Murlikant Petkar’s journey to Arjuna Award: Kartik Aaryan reflects on champion’s spirit | WATCH
Entertainment: Kartik Aaryan congratulated Murlikant Petkar for receiving the Arjuna Award, sharing his emotional connection to the para-athlete's journey and highlighting the impact of Chandu Champion on raising awareness for athletes with disabilities.
Entertainment: Actor Kartik Aaryan just took to his Instagram to hail Murlikant Petkar, the legendary Paralympic Gold Medalist who received the highly coveted Arjuna Award on Friday. Kartik, who would be playing Petkar in the movie Chandu Champion, wrote a heartfelt post wishing the sports icon.
Kartik shared a video clip from Chandu Champion in his Instagram post, which is a pivotal moment of Petkar's life. He accompanied the clip with a heartfelt message, "From living your incredible life on the big screen to witnessing you receive the Arjuna Lifetime Achievement Award, at Rashtrapati Bhawan today, it felt surreal." He continued, "Every moment was like a dream. Now our film Chandu Champion, seems to have found its perfect ending (it started with you fighting for The Arjuna award), but knowing you, an unstoppable champion, this can't be the climax. Keep inspiring Sir."
The actor himself felt proud writing, "Feeling so proud to be present in this moment framed in history with you and the honourable President of India. Salute to you and congratulations to all the Arjuna awardees." Fans both for Kartik and Murlikant flooded comment sections with happy messages congratulating both men in their achievements.
Emotional story of Murlikant Petkar
Arjuna Awardee Murlikant Petkar got visibly emotional talking about the regard. At the award-giving ceremony, para-athlete was accompanied by his strong supporters who included filmmaker Kabir Khan beside Kartik Aaryan, who represented Bollywood at the gala event.
Talking to mediapersons, Murli Kant thanked filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala for the production credit that made people understand his work, he said. "These awards are declared due to Sajid Nadiadwala because no one gives such a big honour to handicaps. I am getting recognised in the world because of Sajid Nadiadwala," he shared. Petkar reflected on the emotional weight of receiving recognition, especially after his struggles as an Olympic gold medalist and a proud member of the Indian Army.
He further stated that, "This award is a testament to the support I received from the Government of India, Maharashtra State, Rotary Clubs, and many others who believed in me and helped me elevate the recognition of athletes with disabilities." Petkar emphasized the importance of the film Chandu Champion, directed by Kabir Khan, which tells the story of his life and highlights the struggles and triumphs of athletes with disabilities.
A fighter's spirit and historical achievements
The journey of Murlikant Petkar to greatness is nothing but inspirational. Nine bullet wounds inflicted on him during the 1965 Indo-Pak war did not deter him. He chose to rise above the challenges and go for sports, especially swimming. In 1972, Petkar made history as India's first Paralympic gold medalist.
Kartik Aaryan, who played Petkar in the biopic, spoke emotionally about his deep connection with the athlete. "So, so, so happy to hear this news! While working on his biopic, I came to know about his life in such great detail and up close and personal that his win feels deeply personal," he shared. The actor described Petkar as "unbreakable" despite the hardships he faced.
The actor concluded, "I have met many sports personalities, but Murlikant sir's sportsmanship and headstrong attitude are unmatched. Hearing about this honor is the best way to start the year. Murlikant sir, you are our country's finest champion—truly one of a kind.
