Review: Chandni Chowk to China (2009)

[Michael Dequina]

_Ramesh_Sippy's_Chandni_Chowk_to_China_ (PG-13) ** 1/2 (out of ****)

         Contrary to many erroneous, widespread 
reports, Warner Bros.'s _Chandni_Chowk_to_China_ 
is *not* the first but the third Bollywood film 
produced by a major Hollywood studio, after 
Sony/Columbia Pictures's opulent 2007 release 
_Saawariya_(Beloved)_ and this past October's 
rather cute animated film _Roadside_Romeo_, 
bearing the joint imprimatur of no less than Walt 
Disney Pictures and leading Indian production 
house Yash Raj Films--but it is the first to 
openly court a stateside audience beyond the 
Non-Resident Indian community and indoctrinated 
Indian film fans such as myself.  On paper, the 
project sounded like an almost can't-miss 
project: Warner teamed with veteran Indian film 
producer Ramesh Sippy; like Sony, signed on was a 
filmmaker of note, Nikhil Advani, whose previous 
two directing credits include 2003's terrific New 
York-set love story 
_Kal_Ho_Naa_Ho_(Tomorrow_May_Never_Come)_; 
attached was the increasingly popular comedy and 
action star Akshay Kumar, with fast-rising 
newcomer Deepika Padukone in her third film; and 
a trailblazing hook as Bollywood's first martial 
arts film.  Alas, "can't miss" has translated to 
"near-miss" in execution, and a wholly missed 
opportunity to broaden the Hindi film fan base in America.

         Actually, "near-miss" is a major 
recovery from how _CC2C_ begins.  Silliness is to 
expected from a Bollywood masala film, especially 
in the opening stages, but Advani cranks up his 
already overly cartoony introduction to lowly 
cook Sidhu (Kumar) with over-the-top visual 
effects embellishments.  These _Looney_Tunes_-ish 
bits that have Sidhu literally kicked from one 
side of his town of Chandni Chowk to the other by 
his adoptive father (Mithun Chakraborty) serve to 
distance the viewer, Bollywood familiar or not, 
just about from the jump; Advani was obviously 
chasing after the FX-bolstered zaniness of 
Stephen Chow, but even the live wire Chow knows 
better to wait until the audience has settled in 
a bit before unleashing his unbridled insanity.

         _CC2C_ closely recalls Chow's work, 
specifically _Kung_Fu_Hustle_, and even this past 
summer's _Kung_Fu_Panda_ so much that it's a 
wonder that Warner Bros. didn't force the the 
title _Kung_Fu_Masala_ on the film.  Despite 
being a simple small town cook and more than a 
bit of a bumbler, Sidhu has ideas of being 
something bigger, which indeed appears true when 
a couple of strangers from China claim he is the 
reincarnation of Liu Shang, a legendary warrior 
and their village's savior.  And so Sidhu takes 
the titular, self-discovering journey, along the 
way encountering into TV commercial model Sakhi 
(Padukone) and running afoul of gangster Hojo 
(Gordon Liu), the village's oppressor, and his 
vicious enforcer Meow Meow--who also happens to 
be the long-lost twin of Sakhi, Suzy (also played by Padukone).

         That latter point shows how the infusion 
of Hollywood cash admirably didn't dilute the 
Indian popular film conventions, which are in 
full force here: in addition to the common device 
of a dual role for one of the principals, the 
very broad comedy, and musical interludes, there 
is also the constant referencing of other Hindi 
films (including, of course, Advani's own 
_Kal_Ho_Naa_Ho_ and 
_Salaam-e-Ishq_(Love's_Sweet_Salute)_), and the 
more serious tonal shift at the intermission mark 
(which, unlike most Indian films, is not noted by 
an on-screen card).  But even with top-tier 
talent attached--not only Advani, Kumar, and 
Padukone, but also Liu and veteran stunt 
coordinator Huen Chiu-Ku on the Chinese end--this 
melding of South Asia and East Asia should have a 
lot more personality than it does.  Mainly at 
fault is Shridhar Raghavan's (who penned two more 
distinctive recent Hindi films, 2004's all-star 
police thriller _Khakee_, whose ensemble included 
Kumar; and the stylish 2005 con caper 
_Bluffmaster!_) screenplay, which is not only 
derivative but short on amusing gags; more 
disappointing, though, is that little 
compensation comes in other areas.  There is 
really only one full-on production number, 
picturized to the title song, which is actually 
the lone memorable tune in a most 
uncharacteristically lackluster collection of 
songs from the composing triumvirate of 
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy; even so, with the film's run 
time uncomfortably stretched to over two and a 
half hours, it could have used more musical bits 
to keep the energy from flagging.

         Advani and the rest of the crew manage 
to stage a rally of sorts after the interval, 
when Sidhu finally starts his long-anticipated 
martial arts training under a disgraced, amnesiac 
master (Roger Yuan, handling the Hindi dialogue 
impressively well).  Not only does the action 
pick up, with some decent set pieces staged by 
Huen, but the requisite sentimental turn works to 
the proven strengths of Advani, who made a name 
for himself on more earnestly emotional pieces; 
however strained it may be on script, Advani and 
the likable work of Kumar, Yuan, and Padukone 
lend a certain convincing humanity to what 
initially come off as two-dimensional cartoons, 
and on the whole the sillier and straight-faced 
elements blend to a smoother consistency.  It's 
still not enough to rescue the film as a whole, 
as it just shows how the often-tedious and 
disappointing _Chandni_Chowk_to_China_ could have 
easily been streamlined into a tighter, less 
overblown, yet still classically diverse and 
filling masala feast with a fresh, mainstream-accessible kung fu hook.



(c)2009 Michael Dequina



Michael Dequina
mrbrown at iname.com
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