Kartik Aaryan has an image of a lover boy because of the rom-com films he has done in his career. He went out of his comfort zone twice, with Dhamaka and Freddy and showcased his acting skills. Audiences were unlucky to not witness these 2 performances on the big screen, as both the films were directly released on OTT. Kartik is back once again in a performance oriented film, with the most challenging role of his career in Chandu Champion.
Chandu Champion is an extraordinary story of a man who believed in himself and never gave up on his dreams. The story is of an extraordinary man, but the film is too ordinary. It’s a mashup of all the sports films which we have seen in Bollywood and there’s nothing new.
The first half of Chandu Champion will remind you of Laal Singh Chadha. The second half is a mashup of all the sports films like Soorma, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Mary Kom, Sultan, etc. Nowadays, sports based films and biopics do not have anything new, which they can offer to the audience.
Kartik Aaryan’s mental and physical transformation is visible on-screen. Kartik is Champion in terms of transformation, but Chandu in terms of acting. Some powerful actor should have been casted for this role. Kartik tries too hard and gives his all, but still doesn’t fit into this character. His voice and dialogue delivery is not convincing enough. Kartik is seen in 4 to 5 different looks and it’s a treat for his fans. Kartik’s old look looks very dull due to the pathetic make-up. He should only focus on rom-coms, as he can only excel in it and nothing else. Even the small child who plays the role of young Murli is seen doing overacting, and that’s the magic of Kartik’s company. Vijay Raaz plays the role of that support system which everyone wants in his/her life. He fits well in the role of a disciplined and strict coach who pushes Chandu to boundaries and gets the best out of him. Bhuvan Arora is that friend which everyone needs in their lives. Shreyas Talpade is seen playing the role of a police officer. He makes you laugh with his one or two dialogues. His character seems to be forcefully added. Rajpal Yadav has never looked so irritating and this is due to badly written character. Just like Shreyas, his character also seems to be unnecessarily added. Sonali Kulkarni is seen playing a journalist and has a short cameo. The rest of the cast fails to leave a mark.
Kabir Khan’s direction is too ordinary. His strength has been emotions over the years. The way he presents emotional scenes is amazing. Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s main USP was emotions and so was for 83. 83 was an emotional story for every Indian and Kabir brought back that nostalgia on-screen after many years. In Chandu Champion, you don’t feel much for Kartik’s character because emotions are not presented in that manner in which Kabir used to do in his previous films. It won’t be wrong to say that Kabir Khan has disappointed a bit with his direction. Kabir Khan decided to tell the story of a man who refused to surrender, but I did not understand why did he surrender so easily in terms of presentation.
The screenplay of Chandu Champion is quick, but also has many unwanted scenes which appear from nowhere. In the name of cinematic liberty makers have gone wrong at many places which has cost the film in terms of quality. Kartik suddenly runs from a village in a langot and boards a train and joins the army instantly without any documentation. Things try to happen in the film instantly lacking logic. The makers paid attention to the shitty love story angle of Kartik with a journalist, but did focus on his wife and 5 children. The makers also tried to add social commentary, but failed miserably.
The story of Chandu Champion needed a powerful presentation. Since Dangal, there have been many films made on sports and sport personalities, but none of them have been able to match that level. Dangal has set the bar so high, that every other film looks ordinary and mediocre in front of it. The biopic follows the same formula where we see a person aiming something, successful in his dream, falling again due to some reason and then rising again with a solid comeback. It’s up to the director, how he presents his story and makes people believe in it.
Music album of Chandu Champion is easily passable. There is not a single song which will stay with you. Satyanaas is a cheap version of Galt Se Mistake (Jagga Jasoos). Sarphira and Tu Hai Champion are inspiring and fit well in the narrative.
Chandu Champion is the story of Murlikant Petkar who was India’s first Paralympic Gold Medalist. This was a story which needed to be told, but not in this ordinary manner. Kabir Khan and Kartik Aaryan have failed to give proper justice to this miraculous story. A huge respect and salute to Padma Shri Murlikant Petkar for redefining comeback. His journey has been truly inspiring and motivating. We are indebted to him for making India proud on an international level.
Every single frame of Chandu Champion resembles some or the other film which we have already seen. This is repetitive stuff which can be also witnessed on OTT and does not require a theatrical viewing, so plan accordingly (if you wish to watch this film in theaters).
Rating – 2.5/5*
