Kartik Aaryan, soaring high with the success of Chandu Champion, recalled his meeting with the real-life inspiration Murlikant Petkar on the sets of the film in a new video. Kartik shared a video titled reel meets real in which he talked about how he was moved by Murlikant Petkar's encouraging words for him. The video shows Murlikant Petkar talking about his achievements and praising Kartik for acing the role with almost perfection. Sharing the video, Kartik wrote, "Couldn't have imagined a non swimmer like myself Swimming without the use of Legs.. Meet The Real Champion who inspired me to achieve the impossible Padma Shri @murlikantpetka." He continued, "Firstly, Thank you for being you and being a living inspiration. Your story was important for everyone to know - to make everyone believe in themselves. When Kabir sir narrated Chandu Champion for the first time, I didn't believe that this could be a true story."
Kartik added, "Aapne ek zindagi mein, anek zindagiyan jo jee hain !! (You have lived many lives in one life). From not being able to believe your story in the first place to living your extraordinary life for almost two years, it's been an incredible experience and an utmost honour. My life has changed ever since you have entered it. I have never received so much love and appreciation for my work before, as I'm getting for Chandu Champion. It's overwhelming !! Really fortunate that I got the opportunity to meet you and relive some unbelievable, magical and inspiring moments of your life. Actor banna safal ho gay (Becoming an actor has finally paid off)." Take a look at the post here:
Earlier, Shabana Azmi shared a picture in which she can be seen kissing Kartik Aaryan on his cheek. She wrote in the caption, "I was deeply moved by Kabir Khan's film Chandu Champion and I loved Kartik Aryan's portrayal. He played it with an almost child determination with an extremely winsome smile which prevented him from projecting it as arrogance. Vijay Raaz as the coach is v effective. It's a real life story and I say Salaam kabir for making it his lifetime so he got to watch it with his family.Here am I with Kaartilk at a special screening organised by #Excel Entertainment."
Kartik Aaryan re-shared the post on his Instagram feed and he wrote, "Mujhe Meri Eidi Mil Gayi (I have received my Eidi) Every word you said feels like a medal for me." Take a look at the post here:
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee wrote, "Kartik Aaryan sheds his free-spirited gadabout cloak and gets into the skin of a character that makes a slew of demands on the actor. Aaryan gives the physically exacting role all he has and pulls off a career-best performance."
