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Cast:
Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Gordon Liu, |
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Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey, Roger
Yuan |
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Year:
2009 |
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Music:
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy |
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Lyrics:
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Story:
Shridhar Raghavan, Rajat Arora |
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Cinematographer:
Ravi Chandran |
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Presenter:
Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Producer:
Ramesh Sippy, Rohan Sippy, Mukesh Talreja |
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Director:
Nikhil Advani |
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| In the
initial years of his career, Ramesh Sippy made two gems that
we remember [and cherish] to this date -- SEETA AUR GEETA
and SHOLAY. SEETA AUR GEETA was about twin-sisters -- the
docile and the aggressive. SHOLAY, of course, needs no
introduction. Yet, to update the unacquainted, Ramgarh is
gripped by a terror called Gabbar. Resultantly, Thakur
recruits two men to put an end to Gabbar's tyranny.
Nikhil Advani
pays homage to Ramesh Sippy's movies by merging SHOLAY and
SEETA AUR GEETA. But this concoction called CHANDNI CHOWK TO
CHINA is as bland as khichdi.
Come to think of it, Nikhil Advani had everything going for
him. It's a dream project, what with heavyweights such as
Warner Bros., Ramesh Sippy, Akhay Kumar and Gordon Liu
agreeing to be a part of this mammoth project. But Nikhil
slips and trips, falling flat on his face. |
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A masala
film is always welcome. In fact, two desi films [RAB
NE BANA DI JODI and GHAJINI] have been lapped up by
the junta in a big way, but CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA
is an unbearable masala fare that insults the
intelligence of the moviegoer. The problem with
CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is that it lacks a watertight
screenplay to keep you glued for those 2.45 hours.
Agreed, you don't look for logic and reason in
hardcore potboilers, but the least the director and
his team of writers could do is provide loads of
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entertainment. Sadly, writers
Shridhar Raghavan and Rajat Aroraa make mincemeat of a plot
that had the potential to woo viewers from Chandni Chowk to
China to Chicago to Cape Town. So, what's the verdict then?
Enjoy Chinese food instead. This one's a big, big, big
letdown!
Sidhu [Akshay
Kumar] cuts vegetables at a roadside food stall in Chandni
Chowk in Delhi. He longs to escape his dreary existence and
looks for shortcuts -- with astrologers, tarot readers and
fake fakirs -- believing anything except himself, despite
his father figure Dada's [Mithun Chakraborty] best efforts.
The story
takes a turn when two strangers from China claim he's a
reincarnation of a war hero and take him to China. Thanks to
the devious translator, a conman by the name Chopstick [Ranvir
Shorey], little does he know that he is being taken to the
Chinese village of vicious smuggler Hojo [Gordon Liu].
Therefore, Sidhu blissfully sets forth to China with
Chopstick, who instigates dreams of a delicious future and
forgets to reveal the perils, which await him. Along the
way, he meets Sakhi [Deepika Padukone], who has embarked on
a journey to pay homage to the land of her birth and her
dead father and twin. |
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Hojo catches up with Sidhu and eliminates Dada right
in front of everyone. Sidhu seeks revenge and finds
the one man who will make him a Kungfu expert and
set the village free from Hojo's tyranny. On
face-value, what do you expect from CHANDNI CHOWK TO
CHINA? Laughter unlimited, great martial arts, a
glimpse of China. But what's served on the platter
is so insipid, so lame, so senseless that you wonder
if there was a script in the first place. The comic
scenes [that make you |
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laugh] are few and far between. The scenes depicting
martial arts are hardly exciting. Also, barring the Great
Wall of China, don't expect China darshan here!
There are big holes in the script. Sample these... * How and
why do the two oppressed Chinese men suddenly land up in
Chandni Chowk in Delhi? Also, how do they zero on Ranvir
Shorey? No explanations offered. * Deepika's track of
visiting China is trite. Wasn't the twin-sister, an infant,
thrown off the Great Wall of China? How did Gordon Liu
suddenly decide to bring her up? * Similarly, Deepika's
father was also pushed from the Great Wall, but he survives.
Akshay too is beaten black and blue and thrown off
[coincidentally, from the same place -- Great Wall], but is
rescued mid-air by Deepika's father. Miracles never cease to
occur, must add.
Post
interval, Akshay undergoes a gruelling training session, but
not once does the preparation give an impression that Akshay
is seething with anger and vengeance. That's because the
director has injected humour in these scenes and that takes
away the seriousness from the plot. The climax is equally
contrived and hence, makes no impact whatsoever. |
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Although
the year 2009 has just begun, this film is sure to
be a strong contender in Razzies in two departments
mainly -- direction and writing. Nikhil Advani goes
horribly wrong this time. As for the writers, well,
they ought to take a crash course in film writing
pronto. The songs are okay, with the title track and
'Naam Hai Sidhu' being the pick of the lot. The
stunts [Dee Dee Ku] are plain mediocre. Even the
dated martial arts' movies produced in the East
offered better stuff. Himman Dhamija's
cinematography lacks the picture perfect look. |
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Akshay Kumar is
the sole saving grace, but the director hasn't tapped his
potential to the fullest. Deepika Padukone is passable.
Gordon Liu is decent. Ranvir Shorey is functional. Mithun
Chakraborty is bland. Roger Yuan, Deepika's father in the
film, is fair.
On the whole, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is a brilliant
opportunity gone appallingly wrong. The film falls way below
expectations and is a major disappointment in all respects.
At the box-office, the hype might translate into a bountiful
weekend, that's it. Thumbs down! |
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