Chandu Champion

As mentioned above that being formulaic is not a problem, at least for me, until the film gets the right treatment and stays entertaining. What makes Chandu Champion worth a watch, is the way that Khan truly believes in his story and turns it into a feel-good watch. It's about heroism and realising your potential, about taking your best shot despite adversities and sticking by your dream. It sounds not only clichéd but corny and yet it involves us on a human level.

Kabir Khan's direction has its share of plusses. The narrative moves back and forth between the events in 2017 and those between 1952 to 1972 and the transition is very smooth. This is especially true in the second half. He doesn't let the film get depressing and ensures that the film has mainstream appeal. A few scenes stand out like Murlikant defeating Dagdu, Murlikant's first meeting with Tiger Ali, Murlikant struggling to eat with a fork, etc. The intermission point seems like it's shot in one take, and it adds to the tension. Post-interval, the matka sequence is memorable and so is Murlikant's monologue in front of the Indian Olympic Association members. The finale is watchable and Murli imagining key moments of his life is a novel idea.

The second half showcases different emotional phases and struggles of Murli who gets paralysed from knee down after being hit by nine bullets during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The journey from being a person, ready to give up on life to becoming a Paralympic gold medalist, Murli’s story makes the second half look fresh and takes the film a notch higher. Undoubtedly, Kartik has delivered his career-best performance that aptly conveys his character’s inner turbulence, much of it derived from Murli’s childhood bullying and people’s disbelief in his potential. Moreover, it’s the emotional yet rousing finale that will have audiences cheering for Kartik, the star. Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav and Bhuvan Arora have also done excellent job and played their parts with utmost conviction. Overall, Chandu Champion, skilfully directed by Kabir Khan, proves irresistible with its powerful feel-good story.

This is the kind of film whose treatment, where everything you see is supported by dialogue, and lashings of obvious humour, makes it less than what it could have been: the beats are predictable, even as it gives us a likeable, inspirational hero we’ve never heard about.