‘Actor banna safal ho gaya’: Kartik Aryan recalls meeting Paralympian Murlikant Petkar

Mumbai: Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aaryan said “Actor banna safal ho gaya” as he recalled meeting India's first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, the inspiration for the actor's latest release 'Chandu Champion'.

Kartik took to Instagram where he shared a video of him meeting Petkar while shooting a swimming sequence for the biopic, saying the 79-year-old Paralympian insisted on taking the stairs.

Kartik said he was over the moon when Petkar told him “Ekdum mere jaisa kar rahe ho”, adding that Petkar even shared anecdotes about the medals he was wearing.

In the caption, Kartik wrote: “Couldn't have imagined a non-swimmer like myself swimming without the use of legs... Meet The Real Champion who inspired me to achieve the impossible @murlikantpetkar Firstly, Thank you for being you and being a living inspiration present amidst us Sir.”

Kartik also said that at first, he did not believe that the story of 'Chandu Champion' could be true.

“Your story was important for everyone to know - to make everyone believe in themselves. When Kabir sir narrated ‘Chandu Champion’ for the first time, I didn't believe that this could be a true story. 'Aapne ek zindagi mein, anek zindagiyan jo jee hain' (sic),” he wrote.

The 33-year-old star added that it was an “incredible experience” working on Petkar’s life.

“From not being able to believe your story in the first place to living your extraordinary life for almost two years, it's been an incredible experience and utmost honour. My life has changed ever since you entered my life. I have never received so much love and appreciation for my work before, as I'm getting for Chandu Champion. It's overwhelming!!,” the actor said.

He added: "Really fortunate that I got the opportunity to meet you and relive some unbelievable, magical and inspiring moments of your life. Actor banna safal ho gaya.”

Murlikant Petkar won the gold in 50m freestyle swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany, clocking 37.33 seconds.

Petkar, who served as a jawan in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army, sustained severe bullet wounds during the 1965 war against Pakistan.