New Delhi: Murlikant Petkar , on whom 'Chandu Champion' is filmed, was quite surprised when Sushant Singh Rajput passed away. It was hard for Murlikant to believe that Sushant was gone. Murlikant Petkar is India's first Paralympic gold medalist, who is also an ex-army officer. He hoped that the news was not truw after all, when Sushant had last visited him in August 2019, the actor reassured Petkar that he would bring the athlete's untold story on celluloid.
Murlikant Petkar on Sushant Singh Rajput
The celebrated athlete shared that he has not spoken much about the late actor but says that he is unable to forget the time spent with Suhsant.
In an interaction with Indian Express, Petkar shared, "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," a film on his life that released today on June 14, when Sushant Singh Rajput passed away.
Many do not know that before Kabir Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, inspired by the athlete's story of resilience had begun shooting his biopic which came to a halt after his death four years ago.
Sushant Singh Rajput was already working on Petkar's biopic
Murlikant told the publication ,"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.”
Unfortunately, the actor's demise put a halt on the film and when Kabir Khan found out about Murlikant's existence after going through a newspaper article, he decided to make a film on him.
A celebrated athlete and army officer, Murlikant suffered irreversible bullet injuries in the 1965 war against Pakistan and was forced to give up his career in the Indian Army. Despite his disability, Petkar continued to strive to get a gold for the country, which had always been his dream. Murlikant won an individual gold maedal in the 1972 Summer Paralympics, Germany and set a world record in the 50 m freestyle swimming event, at 37.33 seconds.
Sharing fond memories of Rajput, Murlikant told the publication, "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,” recalled the 79-year-old.