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.” View this post on Instagram 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