Chandni Chowk to China - Kung Fu Hustle meets Bollywood

This movie is hilarious...exactly at those points where it is not intended to be!!

Now here is the sad part, since this is a Akshay Kumar movie - and i am inclined to say that i like his style of comedy and therefore i like to watch his clean masala flicks - i did not read the reviews and went to watch the film with very high expectations. They all came crashing down!!

Infact the movie starts very well. The first fight sequence and then the way the narration moves from China to India and then to the heroes abode is very gripping and just then Akshay gets a kick on the backside and so do we....the pain of those kicks linger throughout the film...

In fact i have one simple question for the director....why...why do you need to add those 15 odd minutes of akshay flying across delhi after getting kicked, or why do you need need the song sequence in the middle of a flight journey.They are not even FUNNY!!

The entire movie suffers from not knowing where its placed. Is it an action film showcasing Akshays kung fu skills. Is it a rip off of Kung Fu Hustle - must say without the meaning of that superb film - and a mix of bollywood or Is it a comedy where the director makes it such a bad movie that it actually becomes a masterpiece??

Sadly, None....though Kung Fu hustle is primarily the take for this movie even though it gets hidden under layers of bad acting and bad direction.

In a gist, the movie revolves around Sidhu (Akshay Kumar), Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), and Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) travelling to China believing that Sidhu is a reincarnation of some great chinese warrior and who will deliver the residents of a particular village from evil in the form of Hosho. (Nusiance - atleast the names should have been of some sense. Hosho, & Chuchi being prime examples). In this adventure there is an interwoven plot of an indian daughter trying to find her chinese twin sister and a father who has amnesia, god only knows where the mother is....i have a gut feeling Nikhil would have remembered about her when he saw the film himself ;-).

There are some really amazing scenes though throughout the film. The first narration as i have mentioned earlier is very good. Another good scene is the flight scene about akshay loading the luggage...hilarious. The action sets are impressive most of the times. Unfortunately, just good scenes do not make a good film.

Couple that with bad acting..Oh lord!!...Akshay though is the only saving grace somewhat though even he goes very much over the top on many occasions. Deepika is extremely bad. Infact she does not even look that great throughout the film with her awful dressing style and stymied dialogue delivery. Same goes for Ranvir Shorey. In fact at one point of time i felt that the wig will come off for him.

I certainly did not have too many expectation of the director as i have not really appreciated Nikhil Advanis last couple of films Salaam e Ishq and Kal ho na Ho. These films atleast had good acting to speak of which carried them somewhat on the box office.

Musically also this film is weak. 5 music directors are just too many and do not give you a feel of the direction in which the music flows. Kailash Kher is good without being superlative. Everyone else is average.

Now let me come back to the point i made CCTC and Kung Fu hustle. The latter movie had a meaning with respect to the hero finding redemption and his pain was actually felt by the audience even though it was wierdly funny in its approach. In CCTC, the connect is just not there cause the cause identified looks so trivial. After the first shot where the villagers are shown to be under extreme stress, the entire movie shows them to be quite content. After all they dont seem to work after the first shot. Also, as far as redemption is concerned, it would have been better if akshay had been serious about the Kung Fu lessons or even the fact that he needs to overcome the physical injuries in extreme ways. Here it looks like a stroll in the park for the reigning bolly champ.

I have heard that it is semi autobiographical in nature. I am right now doubling over with laughter!!...if only...Sigh...

Finally , please carry shades in the theatre...u will need them near the climax when the screen increduously starts flashing white every couple of seconds. You will need them to protect your eyes...

Or better go watch SlumDog Millionaire - an experience you will not easily forget....