India, June 14 -- Kabir Khan's Chandu Champion completes one year of release today. The filmmaker brought to life the phoenix-like journey of Paralympic champion and war hero Murlikant Petkar in the acclaimed biopic. Kartik Aaryan, who played Petkar, walked away with a lot of plaudits as well, with his performance being called one of the best of his career. In an exclusive chat with HT, the filmmaker recalls how people had initially doubted Kartik's casting when the film was announced, and how everyone's opinion changed after the release.

Chandu Champion continues to win laurels even a year after its release, with Kartik himself bagging four Best Actor awards. A proud Kabir says, "I am really glad that the really incredible journey that ...