‘Chandu Champion Action Isn’t An Item Number’

When
action
is
detached
from
sentiment,
it
serves
as
a
promotional
tool
in
the
movie,
much
like
an
item
number,
feels
Director
Kabir
Khan,
who
has
pulled
off
a
pivotal
eight-minute-long
war
sequence
in
his
latest
film



Chandu
Champion.

The
shot
highlights
the
’emotional
drama’
of
the
story
instead
of
showing
action
for
the
sake
of
it,
says
Khan,
adding
that
they
shot
it
at
9,000
feet
above
sea
level
in
Kashmir’s
Aru
Valley.

After
four
days
of
rehearsal,
the
section
was
filmed
in
a
day
even
though
it
featured
fighter
jets,
bomb
blasts
and
intense
combat
scenes.

“Action
for
the
sake
of
action
never
really
works,
then
it’s
an
item
number.
Action
works
when
the
emotional
drama
and
arc
of
the
story
moves
forward
with
the
action,”
Khan
says.

“The
start
and
end
of
the
action
has
to
move
and
in
this
film
(Chandu
Champion),
it
is
huge.
It’s
one
of
the
most
pivotal
points
in
the
plot,”
he
says.

Inspired
by
the
life
of
India’s
first
Paralympic
gold
medalist
Murlikant
Petkar,

Chandu
Champion
stars
Kartik
Aaryan
in
the
title
role
as
a
man
across
ages
and
phases,
including
being
an
Indian
Army
soldier,
a
wrestler,
a
boxer,
a
1965
war
veteran
and
a
swimmer.

Khan,
known
for
films
like

Ek
Tha
Tiger,
Bajrangi
Bhaijaan,
’83
and

Kabul
Express,
said
the
underlying
reason
for
shooting
the
eight
minute
uncut
sequence
was
to
stay
close
to
his
protagonist
and
experience
the
events
through
his
eyes.

“We
are
so
used
to
doing
things
in
films
that
if
it’s
not
happening,
take
two
or
take
three
or
take
four,
and
we
can
keep
achieving.
Here,
we
had
no
take
two.
It
was
only
one
take
and
we
had
to
get
it
correct
because
a
lot
of
big
structures
were
going
to
crumble
and
fall
and
you
cannot
set
it
up
all
over
again.

“On
top
of
that,
we
were
shooting
on
location
in
Kashmir
at
a
very
high
altitude.
Carrying
people
and
equipment
up
there
and
training
them
for
several
days
before
attempting
the
single
take
was
quite
a
task,”
the
55
year
old
added.

Chandu
Champion
is
Khan’s
next
directorial
venture
after

’83,
which
had
released
during
the
peak
of
the
third
wave
of
the
pandemic
in
December
2021.
Fronted
by
Ranveer
Singh,
the
film
was
based
on
India’s
first
World
Cup
win
in
cricket.

“COVID
changed
the
planet
and
our
lives.
There
was
a
time
when
we
were
unsure
about
how
it
was
going
to
pan
out.
Strangely,
my
film
(’83)
was
on
the
cusp
of
that.
Unfortunately,
we
released
on
the
day
the
third
wave
sort
of
hit
us
in
our
face,”
the
filmmaker
recalls.

“Exhibition
was
hit
badly,
it
took
them
months
to
come
back
to
normal.
They
couldn’t
come
back
to
full
capacity
for
seven-eight
months.
A
lot
of
projects
had
stalled,
so
there
was
a
backlog
of
actors’
dates,
projects
being
greenlit.

“We
are
facing
it
even
now.
If
you
notice,
there
are
not
too
many
projects
that
are
coming
out
from
the
industry.
It
was
a
tumultuous
time
but
it
was
a
tumultuous
time
for
the
whole
planet
so
I
should
not
be
complaining,”
he
adds.

Hyderabad-born
Khan
said
he
spent
the
time
during
the
pandemic-induced
lockdowns
‘diving
deep’
into
some
stories,
including

Chandu
Champion.

“Everything
has
a
silver
lining
and
the
fact
that
I
got
the
time
to
dive
deep
into
a
story
like

Chandu
Champion,
plan
it
the
way
we
could,
prep
it
the
way
we
could,
so
that
when
we
finally
made
it,
it
looked
a
certain
way…

“You
need
time
to
make
it
look
a
certain
way.
Here
we
are,
(it’s
been)
a
long
gap
but
(I
have)
come
back
with
something
I’m
very
proud
of
and
(something)
I
know
will
be
a
strong
part
of
my
filmography
for
years
to
come.”