Chandni Chowk to China | |
---|---|
Directed by | Nikkhil Advani |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Himman Dhamija |
Edited by | Aarif Shaikh |
Music by |
|
Production companies | Ramesh Sippy Entertainment People Tree Entertainment [1] |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 154 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages |
|
Budget | ₹800 million (US$10 million) [2] |
Box office | ₹1.2 billion (US$15 million) [3] |
Chandni Chowk to China (shortened to CC2C) is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language martial arts action comedy film [4] directed by Nikkhil Advani and stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, with Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong action cinema actor Gordon Liu among the co-stars. In addition to being shot in China, many parts of the film were shot in Bangkok, Thailand, [5] [6] although some of the China scenes were shot in sets in the Shanghai Film Studio. [6] The film revolves around a vegetable cutter from Chandni Chowk in Delhi who finds himself on an adventure in China after the residents of an oppressed village deem him to be the reincarnation of a slain Chinese revolutionary.
Distributed in the U.S. and co-produced by Warner Bros., it is the third Bollywood movie made and distributed in partnership with a major Hollywood studio, following Sony's Saawariya (2007) and Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature Roadside Romeo (2008). [7] It is Warner Bros. Pictures' first Hindi film. [8] Released on 16 January 2009, it was a flop at the box office. [9] Indiagames had also released a mobile video game based on the film. [10]
The film begins with the story of The Great Wall of China and a war with a warrior Liu Sheng. It also shows the evil Hojo's tyranny in the village of Zhange after so many years. Sidhesh Sharma aka Sidhu is a lowly vegetable cutter at a roadside food stall in the Chandni Chowk section of Delhi, who consults astrologers, tarot card readers, and fake fakirs despite his foster father Dada's exhortations. When two strangers from China claim him as a reincarnation of war hero 'Liu Sheng' and take him to China, Sidhu, encouraged by trickster Chopstick, believes he will be feted as a hero, unaware of his own recruitment to assassinate the smuggler Hojo.
Sidhu travels to China with Chopstick. Along the way, he meets Sakhi, the Indian-Chinese spokesmodel known as Ms. Tele Shoppers Media, or Ms. TSM, who also appears in China. Her twin sister Suzy, known as the femme fatale Meow Meow, works for Hojo, not knowing Hojo tried to kill her father, Inspector Chiang. Sidhu, through a series of accidents, initially eludes Hojo. However, Sidhu realizes the truth about his identity. Devastated, Sidhu apologizes to Hojo. Just then, Dada shows up and starts beating Hojo's men, Hojo kills Dada, and Sidhu is exposed as a loser. Also, he is beaten and urinated on by Hojo. Injured and disgraced, Sidhu vows revenge. Three months later, Sidhu encounters an amnesiac vagrant, whom he later identifies to Sakhi as Inspector Chiang. Chiang later recovers his memory and trains Sidhu in kung fu. When Hojo again meets with Sidhu, Suzy injures Chiang; but upon seeing Sakhi, betrays Hojo. Sidhu fights Hojo in single combat, eventually using a modified vegetable-cutting technique to overpower him. After a huge fight, Sidhu finally kills Hojo. In the aftermath, Sidhu opens a vegetable stall in China but is recruited to fight for some African pygmies. [lower-alpha 1]
The film, earlier known as Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo and also Made in China, [12] is written by Sridhar Raghavan.
Shooting began in January 2008 and included a schedule in China. [13]
Chandni Chowk to China earned ₹330 million (US$4.1 million) in its opening weekend. [2] It went on to earn a total of ₹407 million (US$5.1 million) in India. [14] The film's total North American box office in the four weeks of running was $921,738, and total worldwide gross was $13,439,480. [15] [14]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 42% of 59 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "A thin plot is disguised by high octane dancing and action in this Bollywood crossover comedy." [16] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [17] Claudia Puig of USA Today said, "This Indian/Chinese cinematic hybrid is likable and entertaining but overlong and occasionally hokey", and that Kumar's "physical humor brings to mind Jim Carrey". [18] John Anderson of Variety wrote, "If Chandni Chowk to China were a person, it would need Valium", and found that "everything is fast and furious, hilarious, hysterical and frantic. Some of the sequences as are quite beautiful and, in the case of the dance numbers featuring Padukone, stunning. But it's the fight scenes as that truly take off". [19] Frank Lovece of Newsday wrote, "Less a Bollywood bonbon than a pan-Asian fusion dish, this combination of Indian musical and Chinese chopsocky is, nonetheless, delicious fun". [20]
Steven Rae of The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that, "Chandni Chowk is entertainingly goofy for about 30 minutes. And then, for the next two hours-plus, it's agony." [21] Scott Tobias of The Onion described the film as "crass, schizophrenic, culturally insensitive, horribly paced, and shameless in its pandering to the lowest common denominator", [22] while Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said, "This galumphing elephant of a chopsocky revenge-of-the-nerd quasi-musical lacks the lyrical choreographic beauty that has marked such Stateside Bollywood releases as the gorgeous Lagaan ". [23] Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune called the film "a massive and rather tiring showcase for Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar". [24] Indian critic Taran Adarsh gave the movie 1.5/5 stars, calling it "a big, big, big letdown". [25] Rajeev Masand of IBN termed it a tiring watch, while praising Kumar's performance. [26]
The film has received one award nomination, with Deepika Padukone being nominated for Best Actress at the 3rd Asian Film Awards held in March 2009. [27]
In Nepal, there were protests against the film due to a passing claim that Buddha was born in India; Lumbini, which is the birthplace of Buddha, is located in Nepal.
Several shows were cancelled in Nepal due to the protests. [28] Protestors threatened to burn cinemas that screened the film, and racial slurs like "Dhoti" were hurled against Indians online. [28]
The protests continued for several days, despite the Nepali distributor deleting the piece of narration that mentioned Buddha in the copies of the film shown in Nepal. On 22 January, Nepali cinemas stopped and banned screening Chandni Chowk to China. [29]
In the aftermath of the Nepal controversy, actor Shekhar Suman criticised the film with some derogatory and rude comments. He also stated the movie is an amateurish attempt by Nikhil Advani, terming it as a "worst" film. [30] Mostly, supporters of Kumar, especially Nikhil Advani stated that it was a publicity stunt to bring Suman's son Adhyayan in limelight for release of his film Raaz: The Mystery Continues . Suman replied to the claim that it was not a publicity act and the latter apologized to Kumar for it. [31] [32] [33]
Chandni Chowk to China | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 4 December 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2008 | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Length | 37:43 | |||
Label | T-Series | |||
Producer | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | |||
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bappi Lahiri chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kailasa chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bohemia chronology | ||||
|
The music of Chandni Chowk to China was released on 4 December 2008. The album features composers as diverse as Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy,Kailash-Paresh-Naresh,Bappi Lahiri-Bappa Lahiri and Bohemia.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "S.I.D.H.U" | Kailash Kher | Kailasa | Kailash Kher | 5:04 |
2. | "Chandni Chowk To China" | Rajat Arora | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Neeraj Shridhar, Anushka Manchanda, Shankar Mahadevan | 4:26 |
3. | "India Se Aaya Tera Dost (Aap Ki Khatir)" | Rajat Arora, Shaily Shailendra | Bappi Lahiri | Bappi Lahiri, Ravi K Tripathi | 6:29 |
4. | "Tera Naina" | Rajat Arora | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal | 4:18 |
5. | "Chak Lein De" | Kailash Kher | Kailash Kher, Naresh, Paresh | Kailash Kher | 4:25 |
6. | "Chandni Chowk To China (CC2C)" | Bohemia | Bohemia | Bohemia, Akshay Kumar, Aastha Gill | 3:44 |
7. | "Chandni Chowk To China" (Remix) | Rajat Arora | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Dj A-Myth | 4:41 |
8. | "Chak Lein De" (Remix) | Kailash Kher | Kailash Kher, Naresh, Paresh | Dj A-Myth | 4:36 |
Total length: | 37:43 |
Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama.com rated it 3.5/5, claiming, "Chandni Chowk to China is clearly the next musical hit in the making." [34] [ failed verification ]
The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight. It remains one of India's largest wholesale markets.
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia, known professionally as Akshay Kumar, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career spanning over 30 years, Kumar has appeared in over 100 films and has won several awards, including a National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, from the Government of India in 2009. Kumar is one of the most prolific actors in Indian cinema. Forbes included Kumar in their lists of both highest-paid celebrities and highest-paid actors in the world from 2015 to 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, he was the only Indian on both lists.
Ramesh Sippy is an Indian film director, actor and producer in Hindi cinema. He is particularly known for directing Sholay (1975), which is regarded as one of the most influential Indian film ever made. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2013.
Nikkhil Suresh Advani is an Indian director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He along with his sister, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, co-founded the entertainment company Emmay Entertainment.
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most popular personalities; Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and awarded her the Time100 Impact Award in 2022.
Roger David, better known by his stage name Bohemia, is a Pakistani-American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, mainly associated with Punjabi language music industry. He is considered to be the pioneer of the Desi hip hop industry.
Neeraj Shridhar is an Indian film playback singer, composer and singer-songwriter who was the lead vocalist of Indian pop and rock group Bombay Vikings. Bombay Vikings became popular with remix hits like "Kya Soorat Hai", "Woh Chali" and "Chod Do Anchal".
The 3rd Asian Film Awards was given in a ceremony on 23 March 2009 as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Desi Boyz is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by debutant Rohit Dhawan, son of director David Dhawan. The film stars Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh while Sanjay Dutt features in an extended cameo.
Asgar has been a celebrity hair stylist since 1981 and regular columnist in the weekly national British newspaper Eastern Eye since 2005. Asgar has done the hairstyling for covers and fashion features in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Tatler, The Observer, The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Asiana Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Asian Women, and Asian Groom and Man.
Indian actress Deepika Padukone primarily appears in Hindi films. Her first screen appearance was in Himesh Reshammiya's music video "Naam Hai Tera" in 2005. Padukone made her film debut by playing the title role in the Kannada-language film Aishwarya (2006). Her first Hindi film release came the following year with Farah Khan's melodrama Om Shanti Om, in which she played dual roles opposite Shah Rukh Khan. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for it. Her sole film role in 2008 was as one of Ranbir Kapoor's love interests in Bachna Ae Haseeno. Padukone's first film release of 2009, the kung fu comedy Chandni Chowk to China, proved to be a box office flop, but her next release, Imtiaz Ali's romance Love Aaj Kal, opposite Saif Ali Khan, was a success. Of Padukone's five film releases in 2010, only the comedy Housefull was financially profitable. The series of poorly received films continued with both her 2011 releases, Aarakshan and Desi Boyz.
DJ Khushi is a disc jockey in India and has been awarded the Most Popular Bollywood DJ award. Because of his frequent appearances, Khushi is also known as the official DJ of Shahrukh Khan. He was the opening DJ during Tiesto's Delhi Gig. In 2016, he headlined the Sunburn Music Festival with Hardwell, the world's No.1 DJ. In Dec'16, Ellie Goulding and Nervo performed alongside DJ Khushi. Khushi has also performed with LMFAO, Edward Maya and Akcent.
TIMES Celebex is the official rating of the Bollywood Stars in India and Worldwide. Based on various parameters T Score is calculated and the Bollywood actors and actresses ranked. The score and the ranking is a representation of the good influence and power of these stars over the audience.
The ETC Bollywood Business Awards are presented annually by ETC Bollywood Business to award Bollywood films. This is the only award in India which judges films based on their box-office performances. The ETC Bollywood Business Awards were launched in 2010.
Disha Patani is an Indian actress who primarily work in Hindi films. Patani began her acting career with the Telugu film Loafer (2015), and had her first Hindi film release with the biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), for which she won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female. After appearing in the Chinese action comedy Kung Fu Yoga (2017), Patani has played the leading lady in the films Baaghi 2 (2018), Malang (2020), and Ek Villain Returns (2022). She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.
Sidhu may refer to:
Laxmii is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language horror comedy film written and directed by Raghava Lawrence, marking his directorial debut in the Hindi film industry. A remake of his own Tamil film Kanchana (2011), it stars Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani, while Ayesha Raza Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar and Sharad Kelkar play pivotal roles. The film revolves around a man who gets possessed by the ghost of a transgender person. Kumar, also produced the film under his Cape of Good Films and Fox Star Studios, along with Tusshar Kapoor's newly launched production company, Tusshar Entertainment House and Shabinaa Entertainment. Lawrence co-wrote the script along with Farhad Samji, Sparsh Khetarpal, Tasha Bhambra, with Samji adapting the screenplay and dialogues to the Hindi version. The film was announced in January 2019, whilst the principal photography began in April 2019 and ended in March 2020.
Fighter is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures. The film stars Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor, and serves as the first film in a planned aerial action franchise.