One And A Half Years

The sports drama Chandu Champion was a notable milestone in Kartik Aaryan’s career. Even though the movie did not perform well at the box-office, it showcased the range Kartik has as an actor. But did you know that he lied to director Kabir Khan to bag the film? During a recent media event, Kartik not only confessed to lying about a skill, but also shared what a small lie cost him. At the event, Kartik was asked if he ever lied to get a film, which is when he narrated how “one and a half minutes of lying” cost him “one and a half years.”

The actor revealed how he lied about his swimming skills to get the role in the movie, when in reality he was not a pro swimmer. “I had already read the script and really loved it. So when Kabir sir asked me if I knew how professional swimming, I lied and said that I do. In reality, I could only do enough to keep myself afloat,” he said.

As a result, Kartik had to train hard to learn swimming for the next year and half as it was an integral part of the movie. “One and a half minutes of lying cost me one and a half years,” Kartik joked.

Chandu Champion was based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist. The movie chronicled different phases of his life and the various obstacles and hurdles he faced in his life. The champion was a star athlete in several sports, including swimming, wrestling and hockey. He won a gold medal in swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics, making swimming an indispensable skill that Kartik needed to portray Murlikant Petkar on screen.