'Chandu Champion' director Kabir Khan: ‘What’s important is how much the film is remembered’

Kartik Aaryan in Chandu Champion

Chandu Champion may not have made much noise at the box office on its release. But Kartik Aaryan and filmmaker Kabir Khan took home the Best Actor and Best Director trophies at a recent international film festival. To Khan, the honour holds special importance for a reason. "Since it was from an international jury, composed of celebrated filmmakers and critics who are judging you only on the basis of the film, it gives you validation. When I heard Chandu Champion's story, I knew it had to be told, and if I didn't tell this story, it would be a crime that our country would never get to know about Murlikant [Petkar]."

Making the biopic was challenging for both Khan and his leading man. The director recalls, "The making was tough given the kind of transformation Kartik had to go through. It's not easy to go from 39 per cent body fat to seven per cent. He dedicated a year-and-a-half to learning boxing because he fought against real boxers in the film."

Kabir Khan

Chandu Champion reportedly made Rs 87 crores at the box office. The director admits that box-office figures matter to him, but not as much as the audience's love does. "Any filmmaker who says that box office doesn't matter is not speaking the truth; it does. But it's not the only parameter to judge a film. The most important for me is how much the film is remembered and spoken about, after some time passes. With Chandu Champion now and 83 [2021] earlier, there have been repeat viewings on OTT. People kept going back to the film. That shows a film's legacy and how long it stays in people's memory. In terms of box office numbers, my first film, Kabul Express [2006] was the lowest out of all my films. But after 18 years, people come up to me and say they loved it. So, there are lots of different parameters today through which you judge how deeply has a film connected."

Even as Khan is working on several film ideas, including one with Katrina Kaif, he says he hasn't zeroed in on his next. Is there a reunion with Salman Khan in the cards, considering Babbar Sher is not working out? "Salman is somebody who I've had a great association with. We've done three films together and two characters we created - Tiger and Bajrangi - have become truly iconic. I'd love to reunite with him. We keep discussing ideas when we meet, but nothing is locked."