Meet Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medalist and former world record holder whose story led to Kartik Aaryan's 'Chandu Champion'

Murlikant Petkar was India's first gold medalist at the Paralympic Games. In the 1972 Games at Heidelberg, Petkar won the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle in Swimming by a record time of 37.33 seconds. It remained the world record for a long time and showed how impactful he was back in time. However, not many were aware of him before the release of 'Chandu Champion'.

Starring Kartik Aaryan in the lead role, 'Chandu Champion' was a Bollywood movie that attempted to tell the incredible story of Murlikant. Initially set to be shot in 2017, Sushant Singh Rajput was slated to play the lead role. However, due to his death during the pandemic, there was a change in plan. Aaryan's movie became a massive hit at the box office and led to the viewers learning more about Petkar.

At the 1972 Paralympic Games, Petkar took part in the events like Javelin Throw, Precision Javelin Throw, and Slalom. Interestingly, he had made it to the final in all the events. In fact, he took part in the 1968 Paralympics in Table Tennis and won his match in the first round. Petkar decided to change sports after it and the rest was history.

From war veteran to Paralympic Games

Murlikant was initially a Boxer. He was passionate about the sport and had the will to perform well at the highest level. The Indian Army recognized his passion and allotted him the post of Jawan craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME). Petkar took part in the 1965 war against Pakistan and suffered massive injuries. After he got disabled, Petkar became eligible for the Paralympic Games.

Apart from the Paralympics, Murlikant won four other medals in Swimming in different tournaments. After winning India the gold medal, Petkar ended up working at TELCO in Pune. For his incredible contributions to Indian Sports, Murlikant was awarded the Padma Shri award by the Central government. Chandu Champion did good justice to the story of Murlikant and the deserved winner at the Box Office.