CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA

Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C)

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shorey, Gordon Liu, Mithun Chakraborty

Director: Nikhil Advani

Rating: *

After reviewing one of the best movies made on India, it was a herculean task (literally) to watch a senseless Bollywood production. CC2C, an attempt by Bollywood to draw global audiences especially Asian ones, is a complete let down and a big bore.

The movie lets down the initial expectations proving to be quite a disappointment. The movie is a story of daydreamer Sidhu (Akshay Kumar), who lives in Chandni Chowk, a major street in the walled city of old Delhi. The character of Sidhu is based on yesteryear Indian telly celebrity Mungerilal (aka Raghubir Yadav). A cook by profession, Sidhu meets two Chinese villagers who have come to India in search of a reincarnated warrior of China. And thus begins the adventurous journey of Sidhu from Chandni Chowk to China.

The story takes a turn when foolish, weak, innocent looking, over emotional Sidhu loses his most beloved person in life, Dada, played by Mithun Chakrabarthy. With the help of Deepika's Chinese father, Sidhu learns Kung fu to take the revenge of his Dada's death. He then forces his way back to the deadliest villain and kills him with a desi stunt to save the villagers and satisfy his revengeful agony.

It's heart burning for any movie lover to see an investment by the Warner Brothers going waste on such a pathetic flick. There's nothing impressive to write about and you may find it hard to stay seated in the movie hall for more than an hour. Every sequence has actually no sequence at all. The director has tried to impress the audience through desi Ku Fu action, and smart, sexy stunts of Deepika's twin sister Meow Meow, but sorry to say Mr Advani you are a big let down.The comedy is third-class and it appears as if Akshay is doing a clownish job rather than acting.

The too much in every part of the movie makes you feel sick after sometime. The script is an old tale of two-separated twin sister, one in a good avatar and vice-versa. The random series of action makes it a brainless stuff which becomes apparent in first hour of the movie. The music does not score high, only for a couple of songs like Tere Naina by Shankar Mahadevan and Naam Hai Sidhu by Kailash Kher save the grace.

The movie ends with a promise of a sequel where Sidhu will travel to Africa. God knows if the sequel will see the light of the day. Let's hope the next one is better than the present one. Overall, a crappy move by an Indian moviemaker with a foreign banner!

Best Dialogue: I am not scared by those ten thousand moves, I am scared by that one move for which you have practiced for ten thousand times.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Sometimes life is secretly played by destiny, no one has got the idea of what it holds for him. The movie Slumdog Millionaire is about a poor, uneducated Indian boy who is struggling to find his lost love, and on his way, becomes a millionaire. The movie excellently portrays the true modern India where lie the plentiful opportunities. The person like you and me would feel bad about the slums and may not believe the fanciful life they live in. It is difficult but at the same time it is a joy ride. Its a story of triumph; a story of hope; a story of desires; and a story of love.

The story begins when Jamal Mallik, the slum boy manages to get a chance to play ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ game show, depicting the serial ‘Kaun banega crorepati which made every Indian glued to the television sets. Anil Kapoor plays the role of Amitabh Bachan and he is the perfect host to the show, I wonder why the serial makers took Shahrukh Khan, they should have taken Anil Kapoor instead!

The first half of the movie is about the growing kid who stays in the slum with his sweet, affectionate but a very dominating brother. Their life is shattered when their mother is killed in riots and soon joins the little Latika, a victim by herself. She becomes friendly to Jamal, which annoys his elder brother Salim. They are soon picked by a handful of goons who turn orphan kids into professional beggars. They face the horrifying reality and, they run away from that place while leaving Latika behind. It also illustrates the story of the ‘Three Musketeers’,of Alexander Dumas whose motto was ‘One for all and all for one’.

The 10 questions of the game unfold the whole story of Jamal Mallik who has seen the most tragic and the most ecstatic ways of life. Those questions connect to his real life story and he knows the answer because its written somewhere in his being a slumdog. But for some people he is cheating and there lies the problem, no one ever expects him to win so much. His only crime is that he belongs to slums, he is uneducated, he is a chaiwala in a call centre and a very truthful person who simply wants his lost love back.

The skinny hero Dev Patel with his British accent wins your heart away with his spine chilling story and his passionate love for Latika is just adorable. The music has more to say with those unspoken feelings which makes the narration more beautiful. The fusion and the lyrics do a superb job to make every bit of the action even more sensible.
For the director- Danny Boyle it must have been a lifetime experience, as he sees India as an outsider and tells a story which is about everything and shows how destiny over-rules his world of imagination. Watch out for one of the best movies in India where a Slumdog becomes the Hero to take your heart away.