On Tuesday evening, Team t2 had a date with the ‘champions’. Actor Kartik Aaryan and director Kabir Khan walked into the t2 office to chat about Chandu Champion. The Friday release, of which t2 is the official media partner, traces the gritty and glorious life story of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist and record holder, whose time in the battlefield in the 1965 Chinese aggression left him with severe injuries. Kartik, who underwent a drastic physical transformation for the role as well as an emotional catharsis, brings Petkar to life in the able hands of Kabir, the man who has impactful films like New York, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ek Tha Tiger and 83 to his credit.

Walking into the t2 office, the two men — twinning in shades of pink — immediately spotted the Chandu Champion-themed cake, complete with boxing gloves and a figure representing Kartik’s character. Instantly taken in by the cake, Kartik and Kabir also let out a couple of guffaws when they spotted the cupcakes accompanying it — one with a McLaren GT (Kartik’s new luxe wheels), another with a couple of dumbbells (to symbolise the intense workout the actor went through for the film) and yet another with Kartik and Kabir’s unanimous favourite — Kartik’s lovable pet pooch Katori. Before we started chatting, Kartik and Kabir got down to the business of cutting the cake.

“Yaar, yeh itna khoobsurat cake banaya hai ki mann hi nahin kar raha hain kaatne ka. Thank you so much. This is superb!” gushed Kartik, sporting that familiar, goofy smile. Sipping on a cuppa, the two then sat back to plunge into the world of Chandu Champion and beyond.

Kabir Khan during the t2 chat

Priyanka Roy (Team t2): It is lovely to have you in the t2 office. We are three days away from the release of Chandu Champion. Both of you have been in this situation before but are the emotions different this time around because of how special the film is?

Kabir Khan: Every film comes with its own dynamics and this one is different from the others because of several reasons. This is my first collaboration with Kartik (Aaryan). Second, it is a true story of a completely unsung hero. We are thrilled to bring Murlikant Petkar’s story to the big screen and introduce this amazing hero to the world. Also, post the pandemic, the film industry has been going through a lot of ups and downs and there have been lukewarm reactions to many films.

That the trailer of Chandu Champion has been received so warmly and people are talking about the big screen experience again, makes us very happy and excited.
Kartik Aaryan: I have mixed feelings... I am excited as well a nervous. I am a bit tired because we have been travelling so much to promote this film. Badi mushkil se mera sleep pattern sahi hua tha and here we are back on the road again. Full-on promotions mein sleep ka full toss ho gaya hain!

But I am really enjoying it. I love this film! I love the character. I love that there is this story being told because Murlikant Petkarji is someone who should be celebrated. We should celebrate his struggles and his achievements, both of which are unbelievably inspiring.

“I love these cupcakes! They are the best!” Kartik told us as he had a fun time posing with them

When Kabir sir told me the story of this film, the first thing I asked him was: ‘Is it all really true?!’ I was surprised ki itni badi kahani hum logon ne aaj tak suni nahin. Forget about making a film, very few people had even heard about this hero. Itne bade desh mein yeh kaise possible ho sakta hain? Especially when he is someone who brought us name and fame at an international level. I felt proud and I knew that he needed to be celebrated universally.

Even now, I am feeling all kinds of emotions, all at once. I am nervous and I want everybody to give this film a chance and see it in the theatres and enjoy it.

Priyanka: Kabir when did you first come to know about this story? And did you have the same reaction as Kartik’s?

Kabir: Yes. I stumbled upon this story. Somebody very randomly came and gave me a cutting of a newspaper with an old article because most people know that I love seeking out such stories. I read it and my first reaction honestly was that this can’t be true. I wanted to know how credible the article was as well as the whereabouts of Murlikant Petkar.

I was shocked that if such a person with the kind of achievements that he has to his credit exists, how do we not know about him? Anybody like this in any other part of the world would be celebrated as a national hero for posterity. I pride myself on being a reasonably well-read and well-informed person and I was surprised that I had never even heard of his name before.

After that, the chase to trace Murlikant Petkar began. It went on for four months because no one knew where he and his family were. I put together a team from my documentary-making days and structured a research party to find him. We found his whereabouts and that was between the two lockdowns. He stays four hours away from Bombay, just outside Pune. I met him and then the ball started rolling.

Pramita Ghosh (Team t2): Kartik, there is so much talk about the physical transformation that you have undergone for Chandu Champion. You have had to make a lot of sacrifices to achieve the body that you sport in the film. What was the most difficult thing to give up? And how did you keep yourself motivated during this journey?

Kartik: I love food! So I can’t just single out and say ki maine yeh chhora ya woh chhora. Food, in general, miss karta tha (smiles). At that time, I was only having food that didn’t taste good! (Laughs) That was the worst part. I had to follow that diet to the T for close to two years. That impatience really killed me! It was a very long journey. I would work out, I would learn a lot of physical skill sets and then come back home and eat nothing! (Laughs)

The only thing I could have were soup, cauliflower rice, soya beans and salads... that is it! I have spent two years without my favourite food, whether that is chhole bhature, dal roti or rajma chawal, rasmalai and cake.

But then, what motivated me to go on was the story of Chandu Champion itself. It is very inspiring, to say the least. If you ask me to go on this journey again, I will do it. It was a very fulfilling process and was also a huge responsibility. And with every passing week, there was some kind of progress in my body. That also motivated me.

Zeba Akhtar Ali (Team t2): What was the first thing you indulged in when the shoot wrapped up?

Kartik: After the shoot wrapped, the first thing that Kabir sir ordered on set was rasmalai. I don’t know how many kilos of rasmalai was brought on set for everyone! I ate two that day and I felt an instant sugar rush!

Priyanka: Your body must have gone into shock!

Kartik: Yes! I felt that my body was asking me: ‘What did you eat?!’
(Laughs) At that time, I started feeling very guilty! After that, wherever I have gone, I have had either rasmalai or cake (gestures to the ‘Chandu Champion’ cake in front of him) placed before me and I have done all I can to not eat any of it!

But these days, Kabir sir has been tempting me saying: ‘This body was made for my film.

Now I will feed you so much that you will get into your next film with the same body that you came in with! (Laughs). We were in Dubai a few days ago and he made sure I ate a lot of ice cream!

Kabir: That is because, along with him, I also went on a diet during the film....

Kartik: He actually took it to the next level! During this shoot, we all became healthy. Even if we would pack up shoot at 8 or 9pm, I would find him in the gym. So I had to show up too! (Laughs) It was a different kind of competition!

But I can’t indulge in food the way I used to before. Before Chandu Champion, I acted in Freddy where I played a geek and that film required me to be in a certain shape. For that, my (lifestyle) habits got spoiled. Then, Chandu Champion came my way and it changed a lot of things. Now I eat in moderation and I try and burn all those calories.

Piya Roy (Team t2): How would you define a true champion? And who is the biggest champion in your life?

Kartik: My mom is my champion. I have seen her go through ups and downs and also overcome them.

For me, a champion is anyone who refuses to surrender. That is a quality that all champions have. I read somewhere that every champion was once a contender who refused to surrender.

Kabir: That is what it is... somebody who refuses to give up. Every time you bring them down, they rise again and go for it. That is the attitude you need.

For my previous film 83, when I was researching (the life) of Kapil Dev, I saw that. That is the commonality between Kapil Dev and Murlikant Petkar. It is their attitude of not giving up even when the whole world is looking at them and saying: ‘Are you mad?!’ Both these people are true champions who were initially ridiculed when they articulated their dreams.

Look at Murlikant Petkar’s life! What he did is unimaginable. Sometimes you think that why would this man not just give up and say: ‘Okay, enough is enough!’ But I think that is what separates champions from the rest of us who are mere mortals.

Priyanka: Kabir, you are definitely not a mere mortal. I know that if you see a mountain, you have to climb it! You definitely rank pretty high on the fitness scale...

Kartik: He even selects shoot locations that way! He will find a mountain and tell us that we will shoot there. So while making this film, we had to do some trekking as well!

In fact, we shot a single-shot war sequence in Kashmir’s Aru Valley. The location for that shot was such that we had to trek 20 minutes every morning to reach it. The entire cast and crew would carry their bags and climb the slope of the mountain and after that we would prepare for shoot. For four-five days, we rehearsed and then on the last day, we had to shoot. So for all these days, 300 soldiers, light people, camera crew, everybody had to trek to that location. But that is the beauty of the scene. It is unlike anything you would have seen before on screen.

Kabir: Since it is a single-shot war sequence, the camera never leaves him. The whole battle plays out in the background, with the camera completely resting on his face. It shows the kind of impact the war has on him... it shows up on his face and the camera captures that.

Pramita: Kartik, you play an army person, a boxer and a swimmer in the film. Which was the most difficult bit to bring to life on screen?

Kartik: For me, every portion was difficult. Everything that I did in this movie was unique and something that I had never done before. The boxing bit, this war sequence that we were just talking about or the swimming portions, the scenes in the dangal... they all had their share of difficulties.

And somehow, the environment was never friendly. Pata nahin hamari luck kaise thi lekin har cheez mein kuch naa kuch ajeeb situations aate thhe. In the swimming sequences, I had viral fever and I had to shoot in very cold water. When I was doing the dangal bit, it was so sunny that the ground I was standing on became boiling hot. In the boxing scenes, I had to face off against real boxers, toh do-teen mukke padey mujhko (laughs). I also had a shoulder injury. So every time, there was something or the other. Toh sab cheez mein mera equal torture hua hain! (Laughs)

Priyanka: Maybe Kabir has actually made something like The Truman Show. Kartik, Chandu Champion could well be your rehearsal for the Iron Man Triathlon...

Kartik: Yes, I think it was like The Truman Show... he recorded real situations and wohi ho raha tha!

Kartik plays real-life hero Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion, releasing in cinemas today

Pramita: What was the most creatively fulfilling part?

Kartik: All the scenes were so beautifully written. I connected to them on some level or the other. Everyone can relate to this film in some way.

While working in this film, I felt immensely creatively satisfied. Kabir sir has the knack of shooting in a very real way. That closeness to reality even while being in the cinematic world is what we actors crave. I had fun doing those scenes where it was not about doing dialoguebaazi, but was more about expressing one’s internal feelings.

Zeba: Kabir, did you experience anything with Kartik as an actor that you haven’t with anyone else before?

Kabir: It was a process of discovery for both of us because we had never worked together. We only knew each other socially and that too on a superficial level. When I wrote the film, I imagined Kartik in the role. A director has a strong gut instinct about the energy that you see in an actor.

I have never based my casting decisions on the kind of roles an actor has played before. I like to take actors and push them into a zone that they have not been in before. In my career, that has always worked... whether it has been John (Abraham) and Katrina (Kaif) in New York or Salman (Khan) in Bajrangi Bhaijaan or Ranveer (Singh) in 83.

Kartik has always been known more for his youngish roles in romantic films and in comedies. In Chandu Champion, we took him into a very intense space. Yes, this film has entertainment and humour, but also some very dark spaces. That whole discovery, I think, was fabulous and something that I have not had with another actor. That was also because of his commitment to the kind of transformation he had to do for this role. This was an utter and complete transformation. Whether that was... cutting his most famous asset (on cue, everyone looks at Kartik’s hair)

Priyanka: Kartik, how did it feel snipping off your hair? As Kabir said, that is an asset you are known for...

Kartik: Nothing (smiles). When I heard the narration from Kabir sir and the word ‘army’ popped up, I knew I would have to cut my hair (laughs). Jaisi inhone ‘army’ bola, mujhe awaaz aane lagi scissors ki!

Kabir: Now we are sitting back and talking a lot about his body transformation, but believe me, it was not easy. It was something that he had undertaken for the first time in his life. What we were asking from him meant a huge effort.

The whole process had to be calculated. There are various stages of his body in the film. There is a plump-ish Kartik, there is a leaner Kartik, there is a seven per cent body fat Kartik and there is an older Kartik. To hit those goals on time was not an easy task.

I would have many periods of doubt where I would ask: ‘Kartik, chaalis din bache hain, are you going to make it or not?’ And he would be like: ‘Hoga, hoga’. And remember, this transformation has been done without steroids. But if he did use steroids, it wouldn’t have worked for us because the kind of body he would have got would have been different. He is playing a real sportsman in the film and that kind of athleticism goes away with the use of steroids. One tends to develop an over-muscularity which we didn’t want. But sometimes, I would tell him: ‘Ek cycle (of steroids) le le yaar’, but he refused. He said: ‘Trust me sir, ho jayega.’

A lot of times we see these action films with these overly muscled heroes and you meet them six months later and ask: ‘Where did it go?!’ With this process (looks at a smiling Kartik), it is not going anywhere. Unless he starts chomping down these cakes!

When you go through one-and-a-half years of that kind of workout, your mind changes. He is now addicted to the gym. Even if you pull him away, he is not going to come out!

Priyanka: Kartik, what was the least tasty food that you had to have at that point of time?

Kartik: It would have to be cauli rice because it is basically cauliflower and not rice! Jab bolte hain toh lagta hain rice aaya hain, but it is cauliflower with (protein) powder. It is mental cheating! (Laughs)But after a while I had to get used to it because either you eat that or you eat nothing!

Piya: Kartik, you recently shot in Calcutta for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. There were very few people who didn’t see you biking around the city as Rooh Baba!

Kartik: Yes, we shot extensively on Howrah Bridge although a huge crowd had gathered there. I have always felt a certain love from Calcutta especially. The people here have always supported my films. Even in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, we had a Bengali connection, including the song Aami je tomar. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is kind of based in Calcutta and hopefully, you will figure more and more things out as the months go by. It is a Diwali release so once again I will be back in Calcutta to tell everyone here: ‘Please watch my film! (Laughs)

Priyanka: Kartik, we can’t let you go without asking you about your adorable pet Katori. How has having her changed your life? And it is such a cute name!

Kartik: I named her such because she was actually as small as a bowl, a katori when she came in. Katori has really changed my life. The whole atmosphere at home changes when a species like this arrives.

Earlier, I wouldn’t be as keen to go back home after the whole day. Now with Katori around, I can’t wait to go back home! (Laughs) She gets so excited when I get home. I was telling my mom the other day that I am scared that no one will ever love me as much as Katori does! (Laughs)

Kartik with Katori

Kabir: Katori is obsessed with Kartik! We were shooting one day and he brought her to the studio. There was a scene where he had to climb high and shoot. Out of concern, she just kept barking and barking and barking!

Kartik: She understands when my car reaches home. Even if I am not in the car, she makes sure she goes to the door and waits for me.