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The Bollywood Weekly Buzz (18.01.09)

 

Top Ten Bollywood Songs!

  1. Love Mera Hit Hit – Billu Barber
  2. Behka – Ghajini
  3. Chandni Chowk to China – Chandni Chowk to China
  4. O Jaana – Remix – Raaz The Mystery Continues…
  5. Desi Girl – Dostana
  6. Everythings Gonna Be Alright – Jumbo
  7. Money Money – Victory
  8. Masakalli – Dehli 6
  9. Nayan Tarse – Dev D
  10. Mastam Mastam - Yuvraaj
Top Ten Bollywood Films!

 

 
  1. Ghajini
  2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
  3. Kaashh…Mere Hote!
  4. Jumbo
  5. Dostana
  6. Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye
  7. Bad Luck Govind
  8. The President is Coming
  9. Dil Kabaddi
  10. Oh, My God
Movie Review on “CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA

Here is a review on what some critics think about this movie: Disappointment!

The problem with CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is that it lacks a watertight screenplay to keep you glued for those 2.45 hours. Agreed, you don't look for logic and reason in hardcore potboilers, but the least the director and his team of writers could do is provide loads of entertainment. Sadly, writers Shridhar Raghavan and Rajat Aroraa make mincemeat of a plot that had the potential to woo viewers from Chandni Chowk to China to Chicago to Cape Town.

So, what's the verdict then? Enjoy Chinese food instead. This one's a big letdown!

Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) cuts vegetables at a roadside food stall in Chandni Chowk in
Delhi. He longs to escape his dreary existence and looks for shortcuts -- with astrologers, tarot readers and fakirs - believing anything except himself, despite his father figure Dada's (Mithun Chakraborty) best efforts.

The story takes a turn when two strangers from
China claim he's a reincarnation of a war hero and take him to China. Thanks to the devious translator, a conman by the name Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey), little does he know that he is being taken to the Chinese village of vicious smuggler Hojo (Gordon Liu).

Therefore, Sidhu blissfully sets forth to
China with Chopstick, who instigates dreams of a delicious future and forgets to reveal the perils, which await him. Along the way, he meets Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), who has embarked on a journey to pay homage to the land of her birth and her dead father and twin.

Hojo catches up with Sidhu and eliminates Dada right in front of everyone. Sidhu seeks revenge and finds the one man who will make him a Kungfu expert and set the village free from Hojo's tyranny.

On face-value, what do you expect from CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA? Unlimited laughter, great martial arts and a glimpse of
China. But what's served on the platter is so senseless that you wonder if there was a script in the first place. The comic scenes that make you laugh are few and far between. The scenes depicting martial arts are hardly exciting.

There are big holes in the script. Sample these... How and why do the two oppressed Chinese men suddenly land up in Chandni Chowk in Delhi? Also, how do they zero on Ranvir Shorey? No explanations offered. Deepika's track of visiting China is trite. Wasn't the twin-sister, an infant, thrown off the Great Wall of China? How did Gordon Liu suddenly decide to bring her up? Similarly, Deepika's father was also pushed from the Great Wall, but he survives. Akshay too is beaten black and blue and thrown off [coincidentally, from the same place -- Great Wall], but is rescued mid-air by Deepika's father. Miracles never cease to occur, must add.

Post interval, Akshay undergoes a grueling training session, but not once does the preparation give an impression that Akshay is seething with anger and vengeance. That's because the director has injected humor in these scenes and that takes away the seriousness from the plot. The climax is equally contrived and hence, makes no impact whatsoever.

Although the year 2009 has just begun, this film is sure to be a strong contender in Razzies in two departments mainly direction and writing. Nikhil Advani goes horribly wrong this time. As for the writers, well, they ought to take a crash course in film writing pronto. The songs are okay, with the title track and 'Naam Hai Sidhu' being the pick of the lot. The stunts are plain mediocre. Even the dated martial arts' movies produced in the East offered better stuff. Himman Dhamija's cinematography lacks the picture perfect look.

Akshay Kumar is the sole saving grace, but the director hasn't tapped his potential to the fullest. Deepika Padukone is passable. Gordon Liu is decent. Ranvir Shorey is functional. Mithun Chakraborty is bland. Roger Yuan, Deepika's father in the film, is fair.

On the whole, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is a brilliant opportunity gone wrong. The film falls way below expectations and is a major disappointment in all respects. At the box-office, the hype might translate into a bountiful weekend, that's it. Thumbs down!

According to the reviews, this movie only received two stars!  

Do you think it should have received more? Let me know what you think!