On Tuesday, Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan was honoured with the National Award for Best Actor for his performance in Chandu Champion. A day after receiving the prestigious honour, the actor visited Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings and celebrate the special milestone.
Kartik Aaryan visits Lalbaugcha Raja
On Wednesday, Kartik was spotted at the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal dressed in a traditional kurta. The actor also carried his National Award with him as he arrived to offer prayers. He first bowed before Lord Ganesha and sought Bappa’s blessings before placing his National Award at the deity’s feet. Kartik also shared a picture from her Lalbaugcha Raja visit and wrote, “My Sukh-karta dukh-harta. Blessed beyond words. Thank you bappa!!”
Kartik won his first National Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of India’s first Paralympic gold medallist, Murlikant Petkar, in Chandu Champion. He shared the award with Mammootty, who won for his performance in Bramayugam. Directed by Kabir Khan, the biographical sports drama was released in 2024 and also featured Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora, Yashpal Sharma and Rajpal Yadav in key roles. While the film underperformed at the box office, Kartik’s performance received critical acclaim.
Sharing a video of the moment his name was called on stage to receive the award, Kartik wrote a long caption. He began, “Looking back affectionately with a smile at that mumma’s boy from Gwalior who dared to dream of becoming an actor from an environment, where people laugh at such dreams and move on. Finally, I witnessed and lived the moment… still numb with excitement and nervousness.”
He added, “A dream of a small town boy…the dream of every actor in the country…The National Award for Best Actor🎖️ ‘Chandu Nahi, Champiyon hai Main’ 🥹💪I will always be grateful and indebted to Kabir sir and Sajid sir for trusting me with the responsibility of playing India’s first Paralympic Gold Champion- Murlikant Petkar sir on the big screen. The journey was extremely painful, but the result is as sweet as rasmalai! I feel humbled and emotional at the same time.”
Kartik said that the constant companions throughout his journey had been his belief in himself, his parents’ blessings, unconditional love and support, his friends’ encouragement whenever he was losing hope, and his team, which worked tirelessly to make his professional life smoother. He thanked everyone who had been part of what he described as an “impossible journey”.
He added that he would like to share his biggest honour with every Paralympian in the country and with everyone who dared to dream the impossible and never gave up.
Kartik Aaryan’s upcoming films
Kartik will next be seen in Naagzilla, a fantasy comedy directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. The film features Kartik as an icchadhari naag and is backed by Dharma Productions and Mahaveer Jain Films. After initially being scheduled for 2026, the film is now slated to release on February 12, 2027.