Chandu Champion has been receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and the man behind the story, Murlikant Petkar, couldn’t be happier. However, as the film released on June 14, Murlikant remembered the late Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor who was originally supposed to bring Petkar’s story to the big screen. SSR and the ex-army officer met back in 2019 and were all set to make his biopic until Petkar heard about his sudden demise on TV.
In an interview with Indian Express, the Paralympic reminisced about his time with Sushant and said, “Before Kabir Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, was making a film on my life and my journey as a Paralympian. He had already shot 10 to 15 per cent of the film. He was extremely passionate about telling my story and spent a lot of time with me to understand how I managed to win all those gold medals despite getting shot nine times and being in a coma.”
Murlikant shared that Sushant would often visit his house and he also visited the actor in Mumbai, he said, “He would frequent my house to spend time with me. I also visited him at his Mumbai flat. He would sit down and hear my stories and get extremely motivated. He couldn’t believe that I managed to bring all those gold medals despite my disability.”
The Paralympic said that Chandu Champion releasing on June 14, death anniversary of Sushant Singh Rajput, is a perfect way to pay tribute to the late actor. He said, “His sudden passing was very shocking. The loss feels personal. 14th of June…. the date is painful to remember. The release of Chandu Champion on this date is a tribute to Sushant who left this world so early. It is the perfect homage to the young talent who wanted to tell my story and play me on-screen but his story remained incomplete.”
Murlikant Petkar also shared his feedback on Kartik Aaryan’s performance and said, “When I saw Kartik Aaryan play all the sports, which I played in my youth and won medals for, on-screen and nailing them so effortlessly, I saw myself in him. He took me back in time. I cried during the screening of the film. It was an emotional moment. Kartik has done a brilliant job in Chandu Champion.”