Entertainment
Kartik Aaryan gets the physique right, but disappoints as 'Chandu Champion' – IANS Rating: **
Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) Sports in any country inspire the young. And Hindi cinema and sports connect so well that as many as eight films are being scripted around this theme almost every year.
In India, judging by the number of sports biopics being made, any athlete or player who has had some glory associated with his or her name, makes an even more moving and motivating saga on celluloid. And the list of such sport stars seems to be growing every year.
Kartik Aaryan’s new film ‘Chandu Champion’ is yet another life story of a champion, this time of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist. Blending fictional elements into the 143-minute narrative, director Kabir Khan attempts to tell the incredible true story of Petkar, known fondly as Murli. Petkar’s journey, a remarkable example of victory over adversity, deservedly needed to be documented.
Born Murlikant Petkar (Kartik Aaryan) in 1944 in the Peth Islampur region of Sangli, Maharashtra, Murli showed early signs of rebellion if any of his classmates in school so much as laughed at his ambition of winning an Olympic medal some day.
The bronze medal won by wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav of his village at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki makes Murli start dreaming of winning one such medal in wrestling one day.
Murli’s life is full of obstacles. Teased by his friends for dreaming big, he is nicknamed ‘Chandu Champion’, an epithet for a loser. It only eggs him on to be all the more determined.
His brother Jagannath (Anirudh Dave), who dotes on him, suggests he build his body first and enroll himself for wrestling training at the local akhara. After a foolhardy decision at the wrestling ring, he has no choice but to run away as the local politician sends his men after him to finish him off. That puts an end to Murli’s dream of becoming an Olympic wrestler.
Murli then manages to board a train on which a bunch of athletes are travelling to an Army recruitment camp. It was on this journey that he befriends Jarnail Singh (Bhuvan Arora), who guides him throughout. That journey also results in his joining the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) of the Indian Army as a craftsman-jawan.
At EME Secunderabad he trains to become a boxer and his coach, Tiger Ali (Vijay Raaz), who becomes his mentor. But life does not move according to Murli’s well-laid-out plans. He fights the 1965 India-Pakistan war, gets shot, spends two years in hospital and becomes paralysed waist below. He also loses his best friend, Jarnail Singh.
A long-drawn struggle and hindrances follow, but Murli’s spirit of survival and resilience helps him overcome his physical disability to emerge a winner. He takes up swimming and other sports. He plays table tennis at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv and clears the first round, but doesn’t get much ahead.
At the next Summer Paralympics in Heidelburg, Germany, in 1972, Murli made history by returning home with a gold medal in swimming, becoming the first Indian Olympian to win gold.
‘Chandu Champion’ is now a real champion on the world stage.
Kabir Khan is not new to hits and successes — and his name spells class. To make a film on the life of a man who faced one adversity after another with an undying spirit of resilience should have been easy for a director of his calibre. One expected Khan to dig deeper into the emotional battle, besides his physical transformation, of Murlikant Petkar.
He is ably supported by a brilliant cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee (Bhansali’s favourite), who adds enough heft to the frames. Whether it is the village terrain, the state-of-the-art athletic tracks, the boxing ring, or the hospital, all come to life through his seasoned lens.
The jarring background score by Julius Packiam as also the songs by Pritam only serve as irritants in a film that demanded pregnant pauses and silences to convey emotions.
Credited to Kabir Khan, Sumit Arora and Sudipto Sarkar as writers, the script is high on melodrama, notably in scenes where it was least needed. Aaryan tries hard to play Murli as best as he can. But he is limited in expressing and communicating the demands of an inner turmoils of a tormented character. It is the poor writing too that restricts his performance.
His transformation into Murlikant Petkar would have been commendable, had he reflected on portraying the character with more dedication. Merely embodying an athlete’s appearance is not enough.
Hindi film actors thrive on getting their physicality meant for a character they portray, right. The rest they leave it to the camera to carry forward.
When Murli participates in the Paralympics as a swimmer, special care is taken to make him look like the world-class swimmers Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps. With short cropped hair, chiseled jawline, and deadpan facial expressions, Aaryan attempts every possible angle to look like a world-class champ.
If only he could act!
Film: Chandu Champion (Playing in theatres)
Duration: 143 minutes
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Kartil Aaryan, Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora and Yashpal Sharma
Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee
Music: Pritam
IANS Rating: **
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Senior actress Neetu Kapoor on Thursday took a trip down the memory lane, as she shared a childhood picture of her daughter and fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.
Neetu took to her Instagram Stories, where she has 2.1 million followers, and re-shared a post by her daughter Riddhima.
In the throwback photo shared by Riddhima on her Instagram Stories, we can see young Neetu holding her little baby girl. She captioned it as: “Oldie but goldie”.
Neetu wrote in the caption: “My ridz at 9 months”, followed by a heart emoji.
On the personal front, Neetu was married to late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor. The duo had tied the knot in January 1980. They have two children–daughter Riddhima, and son and actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir is married to actress Alia Bhatt, and the couple have a daughter named Raha.
Neetu made her debut in the 1966 swashbuckler film ‘Suraj’. The Ruritanian romance film directed by T Prakash Rao, starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Lalita Pawar, Gajanan Jagirdar, David Abraham Cheulkar, Agha, Mukri, Mallika and Niranjan Sharma in the pivotal roles.
She played a dual role in the romantic comedy ‘Do Kaliyaan’.
Neetu’s transition to mature roles came with the vigilante film ‘Rickshawala’. She got her breakthrough with Nasir Hussain’s masala film ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, where she appeared as a dancer.
She rose to fame with roles in the crime drama film ‘Deewaar’, the thriller film ‘Khel Khel Mein’, the musical film ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, the masala film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, and the fantasy film ‘Dharam Veer’.
The 68-year-old actress has been a part of movies like — ‘Doosra Aadmi’, ‘Kasme Vaade’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Jaani Dushman’, ‘Choron Ki Baaraat’, ‘Ganga Meri Maa’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’.
She last appeared in family comedy drama ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’, directed by Raj Mehta and produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film starred Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Manish Paul, and Prajakta Koli.
Neetu next has ‘Letters to Mr Khanna’ in the kitty.
–IANS
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