Kartik Aaryan & Kabir Khan react to Murlikant Petkar’s Arjuna Award victory; says, “Journey feels complete, your win feels personal”

Actor Kartik Aaryan and director Kabir Khan celebrated para-swimmer Murlikant Rajaram Petkar’s prestigious Arjuna Award win. Kartik expressed his admiration for the Paralympic gold medallist’s journey and how the award finally honoured his incredible legacy.

Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan celebrates Murlikant Petkar’s Arjuna Award win

Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan took to Instagram and shared a joined post in which they dropped heartfelt message alongside a picture of Petkar, Kartik wrote on Instagram, “Huge Huge Huge Congratulations to Sri Murlikant Petkar Ji. Our film, #ChanduChampion begins with the scene of you fighting for the Arjuna Award and now seeing you getting the biggest sports honour of the country… the journey feels complete.”

Murlikant Petkar will receive his award from the President of India at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17, 2025. He will the lifetime achievement, 52 years after he won India’s first Gold in the Paralympics. He applied for the Arjuna Award in 1982, but his application was rejected. Disheartened, he vowed never to apply for any awards again. The post further reads, “Your win feels personal Sir… 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.”

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A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan)

Chandu Champion director Kabir Khan also expressed his joy over Petkar’s recognition. Speaking to ANI, he said, “I am just really, really happy that this is happening for Murlikant Petkar because the one thing I did feel—and it’s represented at the beginning of the film—was that he felt let down by the country. He was not someone to complain about, but you could sense the disappointment. I’m so glad that, after over 50 years, he’s getting the recognition he truly deserved.”

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A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan)

The inspirational path of Murlikant Petkar is characterized by tenacity and success. He was hit by nine bullets during the Indo-Pak War in 1965, one of which is still embedded in his spine. Petkar was bedridden for two years and in a coma for about a year after being paralyzed from the knees down.

Despite the grave injury, Petkar didn’t lose hope. He started swimming to regain strength and recover from his injuries. Murlikant became the first Indian to win a gold medal at any Olympic level at the 1972 Paralympics. Even though the 50-meter freestyle is no longer recognized, he still holds the world record time of 37.33 seconds.

Also Read: Kartik Aaryan admits he lied about THIS to play the role of Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion to Kabir Khan; says, “1.5 minutes of lying cost me 1.5 years”