Soundtracks Released December 4, 2008

< Dec. 2

Thursday, December 4

Dec. 5 >

Chandni Chowk to China

Akshay Kumar

From Chutney in India to Chow Mein in China, "Chandni Chowk to China" follows one man's passage from simple cook to kung fu fighter on a thrilling, madcap journey from th... moree by-lanes of Chandni Chowk in Delhi, India, to the grandeur of the Great Wall of China and beyond. The first-ever Bollywood kung fu action comedy, the film brings together the two largest Asian communities, India and China, on one cinematic canvas.

Starring Bollywood's biggest action star, Akshay Kumar, the film parallels the actor's own journey to fame: Kumar worked as a cook before pursuing his passion for martial arts.

"Chandni Chowk to China" also stars stunning model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone, Bollywood veteran Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey, and Chinese martial arts expert and actor Gordon Liu ("Kill Bill: Vols. 1 and 2").

Nikhil Advani ("Kal Ho Na Ho") directed the film from a screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan ("Bluff Master," "Khakhee"). Ramesh Sippy, Mukesh Talreja and Rohan Sippy are the producers.

The film also features stunts choreographed by veteran martial arts stunt coordinator Huen Chiu-Ku, whose credits include "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Kill Bill: Vols. 1 and 2" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." The musical trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy composing the eclectic score, an eclectic Indo-Chinese fusion inspired by the music of China and India.

"Chandni Chowk to China" focuses on the epic heroic journey of Sidhu (Kumar), a simple cook from Chandni Chowk who longs to escape his dreary existence and looks for shortcuts with everything from astrologers and tarot readers to a magic potato, believing in anything and everything except himself. His fate changes when two strangers from China claim him to be a reincarnation of a war hero from the past and enlist him to come back with them to their village in China.

His opportunistic translator, Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey), tells Sidhu of the women, wine and princely existence that await him in foreign lands; what Chopstick doesn't tell him is that he has become the village's best hope to take on the vicious gangster Hojo (Gordon Liu), who has been terrorizing them. Along the way, Sidhu meets Sakhi, played by Deepika Padukone ("Om Shanti Om"), a stunning TV model who has embarked on her own adventure to pay homage to the land of her birth, her dead father and twin. Padukone also portrays Sakhi's long-lost twin sister, Meow.

Soon, Sidhu realizes he is in way over his head and faces imminent defeat without a miracle. Only at his lowest point does he meet a Kung Fu master (Roger Yuan) who can help Sidhu find his inner hero, set the village free, and pursue the love of his life.

• Profile
• Play Trailer
• Buy or Rent
• 154 mins.