Murlikant Petkar, the man on whom the sports biopic Chandu Champion is based, attended a special movie premiere organised by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in Vasant Vihar. Petkar was in attendance alongside the PCI president and Paralympic Games double-gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia and other para-athletes.
Before attending the premiere with PCI, the real-life Chandu Champion attended the screening of the film with the actor who played his role on the big screen Kartik Aaryan and the director of the film Kabir Khan. After the screening, Kartik recalled to Zoom that Murlikant cried after watching the movie and said to him, "Tumne mujhe rula diya".
The athlete has opened up about his movie and also shed light on why he got emotional after watching his own biopic. "This is a must-watch movie. This (Chandu Champion) depicts the real struggle of handicapped people. I would like to thank the PCI president for bringing the para-athletes for this premiere as it will give the inspiration to win Gold for their country," Murlikant said in an exclusive chat with India TV.
Murlikant said that he got emotional after watching the film because he did not get the recognition he deserved earlier. "Yes, I got emotional after watching it. It was because I did not get enough (recognition) at the time when I needed it. They were tears of joy as I am getting that now," he added.
Watch the Exclusive interaction with Murlikant Petkar on India TV
The Box office collection of the movie on the opening day of its release on June 14 was 4.75 Crore. It saw a surge of 2 Crore on the next day with a single-day earning of 6.75 Crore. Apart from Kartik, the movie also features Vijay Raaz and Bhuvan Arora in key roles. It depicts how Murlikant, a 1965 Indo-Pak war survivor, made history for the country by becoming India's first Paralympic medallist.
