Murlikant Petkar named for Arjuna Award honor-Kartik Aryan congratulates
Murlikant Petkar named for Arjuna Award honor-Kartik Aryan congratulates 
Kartik Aaryan the “Chandu Champion” actor has congratulated Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medallist, following being named for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).
Petkar, who won the top honours in the 50m freestyle swimming event of the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics, was portrayed by Aaryan in “Chandu Champion”, the 2024 sports drama film from acclaimed filmmaker Kabir Khan.
Kartik wrote; “Huge Huge Huge Congratulations to Sri Murlikant Petkar Ji. Our film, ChanduChampion begins with the scene of him fighting for the Arjuna Award and now seeing him being honoured with the biggest sports award of the country… the journey feels complete.
In a post on Instagram Kartik Aryan wrote
“Your win feels personal Sir,” alongside a picture of Petkar and the film’s poster.
Action for the sake of action is like an item…
“Congratulations to the real Champion! Words cannot amply express this emotion. You are finally getting your due and we are all so proud of you Sir.
Petkar, who was earlier honoured with Padma Shri in 2018, was selected for the Arjuna Award alongside 16 other para-athletes.
Petkar, originally a boxer in the Indian Army and switched to swimming after losing his legs in the 1965 India-Pakistan war. His incredible journey led to India’s first-ever medal in freestyle swimming at the Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1972.
Sajid Nadiadwala produced “Chandu Champion” under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Kabir Khan Films, was released in June 2024. The movie also featured Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora and Rajpal Yadav in pivotal roles.
News Edit KV Raman
