From Kung Fu Hustle to Kung Fu Panda

The theatrical trailer of Chandni Chowk to China is already out and those who have caught a glimpse of it will notice that this is the first film, not just in India but across the world (as Akshay Kumar claims), to be shot at the Great Wall of China. As known to all by now, Akshay Kumar plays a cook from Chandni Chowk (Delhi) in the film and as the title suggests, it’s his journey from Chandni Chowk to China.

We got to feast on some additional footage from the film which includes three full-length songs and some rushes. The first of course was the by-now popular title song which we checked out in entirety. As seen in the trailer, the song opens with Akshay dancing with an army of Chinese soldiers with some of his trademark gags clubbed in. Watch out for some ‘wide-spread’ leg movements by Akshay suggestive of his Khiladi-era dancing. The song migrates into Japanese milieu with Deepika Padukone dressed in a colourful kimono and waving around the traditional Japanese fan. It finally concludes with the more familiar Western setting with English girls dancing in the backdrop.

The second song ‘India Se Aaya Mera Dost’ is an attempt to recreate the retro feel of the popular number Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost from Aap Ki Khatir that was sung and composed by Bappi Lahiri, three decades back. The reworked version is again sung by Bappi Lahiri but somewhere down the line the essence seems to have dissipated and musically it appears as a forced attempt. Akshay Kumar dances alongside a Chinese cast and coincidentally escapes attack attempts made at him by the villain’s henchmen who seem to be descendants of the Axe gang from Kung Fu Hustle and indulge in some Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon kind of stunts.

The trump card is revealed through the third track ‘ Chak Phatte Lein De’ which kind of summarizes the spirit of the film. This is basically employed as the transition track showing Akshay Kumar’s martial arts training progression and before you think it’s a serious-serious number, it surprisingly has some of the most hilarious moments. As he undergoes his first task akin to rolling-roti exercise, which appears easy but is arduous when continued for hours, Akshay cracks his first funny line saying, ‘If this means learning martial arts, every Indian woman who is a kitchen-queen would be a Kung Fu expert’.

Chandni Chowk to China captures the true-blue spirit of Oriental action curry in the Bollywood masala mould. Fans of Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan brand of action-comedies would certainly not want to miss the desi adaptation of the customary Chinese drama. The basic plot revolves round a roadside cook from Chandni Chowk who wants to escape the dreariness of his life and is made to believe by strangers from China that he’s a reincarnation of a war hero from their land. He travels to Chinese lands with royal dreams only to realize that he has to battle a vicious smuggler Hojo (Gordon Liu). And for that he has to master the art of Kung Fu through his Sifu (master).

The story bears semblance to the standard plotline that most martial arts revenge drama resort to. Connoisseurs of Chinese classics could find the roots of the story in 36 Chambers of Shaolin . Others could draw direct parallels to the more recent animation ‘master’piece Kung Fu Panda . We only hope it’s an inspiration and not replication. A tribute over a take-off!