Kartik Aaryan who portrayed Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medallist in the film 'Chandu Champion' congratulated the real-life hero for being considered for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).

Murlikant Petkar won the top honours in the 50m freestyle swimming event of the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics. He was portrayed by Kartik Aaryan in Kabir Khan's sports drama Chandu Champion in 2024.

Aaryan wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of Petkar along with the film's poster, saying  "Huge Huge Huge Congratulations to Sri Murlikant Petkar Ji. Our film,  #ChanduChampion begins with the scene of you fighting for the Arjuna Award and now seeing you getting the biggest sports honour in the country… The journey feels complete. Your win feels personal Sir,"