Kartik Aaryan says he lied to Kabir Khan to land role in Chandu Champion: '1.5 minutes of lying cost me 1.5 years

In Chandu Champion, Kartik Aaryan brought the life of India's first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar alive onscreen. Kabir Khan directed the film.

Actor Kartik Aaryan confessed to having told a lie to grab a role in a film. Recently, he admitted to lying about his ability to swim in order to impress filmmaker Kabir Khan to get a role in Chandu Champion.

What did he say

Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion underperformed at the box office.

During a session at Agenda Aaj Tak 2024, Kartik looked back at his role in the film Chandu Champion, revealing how he lied about his swimming skills to get the part in the Kabir Khan directorial, as per India Today.

At one point in the middle of the session, Kartik was asked if he had ever lied for a film. The actor confessed that he did it for Chandu Champion when Kabir asked him if he knew how to swim.

"I had already read the script and really loved it. So when Kabir sir asked me if I knew how professional swimming, I lied and said that I do. In reality, I could only do enough to keep myself afloat,” he said.

He shared that he had to train hard for one and a half years. "One and a half minutes of lying cost me one and a half years,” Kartik joked.

About the film

Chandu Champion is a biopic of Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medalist, born on November 1, 1944, in Maharashtra. The film traced different phases and obstacles of his life. Petkar excelled in multiple sports, especially wrestling and hockey. Chandu Champion also marks Kartik’s first collaboration with Kabir. The film is jointly Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Kabir Khan.

The film was released on June 14 and failed to perform well at the box office.