Bollywood is a biopic factory. One subgenre of the biopic that has attracted filmmakers is the sports biopic. The industry has made several films on achievers in different forms of sport in the last ten years. That is a good thing because, although cricket attracts eyeballs in millions, India has produced many heroes who have made us proud in far less popular individual and team sports.
Muralikant Petkar is one such hero. Born in Sangli, Maharashtra, Petkar was a craftsman-ranked jawan in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME). During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, he sustained as many as nine bullet wounds that rendered him paraplegic. A boxer during his EME days, Petkar did not let his condition impede his sporting career. He went on to win medals in major multi-sport events and eventually became India’s first Paralympic gold medalist after winning the individual gold in the 50m freestyle swimming event in the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany.
Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion based on Petkar’s life has Kartik Aaryan in the title role. Aaryan’s physical transformation for playing the protagonist is evident in the trailer. The trailer gives a hint of various phases in Chandu’s life. We see him as a boy who is ridiculed during childhood; a man bathed in mud taking part in a wrestling match; a soldier who slips into a two-year-long coma after getting injured in an aerial attack; and a boxer who unleashes lethal punches to subdue his opponent inside the ring Khan’s choice of subject has generated enough curiosity before the film’s release on June 14. From the looks of it, it could become the most significant film of Aaryan’s career.
Aaryan is popular among youngsters mainly because of his young-man-next-door image. His comic timing has helped him, and his unusual ability to rattle off lengthy monologues is his mass-friendly USP. He has stepped out of his comfort zone, notably as the introverted dentist who turns into a ruthless killer in Shashanka Ghosh’s psychological thriller Freddy (2022). Although his performance in Freddy was first-rate, Chandu Champion must have been a bigger challenge for him as an actor.
The story of a man’s triumph against adversities, which progresses with the help of dramatic subplots, attracted Aaryan. As he told reporters recently, ”The first time I heard the story, the first question I asked was ‘Is it real? Did it happen?’ or ‘Is this fictional?’ There are so many twists and turns and historical moments that it was next to impossible to believe.” The actor wanted to play the complex character right away. But he was not sure whether or not he could pull it off. Having spent one-and-a-half years on the project, he must be hoping that the film will receive a positive response from critics and viewers.
Chandu Champion will invite comparisons with other sports biopics made in recent years. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) based on the life of legendary athlete Milkha Singh recreates Singh’s journey. Although BMB is an overlong film, it keeps the viewer interested because of its inspiring story and Farhan Akhtar’s performance as Singh.
Priyanka Chopra sprung a surprise by appearing in the lead role of Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom (2014) based on the life of Kom, the renowned boxer who rose from obscurity to become a world champion. Her knockout performance is the highlight of the well-directed film.
Stepping into the shoes of the former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s character for the big screen was a challenge for the late Sushant Singh Rajput, simply because MSD is one of the most popular Indian cricketers ever. The talented actor, who left us too soon, nailed the part in Neeraj Pandey’s well-liked MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). The film steers clear of controversies associated with the wicketkeeper-batsman. But the MSD fan who watched the film did not complain.
Tony D’Souza’s Azhar (2016) inspired by the life of former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin only worked for fans of Emraan Hashmi who appeared in the title role or others who accepted it as a ‘kalpanik chitra.’ Shreyas Talpade, whose performance as a deaf-mute cricketer in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal (2005) was a revelation, played the title role in Jayprad Desai’s Kaun Praveen Tambe? (2022). KPH is based on the life of Praveen Tambe, the leg spinner who got his big break in the Indian Premier League without playing first-class cricket. A direct-to-digital release that premiered on Disney + Hotstar, KPH was appreciated for its choice of subject, script, direction and, above all, Talpade’s performance.
Shaad Ali picked up an exciting subject from hockey for Soorma (2018): the story of Sandeep Singh, one of the best drag-flickers in the world during his playing days. The film did not make an impact because of its weak script and Diljit Dosanjh’s unimpressive performance in the title role. Amole Gupte’s Saina (2019) is based on the life of former world champion Saina Nehwal. Parineeti Chopra as Nehwal is good in a story about struggle, challenges and optimism, which keeps the viewer interested for the most part.
Bollywood has also made other sports dramas inspired by real life in which the focus is not on one individual. Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal (2016) the biggest among them all, tells the absorbing story of Geeta Phogat (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (Sanya Malhotra). Trained by their father Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), they went on to become world-class wrestlers. A first-rate film that was flooded with positive responses and accolades, Dangal emerged as an all-time blockbuster. Tushar Hiranandani’s Saand Ki Aankh (2019), a tribute to what women can achieve in a patriarchal society regardless of age, is about Prakashi (Taapsee Pannu) and Chandro Tomar (Bhumi Pednekar). The Tomars had conquered the limitations of old age to become iconic sharpshooters. The outstanding choice of subject highlights cinema’s ability to tell real-life stories that are often overlooked in our day-to-day lives.
Kabir Khan’s 83 (2021) revolving around the Indian cricket team’s first-ever World Cup win was appreciated by the critics. The film didn’t do good enough business, partly because of its big budget, but viewers who saw it mostly liked it because of its story, direction and Ranveer Singh’s performance as the Indian skipper Kapil Dev.
Kabir Khan has returned to the director’s chair with Chandu Champion. Can Aaryan and he, the new core team for the upcoming film, deliver those big numbers at the box office? That is definitely possible if the film delivers on its promise.
The writer, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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