Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion to glorify the accomplishments of India’s forgotten hero, Murlikant Petkar
Chandu Champion is a film that portrays the life of Murlikant Petkar and signifies the courage and accomplishments of the individual in the fields of boxing, freestyle swimming, precision javelin, and so on. He is a record holder in freestyle swimming and a war hero who survived 9 bullet wounds in the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. In 2018, Murlikant Petkar was honoured with Padma Shri, considered India’s fourth highest civilian award.
Who is Murlikant Petkar?
Murlikant Petkar is a distinguished Indian Athlete and a record-holding former Paralympic swimmer. He was born on November 1, 1944, 3 years before India’s independence from British rule in 1947. He is from the Peth Islampur province of Sangli, Maharashtra.
Accomplishments of Murlikant Petkar
Raksha Medal
Murlikant Petkar was awarded the Raksha Medal, which is bestowed on Military Personnel and individuals of the Paramilitary and Police forces of India in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. During the war, he was a “Jawan” ranked official in the EME Corps (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers), which is accountable for maintaining the vast array of equipment held by the Indian Army inventory.
India’s First Paralympic Record Holder
Murlikant Petkar is further identified as India’s first gold medallist as he won a gold medal in the freestyle swimming event of the 1972 Summer Paralympics, which Germany held in Heidelberg. The record was a 50m freestyle swimming run, which Murlikant Petkar completed in 37.33 seconds. In total, he won 4 medals in freestyle swimming as a whole.
Beyond Freestyle Swimming
Murlikant Petkar also accomplished a few other things beyond freestyle swimming. He is recognized as a silver medal winner in Javelin throw at Stoke Mandeville, England, in 1971 and a professional boxer, winning the national title in 1965. He is also a record holder who won the General Championship Cup five successive times with a significant career in boxing in his youth.
Padma Shri
The disremembered hero was honored with Padma Shri in 2018, with people finally recognizing the contributions of the individual and the lifetime of dedication and commitment that he put into serving India.
Significance of Chandu Champion
Chandu Champion is a biopic on Murlikant Petkar, which will be released on June 14, 2024, under the direction of Kabir Khan. The fans have massive expectations of the movie as it has a lot of parameters to cross and a lot of things to signify about the life and the progressive accomplishments of Murlikant Petkar.
Chandu Champion will star Kartik Aaryan as Petkar, accompanied by Shraddha Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and Bhuvam Arora in supporting roles, which is yet to be declared. A few days back, on May 19, the official trailer of Chandu Champion was released. It gained a considerable impetus as it glorified the life of Murlikant Petkar as a hero, which has received minimum recognition in the last few decades.
The trailer by itself brings tears as it glorifies the boxing career of Petkar and his aspirations to become a “Champion” and also an Indian who is recognized on the global platform. Chandu Champion sets a significant parameter of filmmaking as it not only signifies Petkar but also portrays the lost aspirations of many individuals who had similar dreams of honoring India in the post-independence era.
Why is it relevant?
The trailer by itself has promoted a sense of “nationalism” in the hearts and minds of many Indians. As a film, Chandu Champion will glorify our lost heroes who did not get the recognition they deserved from the public. One must not forget their history and the contributions of the people responsible for crafting it. Any Indian must not forget the cries of our soldiers in the wars for independence and the other wars that occurred correspondingly. Chandu Champion tends to portray the glory of Petkar and his aspirations and signifies the significance of remembering heroes like them.
