Kartik Aaryan Wins National Award for Chandu Champion

The actor adds India's highest cinematic honour to his Filmfare win, cementing a career defined by reinvention and resilience.

By The Green Room2 hours ago1 min read

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Kartik Aaryan has officially joined the pantheon of Indian cinema’s most revered performers. In September 2026, he clinched the National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion — a role that demanded physical transformation, emotional precision, and unflinching authenticity.

This follows his Filmfare Award win for the same performance in 2025, making it a double triumph for a film that redefined expectations around his range. Once known for the sharp wit and theatrical flair of his monologues in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Kartik has spent years quietly dismantling that image, first with Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, then through layered turns in Luka Chuppi, Pati Patni Aur Woh, and Dhamaka.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) was a turning point: playing Rooh Baba, he proved he could carry a franchise with swagger and charm. But Chandu Champion was different. It wasn’t just another commercial vehicle. It was a biopic rooted in real struggle, demanding endurance not just on screen but off. The physical rigour, the emotional weight, the silence between lines, every element spoke of an actor no longer chasing laughs, but seeking truth.

His return as Rooh Baba in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, alongside Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit, showed he hasn’t abandoned entertainment. But now, he brings gravitas to spectacle. That duality is rare. He can headline a mass entertainer and still earn national recognition.

Now, with projects like Naagzilla, Captain India, an Anurag Basu-directed musical love story, and a Kabir Khan-led sports drama in development, Kartik isn’t just evolving, he’s expanding. His journey. From Rajat’s rant to Petkar’s rise, isn’t about luck. It’s about persistence. About choosing roles that don’t fit the mould, even when they don’t guarantee box office returns.

He’s not a star who got lucky. He’s an actor who earned the right to be unpredictable. And if the next phase of his career is any indication, the quietest choices may yet be the loudest.