Chandni Chowk to China

Dir: Nikhil Advani (Salaam-E-Ishq)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Gordon Liu, Roger Yuan, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey
India/USA, 2009

Seen: January 21, 2009 at the AMC at Yonge & Dundas

Reason to see: I saw the Trailer last summer and been interested in it ever since

When people have asked me what films I've seen recently, I get quite a few puzzled looks when I say "Chandni Chowk to China!" with enthusiasm. I follow that by saying "It's a Bollywood/Martial Arts mash up". Still puzzled looks. "It has Gordon Liu in it!" A careful nod of recognition comes to play. I close by saying "It's a lot of fun", which tends to bring a smile.

Chandni Chowk to China is a lot of fun. Sure, it can be silly and sometimes ridiculous but at the core is a film that is dedicated to entertain its audience. I definitely laughed a lot during the screening as did my fellow audience members and it was cool to see an audience that reflected the same diversity of the film itself. The film is highly stylized with fantastic costumes, fabulous sets and a bizarre collection of gadgets. The characters are crazy and the plot has more twist than a bag of pretzels. Overall it feels more Bollywood than martial arts oriented with numerous songs and long running time (2 hr 34 minutes). The fighting in the film is reminiscent of films like Kung Fu Hustle where presence of character and special effects set the stage as opposed to direct combat. Is the film flawless? Certainly not, there are some points in the plot that can use a little more clarity or believability but nothing to the point where the film isn't enjoyable as a whole. The main thing to remember is that it a comedy, so embrace it for what it is and enjoy.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'd watch it again
I'd recommend it as a fun film

15 minutes of preshow including 2 theatre promos and 5 previews: Watchmen, The International, The Soloist, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian and Earth

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009