Actor Kartik Aaryan received his first National Award for the 2024 film Chandu Champion from President Droupadi Murmu, at a ceremony held at Kevadia in Gujarat today.
This is the first time the National Awards ceremony has taken place in Gujarat, instead of the familiar venue, Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan.
Kartik Aaryan shared his National Award with superstar Mammootty, who won the award for the Malayalam film Bramayugam.
After arriving in Gujarat, Kartik Aaryan shared a picture of himself, standing in front of the tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards on July 18.
The winners were selected by an 11-member jury headed by acclaimed filmmaker Jayaraj, which evaluated entries from across the country before submitting its recommendations to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
About Chandu Champion
Directed by Kabir Khan along with producer Sajid Nadiadwala under Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the film stars Kartik Aaryan in the titular role as India's first Paralympics gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar.
Chandu Champion was released on June 14, 2024. Opened to mixed reviews, it emerged as a commercial failure, grossing ₹88.73 crore worldwide. The film also stars Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora and Yashpal Sharma, Rajpal Yadav in pivotal roles.
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee wrote, "Kartik Aaryan sheds his free-spirited gadabout cloak and gets into the skin of a character that makes a slew of demands on the actor. Aaryan gives the physically exacting role all he has and pulls off a career-best performance. Chandu Champion may be a mixed bag but it never ceases to be uplifting."
