By Ashwin Mehra
WHAT happens when you combine Chinese cinema’s beautifully staged choreography with Bollywood’s eclectic mix of melodrama and its myriad of colours? You get a big old mess!
In its first Bollywood venture, Hollywood studio Warner Brothers has taken a huge gamble, producing and distributing a film that its lead star Akshay Kumar calls ‘senseless’ and ‘worth leaving your brain at home’.
Unfortunately, I wish I had known this before committing a mind-numbing two hours and twenty minutes of my life to this film.
Chandni Chowk to China chronicles the lunatic adventures of a simpleton cook from Delhi, played by Akshay Kumar, who is mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior. He leaves old Delhi’s Chandi Chowk for China to get rid of a Kung Fu tyrant called Hojo (played by Gordon Liu of Kill Bill fame).
On the way, Kumar’s character finds himself thrown into a crazy world of megalomaniac villains, femme fatales (Deepika Padukone), crazy inventors, Chinese mysticism and outlandish kung-fu assassins.
Given that Hollywood played a role in the making of the film, it is a slick product, the locations – from the back streets of Chandni Chowk to the Great Wall of China as well as its modern cities – are well depicted.
Nikhil Advani, who has previously directed Kal Ho Na Ho, masterfully directs each scene with authority. It’s no wonder that Warner Brothers signed him on to do a further three movies for them.
However, the film’s storyline leaves a lot to be desired. Kumar excels in his role and Deepika Padukone wears her infectious smile well, offering some eye candy in a double role.
My only gripe with Advani is that he tries too hard to combine the best of Bollywood and Chinese cinema, with certain scenes appearing unbelievable, even by Bollywood standards.
In one scene the characters of Padukone and Kumar are falling to their deaths from the top of a sky scraper in China when an umbrella doubling as a parachute pops up. Fair enough, but what was the need to introduce a song as the couple are airborne?
The songs, with oriental influences, are average.
It’s one step forward for Bollywood, two steps back for Hollywood.
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Chandni Chowk to China Kung Fu kicks its way on to cinemas nationwide from Friday (January 16).
