''Chandni Chowk to China'' (shortened to ''CC2C'') is a 2009 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language

action comedy film Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of actio ...

directed by

Nikkhil Advani Nikhil Suresh Advani (born 28 April 1971) is an Indian film and television director, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He along with his sister, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, co-founded the entertainment company Emmay Enterta ...

and stars

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

and

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most pop ...

, with

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of three ...

and

Hong Kong action cinema Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Ko ...

actor

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu (Lau Kar-fai ); born Sin Kam-hei () August 22, 1951) is a Chinese martial arts film actor and martial artist. He played the lead role of San Te in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (1978) and its sequels, and later played two roles in Qu ...

among the co-stars. In addition to being shot in China, many parts of the film were shot in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Thailand, although some of the China scenes were shot in sets in the

Shanghai Film Studio The Shanghai Film Studio (), one of the three biggest film studios in China, is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs. History Shanghai ...

.NewsLine365.com: "Chandni Chowk to China shot mostly in Bangkok"
, no date. The film revolves around a vegetable cutter from

Chandni Chowk The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square 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 bu ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

who finds himself on an adventure in China after the residents of an oppressed village deem him to be the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

of a slain Chinese revolutionary. Distributed in the U.S. and co-produced by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

, it is the third

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movie made and distributed in partnership with a major Hollywood studio, following

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

's ''

Saawariya ''Saawariya'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language romance film produced and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1848 short story ''White Nights''. The film marked the debut of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Rani Muk ...

'' (2007) and

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

animated feature These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...

Roadside Romeo ''Roadside Romeo'' is a 2008 3D computer animated romantic comedy film written and directed by Jugal Hansraj in his directorial debut., produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra of Yash Raj Films and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pict ...

'' (2008). It is

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...

' first Hindi film. Released on 16 January 2009, it was a flop at the box office.

Plot

Sidhesh Sharma aka Sidhu is a lowly vegetable cutter at a roadside food stall in the

section of

, who consults

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

tarot card The tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their ...

readers, and fake

fakir Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce al ...

s 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 A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

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 realises 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

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

c vagrant, whom he later identifies to Sakhi as Inspector Chiang. Chiang later recovers his memory and trains Sidhu in

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

. 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.

Cast

as Sidhesh "Sidhu" Sharma / Liu Sheng *

as Sakhi / Miss TSM and Suzy / Meow Meow (Double Role) *

Ranvir Shorey Ranvir Shorey is an Indian actor and former VJ who works in Hindi films and television. Since making his debut in ''Ek Chhotisi Love Story'' (2002), he has starred in a number of high-profile films such as '' Jism'' (2003) and '' Lakshya'' (2 ...

as Chopstick *

as Dada / Mr. Sharma (extended appearance) *

Roger Yuan Roger Winston Yuan (born January 25, 1961) is an American martial arts fight trainer, stunt coordinator / performer, and actor who has trained many actors and actresses in many Hollywood films. As an actor himself, he also appeared in ''Shanghai ...

as Police Inspector Chiang Kohung *

as Hojo *

Kiran Juneja Kiran Juneja is an Indian actress who works in Hindi cinema. Personal life She is second wife of filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. She hails from Punjabi Bagh area of New Delhi, India and her father was a doctor. Career In 1984, she started her actin ...

as Chiang's wife *

Kevin Wu Kevin Wu (born June 12, 1990) is an American former YouTuber best known under the username KevJumba. The ''San Francisco Chronicles Jeff Yang has noted that Wu is not a comedian in the conventional sense but that by "just talking eis, well, ...

as Frankie *

Conan Stevens Mark "Conan" Stevens is an Australian actor and former professional wrestler. He is 213 cm (7’) tall.Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network, "Mithun in Chandni Chowk to China?"
via Naachgaana.com, 8 December 2007 is written by Sridhar Raghavan. Shooting began in January 2008 and included a schedule in China.Indiantelevision.com, "Warner Bros to distribute Nikhil Advani's 'Made in China'"
21 August 2007

Release

Box office reception

''Chandni Chowk to China'' earned in its opening weekend.Chandni Chowk to China crosses Rs 33 cr at local box office
''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...

'', 20 January 2009 It went on to earn a total of in India. 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.

Critical reception

Claudia Puig of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' 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 James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

". John Anderson of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "If ''Chandni Chowk to China'' were a person, it would need

Valium Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...

", 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".

Frank Lovece Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ar ...

of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' wrote, "Less a Bollywood bonbon than a pan-Asian fusion dish, this combination of Indian musical and Chinese chopsocky is, nonetheless, delicious fun". Steven Rae of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' stated that, "''Chandni Chowk'' is entertainingly goofy for about 30 minutes. And then, for the next two hours-plus, it's agony." Scott Tobias of ''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August 2 ...

'' described the film as "crass, schizophrenic, culturally insensitive, horribly paced, and shameless in its pandering to the lowest common denominator", while

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' said, "This galumphing elephant of a chopsocky revenge-of-the-

nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...

quasi-musical lacks the lyrical choreographic beauty that has marked such Stateside Bollywood releases as the gorgeous ''

Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Sh ...

''". Michael Philips of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' called the film "a massive and rather tiring showcase for Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar". Indian critic

Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...

gave the movie 1.5/5 stars, calling it "a big, big, big letdown".

Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in hi ...

of IBN termed it a tiring watch, while praising Kumar's performance. The film has received one award nomination, with

being nominated for Best Actress at the

3rd Asian Film Awards The 3rd Asian Film Awards was given in a ceremony on 23 March 2009 as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Nominees and Winners Best Film *Winner: ''Tokyo Sonata'' (Japan) **''Forever Enthralled'' (China) **''The Good, the Bad, th ...

held in March 2009.

Controversy

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, there were protests against the film due to a passing claim that

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

was born in India;

Lumbini Lumbinī ( ne, लुम्बिनी, IPA=ˈlumbini , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth ...

, which is the birthplace of Buddha, is located in

. Several shows were cancelled in

due to the protests.India is Buddha’s birthplace in 'Chandni...', Nepal fumes

Daily News and Analysis Publications established in 2005 Newspapers published in Mumbai English-language newspapers published in India Daily newspapers published in India Essel Group 2005 establishments in Maharashtra ...

, retrieved on 20 January 2009 Protestors threatened to burn cinemas that screened the film, and racial slurs like "

Dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the I ...

" were hurled against Indians online. 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''. In the aftermath of the Nepal controversy, actor

Shekhar Suman Shekhar Suman (born 7 December 1962) is an Indian actor, anchor, producer, director, and singer. Personal life Shekhar Suman married Alka Suman on 4 May 1983, and has a son Adhyayan Suman, a Bollywood film actor. An older son, Aayush, died o ...

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. 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.

Music

The music of ''Chandni Chowk to China'' was released on 2 December 2008. The album features composers as diverse as Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Kailash-Paresh-Naresh,

Bappi Lahiri Bappi Aparesh Lahiri (born Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri; 27 November 1952 – 15 February 2022), also known as Bappi Da was an Indian singer, composer and record producer. He popularised the use of synthesised disco music in Indian music industry and ...

-Bappa Lahiri and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Reception

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."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandni Chowk To China 2009 films 2000s Hindi-language films Films scored by Bohemia Films scored by Kailash Kher Films scored by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy Kung fu films Films scored by Bappi Lahiri Films about reincarnation Warner Bros. films Indian action comedy films Films set in Shanghai 2000s martial arts comedy films Films directed by Nikkhil Advani 2009 martial arts films 2009 action comedy films 2009 comedy films Films banned in Nepal Orion Pictures films