EXCLUSIVE! DYK, Kartik Aaryan Opted Not To Use A Body Double Despite Major Incidents During Training, Coach Tridev Pandey Recalls, “If It Had Been Someone Else…”

Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion, starring Kartik Aaryan as India’s first Paralympics gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar, released two years ago and was loved by many. The film received loads of appraciation, especially Kartik for his transformation into a sportperson who was a soldier as well as a boxer and swimmer.

As the film celebrates its second anniversary, national-level boxer, professional athlete and coach Tridev Pandey gets candid about training Kartik Aaryan to transform into India’s first Paralympics gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar. From sharing memorable moments from their training sessions to talking about the actor’s perseverance and never-give-up attitude even when injured, Tridev holds nothing back. Read on to know all he shared.

Tridev Pandey: Even Though He Was In Pain, Kartik Aaryan Did His Best

When asked how difficult was for him to train Kartik Aaryan, Tridev Pandey told us, “So, I would say it wasn’t difficult because if the person, like Kartik, is ready to put in all the effort for the role or for learning something, then as a coach your job becomes easy. Yes, the difficult task is to teach him form and techniques, but that also becomes smooth because he’s a good learner.”

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A post shared by Tridev Pandey (@tridevpandey)

He continued, “I would say I’ve seen him in other things as well—while dancing or doing anything I teach, he learns very fast. It was a very good time training him. I still remember while we were doing a fight scene, the choreographer had planned something else, and during the fight he came up with a different combination that we had not practiced. During the main peak moment, when the key scene was happening, he changed to a combination that wasn’t practiced and still performed it excellently. That was a great moment. Even though he was in pain, he did his best.”

Tridev On Kartik Not Using Body Doubles In Chandu Champion

When quizzed about Kartik Aaryan’s dedication to deliver a 100% true and believable performance as Murlikant Petkar despite sustaining injuries, Tridev Pandey revealed he never opted for a body double, even with the choice bein available. Recalling some of the injuries sustained by the actor during the making of Chandu Champion, the coach shared, “Yes, during the training sessions there were three major incidents where, if it had been someone else, they would have definitely taken rest or used a body double. But Kartik never did that.”

Elaborating on one injury, Tridev continued, “One incident I especially remember was while we were shooting in Kashmir. He had to lift Vijay Raaz sir on his shoulder and run for a proper army-based action scene. Even though his shoulder was hurting, he performed the scene himself without using a body double. We used to train in the morning, and then he would shoot until 5 PM in the evening. Even after shoulder injuries, he did this scene very well.”

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He further stated, “Later in the evening, despite not being fully recovered, he continued with his boxing practice. His muscles and tissues had not healed properly, and recovery was still ongoing. Even during the boxing scenes, he faced wrist and shoulder issues. As a coach, I knew he was not completely recovered, but he showed incredible discipline throughout.”

Tridev noted, “That dedication is one of the reasons the film turned out so well. I can’t explain in words how hard he pushed himself, training his body, training his muscle memory, and at the same time managing long shooting schedules. His commitment was truly remarkable.”

Tridev Pandey: Kabir Khan & Kartik Aaryan Did A Great Job Together

When asked if he thinks director Kabir Khan did justice and was able to capture Kartik Aaryan acing his part as Murlikant Petkar, Tridev Pandey said, “Yeah, it was great. The way both Kabir sir and Kartik bhai were on the same page as a director and actor was really impressive. They believed that if you’re building the body for the role, then you should also perform and shoot in a way that reflects that effort.
I feel they could have easily removed certain moments, but they chose to keep them. For example, the scene where the mouthguard falls and he picks it up before continuing. Small details like that added authenticity to the performance.”

He signed off by adding, “As an actor and director, I think they did a great job together, and Kabir sir got some really good work out of Kartik bhai.”

About Chandu Champion

Jointly produced by Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Kabir Khan Films, Chandu Champion was directed by Kabir. The film – released on June 14, starred Kartik Aaryan in the lead role. It also stars Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora, Rajpal Yadav, Aniruddh Dave, Yashpal Sharma and Shreyas Talpade in supporting roles.

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Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.