres worldwide on June 14. It will be one of the biggest releases in Aaryan’s career, with a simultaneous release across 1,250 screens in 1,000 locations across 70 countries.
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