‘Don't miss the ‘Tiger’ franchise’

Director Kabir Khan’s ‘Chandu Champion,’ starring Kartik Aaryan, received rave reviews for its execution and strong performances. Although it should have opened to big box office numbers, it faced stiff competition from ‘Munjya’. However, the sports drama about the legendary Murlikant Petkar, India’s first individual Paralympic gold medallist, has gradually captured the audience’s attention and has now earned Rs 71 crore worldwide.

Khan, the director behind big entertainers like ‘New York’, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, has always had a penchant for sports-centric films. His previous film, ‘83’, depicted India’s historic 1983 Cricket World Cup victory. This time, he drew inspiration from the story of unsung hero Murlikant Petkar in ‘Chandu Champion’.

“I don’t approach it as a sports film. In any sports film, sports are actually a backdrop. The story is a human story. Even in Murlikant Petkar’s case, sport is one aspect of his life. There are so many other fascinating aspects of his life: his time in the army, his life in the village and of course, his dedication to sports. Our film is about all of this,” he told ‘Millennium Post’.

“What makes a sports film stand out is that they put a person under pressure and force them to rise to the occasion. This is why sports are so interesting to watch. Murlikant Petkar is one such story. At every stage of his life, whether in sports, his army life or his earlier life in the village, he was someone who faced immense challenges. He was pushed down but always pushed back and rose to the occasion. That’s what makes this story so unique for us,” said Khan.

Though sports are celebrated like a religion in India, not all sports films find an audience, as seen with the recently released Ajay Devgn-starrer ‘Maidaan’. Khan mentioned that all sports stories resonate deeply with audiences, which is why more of these films are being made worldwide. He also said that despite some not performing well at the box office, the stories of sports films are remembered for a long time.

Meanwhile, it was Khan who directed Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the blockbuster ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ in 2012, the first instalment in the ‘YRF Spy Universe’. Since then, the franchise has expanded with two more films, the latest being ‘Tiger 3’, which didn’t perform as well as expected. When asked if he missed the ‘Tiger’ franchise, he said, “No, I don't miss the ‘Tiger’ franchise because if I missed it, I would have continued with it.”

And what about the sequel to ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, his most loved film to date? “It is one of my most loved films and people get excited when talk of a sequel comes up. But I never seriously considered it. Of course, some ideas float around in your mind, but maybe one day there will be an idea that excites me. As of now, there is nothing actually on the cards,” he said.