Kartik Aaryan is prepping for the release of his next film Chandu Champion, in which he will essay the role of Paralympian Murlikant Petkar. The movie, directed by Kabir Khan, will hit the big screens on June 14 and marks the actor's first biopic. He revealed how the transformation required huge sacrifices from him, including giving up on his favourite dishes.

Kartik Aaryan transforms his lifestyle completely

Kartik took a lot of time to physically transform for his role in Chandu Champion. When asked if the transformation took a toll on him mentally, the actor told IANS, "This entire process was terrible in a way. As I said I am a big foodie, so for me, not to have food--mujhe jab tak roti, rice, khane ke baad meetha.. ye saari cheezein chahiye... mere saare shauk sab hata diye gaye the. My sleeping pattern was so bad before this. So when we started this, I had to get a proper eight hours of deep sleep."

He added, "I started counting calories, burning calories, so there was an automatic shift... my life became robotic and monotonous. Because I used to eat the same food -- the meal that was decided. For 1.5 to 2 years, I used to have soup at night and sleep and had no social life. I used to go to my home, gym, swimming pool, and then return to my home."

Kartik calls Murlikant's story 'unreal'

When asked why did he choose Murlikant Petkar's story as his first biopic, he shared, "I think the story chose me. I sadly and genuinely did not know about this story. And I think many don't know the real story of Murlikant Petkar. When I heard it for the first time, I thought it was unreal."

In 1972, Murlikant Petkar won India its first-ever Paralympic gold medal in Heidelberg, Germany, for the 50 m freestyle swimming. Back then, he had set a world record of blazing across the waters in an impressive 37.33 seconds. His career began in the Boys Battalion of the Indian Army, which saw him rise through the ranks to reach the war grounds of Pakistan in 1965.