Chandni Chowk to Burbank

Last Wednesday, I was invited to see the just-finished cut of Chandni Chowk to China and do some interviews for our next issue. The trailer is one of the best ever, combining Bollywood's hyper color and epic dancing with gravity-defying kung-fu shot in China, so how could I pass it up? There were actually a lot fewer people in the screening than I expected (maybe a dozen) and I couldn't tell how they took it. If you're a Bollywood fan, you'll definitely have fun with the Indian take on old-school martial arts movies. If you're into kung-fu flicks, you'll appreciate the twists on classic plots and scenes. But if you're not familiar with either genre, you might get lost in the constantly shifting tone--from comedy to musical to action, etc.--or be overwhelmed by irony. I happen to be a fan of both, so I relished all 2 hours and 20 minutes.


The story goes that CC2C's plot is somewhat based on lead actor Ashkay Kumar's life--he was a cook, he lived in Thailand (where a lot of the movie was filmed), and he practices martial arts--and that he signed onto the project immediately after seeing a mock-up poster featuring him in a kung-fu pose. When my photog and I were informed that he was the first person we'd meet, I was amped but a little worried about meeting a tough guy action star on the fly. It turned out he has loads of charisma but is also quite affable. The first thing I asked him was about the rap video that plays through the end credits. Among other things, it features female backup dancers in Bruce Lee jumpsuits and ninja outfits while Akshay struts and poses in sweats and shades. Incredible. It turns out his homie Bohemia wrote the song for him, and that they had actually collaborated with Snoop Dogg on a music video for a previous movie, Singh is Kinng. Whoa. But Akshay is more family man than thug life; we talked a lot about his dad, his son, and traveling with his family.


Director Nikhil Advani was next. He was visibly burnt, probably from finishing the final edit of the move--which was scheduled to play the night before, but was delayed because it hadn't arrived yet--as well as the long flight. It turns out he wasn't a big fan of martial arts movies, but took the job because his producer buddy Rohan Sippy offered it to him. Akshay had already signed on and showed the director kung-fu movies from his personal collection, including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (which not only inspired him to start practicing martial arts but featured CC2C co-star Gordon Liu). Somehow, Advani made it through the interview and actually gave very frank answers, which I appreciated. I hope he got a boost of adrenaline when he hopped in the limo to the premiere--or at least some coffee.


It looked like our interview with Deepika Padukone wasn't going to happen because she wasn't done getting ready until it was almost time for her to depart for the evening's world premiere. Luckily, PR ace Judy was there to make sure she squeezed us in. When the up-and-coming actress (who plays two roles in CC2C) finally arrived, she was wrapped in a sleeveless, backless, flowing gown. It's weird how certain people can sit on the same chair in the same room as everyone else but make it look totally different. Ben took some awesome pictures of her, and I hope to run one of them full page, full bleed. We'll see. Oh, we did the interview, too. For a former super model, she was shockingly open--very approachable, super polite, and subtly funny--admitting that she's more comfortable in front of a still camera than a moving one.


The soundtrack is already out and the movie opens on a ton screens around the U.S. on the 16th. This is Warner Bros. first real stab at pushing an authentic, non-Westernized Bollywood flick, so give it a shot. You might not get to see one in your multiplex again--definitely not one with Gordon Liu, wirework, and the Great Wall of China.