Akshay Kumar lost his comic touch

The failure of Nikhil Advani's "Chandni Chowk To China" has put a question mark on Akshay Kumar's comic journey. While some filmmakers say he tends to interfere in the director's job, his staunch supporters in Bollywood feel he should not be written off because of one flop.

There were reports that the comic element in his next big release "Kambakht Ishq" were revamped after the disastrous results of "Chandni Chowk..." at the box office. But "Kambakht Ishq" producer Sajid Nadiadwala shoots down the reports.

"Why would I do that? The film is what it is. I don't work with my actors based on how their last film did. 'Kambakht Ishq' will have a lot to offer," Nadiadwala told IANS.

In "Kambakht Ishq", Akshay is paired with Kareena Kapoor. Some parts of the film were shot in Hollywood and stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brandon Routh feature in the movie.

"It's an out-and-out romantic comedy with stunts of an international order. And why are we jumping the gun just because one of his films hasn't lived up to expectations? There could be so many reasons for it. Why should Akshay be blamed for it? Why so much negativity about him? Is he the first superstar to disappoint audiences?"

On the downside, Akshay's pairing with Kareena has hardly ever worked at the box office. Suneel Darshan's "Talaash", Dharmesh Darshan's "Bewafaa" and Yash Raj Films' "Tashan" are a few examples.

Some filmmakers would like him to end his protracted attempts at comedy.

"Akshay has become progressively active in the process of writing scripts and shooting films. He freely makes suggestions some of which, I've to admit, are good. But quite often he wants to take over the project. When I went to him with another project, he offered to co-produce it and get someone to re-write portions. It's obvious a lot of scenes in 'Chandni Chowk...' were re-written. The result shows," a director said on condition of anonymity.

"It's the Govinda factor at work again," said another director who preferred to remain anonymous. "He did so much buffoonery on screen that Govinda made people forget there was more to him than meets the eye."

However, Akshay's staunch producer-director friends are more than happy to stand by him.

Said Vipul Shah, who will launch his next with Akshay and Aishwarya Rai in March: "I don't think the failure of 'Chandni Chowk To China' means that audiences have rejected him in the comic avatar. The backlash is totally uncalled for. And it looks motivated by reasons other than the box office. Many people have been waiting to pounce on Akshay. This is their opportunity."

But Shah, whose last two films with Akshay - "Singh Is Kinng" and "Namastey London" - were romantic comedies, has decided to keep away from the genre in the next venture.

It is believed that apart from Priyadarshan's "De Dana Dan", which is an out-and-out comedy, the comic element is being cut down or dowplayed in Akshay's forthcoming projects.

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Nepal bans Chandni Chowk To China

As protests continued to erupt on the streets of Kathmandu on Thursday (January 22) over Bollywood's first Kungfu comedy "Chandni Chowk to China", the new Maoist-led government officially banned the film.

The formal ban by the ministry of information and communications came as cinemas in Nepal had on their own stopped screening the controversial film on Wednesday.

All Kathmandu valley cinemas, from multiplexes like Jai Nepal, Kumari, Gopi Krishna and Barahi, to smaller ones like Guna and Ashta Narayan, hurriedly dropped the Akshay Kumar-Deepika Padukone starrer and began showing the earlier Bollywood release "Ghajini" or waited for another Bollywood film "Raaz" to be released on Friday.

The decision, that would cost the distributors of the films millions of rupees, was taken after angry protests began over the erroneous claim in the film that the Buddha, Nepal's best-known religious icon, was born in India.

"The Buddha was born in Nepal, learn to respect Nepal's identity and sovereignty," students screamed during a protest rally before an engineering college in the valley on Thursday (January 22). In the Lainchaur area near the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, protesters marched in silence, waving placards.

"The trouble was created by the narration in the film," said Nepali film director K.P. Pathak, who heads the Nepal Film Directors' Association that is urging audiences to boycott all foreign films that project wrong messages.

"About five minutes into the film, the narration introduces the hero as someone born in India, the Buddha's birthplace," Pathak told IANS.

The Buddha was born prince Siddharth in Lumbini in south Nepal in 623 BC. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit south Nepal every year to pay their homage to the apostle of peace.

Before being released in Nepal on Friday, "Chandni Chowk to China" was viewed by Nepal's censor board who objected to the dialogue. Subsequently, the distributors deleted it.

But though the offending dialogue was removed, the word got around and students stormed the Jai Nepal cinema on Wednesday, tearing down the posters of the film.

Remembering the violence that flared up in 2000 after wrongly attributed comments to Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, the distributors of "Chandni Chowk to China" on Wednesday decided to can it.

"It's not just Kathmandu valley," officials at the Gopi Krishna cinema told IANS. "No hall in Nepal will show that film. There is a virtual ban on it."

Despite the cinemas heeding public sentiment, the protests continued on Thursday with students saying that the CDs and VCDs of the film that have reached Nepal still have the offending dialogue.

The controversy has also created bad blood between Indians and Nepalis on YouTube with messages becoming abusive.

However, the most clinching argument comes from someone signing in as Prynka.

"The bottom line is," Prynka says, "the movie is very disappointing and it has definitely angered a lot of Nepalis for disregarding a very important part of our history....

"No one would expect a movie under the Warner Brothers' banner to have such ignorant mistakes."

"Chandni Chowk to China", the first Hindi film to be shot in China, is directed by Nikhil Advani and produced by Sippy Films as well as Warner Brothers.

The Lumbini Development Trust, that manages the Buddha's birthplace, said Indian tourist agencies also misguide travellers into believing that the Buddha was born in India.

"Before the Nepal government changed its visa policies, tourists would be brought to Nepal without being told they were entering a different country," Nepal's official media on Thursday quoted the public relations officer at the trust, Gyanin Rai, as saying.

It also reported the Maoist Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hisila Yami as saying that the spread of such false information should be stopped.

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Chandni Chowk to China creates virtual rift among Asians

Bollywood's much-awaited first Kungfu comedy Chandni Chowk to China has created a rift on YouTube with Indian, Chinese and Nepali members trading insults.

The film, co-produced by Warner Brothers Pictures and directed by Nikhil Advani triggered protests with its statement that the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in India.

While many YouTube members have pointed out the mistake, saying he was born in Nepal, the correction is being opposed by some, creating an abusive environment.

A member signing in as provoked11, says, "Nepal Nepal Nepal!!!... Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. But he got enlightenment in Gaya which is in India. So let's not be confused. He was born in Nepal but he became Gautam Buddha in India."

"Buddha was born in an Indian forest," claims Luckyankraj while Hemantmehndi is more aggressive. "Nepal was born from India," the member says. "Therefore, Buddha is from India. Nepalese people get outta this India movie trailer. Go watch your own movies if they're that great."

The outburst is countered by Chanchaltam, who says: "Your language belies you. You can't be a good cultured Indian. If you go to ancient historical times then people can also argue that India was born from Nepal. Just a case of the son becoming bigger than the father."

Besides the Buddha's birthplace, there is also a growing fight over where Kungfu, the martial art form made famous by Bruce Lee with the 1973 film "Enter the Dragon", originated.

Says bobbzhere81: "India is the birth place of all martial arts. A saint named Bodidama carried this art from Madras (now Chennai) to China."

At this, protests come from lajabo0009, who says: "This is not true. India is the birth place of Buddhism but China is definitely the birth place of Kungfu (martial arts). Without China, Kungfu would have never developed to its current form.

However, the most clinching argument comes from Prynka, who enunciates what the bottom line is.

"The bottom line is: the movie is very disappointing and it has definitely angered a lot of Nepalis for disregarding a very important part of our history....

"No one would expect a movie under the Warner Brothers' banner to have such ignorant mistakes."

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Chandni Chowk to China sparks protest in Nepal

"Chandni Chowk to China", India's first made-in-China film, has angered Nepal for its erroneous references about the Buddha. Enraged students on Wednesday (January 21) tore off the posters of the romantic comedy at Kathmandu's best-known Jai Nepal cinema and the furore caused authorities to shelve the screening of the film.

The protests began over a comment in the film that the Buddha was born in India.

Born Prince Siddharth, the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha was born in Lumbini, in present day southern Nepal, which draws thousands of visitors every year.

Before its release on Friday, the film was vetted by Nepal's censor board which asked for the offending scene to be removed.

The Jai Nepal cinema was screening the movie with the cut ordered by the board but the word got around, triggering public anger.

The protesters are also asking the Maoist government of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' to take up the issue with the Indian government.

Protests are not restricted to students. K.P. Pathak, a member of the Nepal Film Development Board as well as chief of the Nepal Directors' Association, has urged Nepalis to boycott the film, the Dainikee.com website reported.

"This film projects wrong information," the website quoted Pathak as saying. "We are asking the audience to boycott all such films."

Directed by Nikhil Advani, "Chandni Chowk to China" is co-producer Warner Brothers' second Hindi film and casts Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone in lead roles.

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The great fall of 'China'

It could've been a hat-trick, but it isn't. RAB NE BANA DI JODI worked. So did GHAJINI. Had CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA not bit the dust, the industry would've continued its winning streak. We enjoyed the starters [RAB NE BANA DI JODI], we enjoyed the meal [GHAJINI], but the dessert [CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA] left a bitter taste.

By now, everyone knows that CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has under-performed in its opening weekend, so let's not waste time crying over spilt milk. Let's highlight the repercussions a biggie like CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has on the industry when it falls flat on its face.

As I pen my thoughts, I can't help but recall the various conversations I've had with several prominent distributors and exhibitors over CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA. Everyone's unanimous that Akshay Kumar is repeating himself. That he needs to reinvent himself. Enacting similar roles in film after film is only going to take him the Salman Khan and Govinda way. He needs to pull up his socks.

Is his popularity dwindling? Not really, but he needs to take stock of the situation and accept roles that defy the stereotype.

Perhaps, Nikhil Advani, the creator of CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, may not have come to terms with the fact that CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has nosedived. Most film-makers are in complete denial when their movie fails, at least in the initial days. They feel the world has an agenda against them, the world is out to pull them down. But the Daily Collection Reports [with the distributors] should serve as an eye-opener for all film-makers and also actors who shut their eyes to reality.

The kadwa sach is, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has failed and failed big time. Monday onwards, the business has crashed completely.

The failure of CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA should serve as an eye-opener for all producers who sign a star first and hunt for a story later. In this case, Nikhil Advani made a poster first, showed it to Akshay [who loved it apparently] and then wrote the script. Bizarre, isn't it?

The question is, will Warner Bros. lose money on CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA? Looking at its theatrical performance in India as also in the key international markets [U.S.A., U.K.], it's certain that CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA will make a hole in the pockets of its investors.

A terrible waste of a terrific opportunity!

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CC2C Breaks Akshay's Winning Streak

The highly publicized Chandni Chowk to China has flopped and how. It is being hailed as the worst film to come out of Bollywood in recent times.

Shekhar Suman is fuming over what a waste the film is. He has been quoted in a tabloid as saying, "Akshay Kumar owes an apology to the nation. For the first time, multiplex audiences were booing a film. I am upset with Akshay for doing such a film. He has lost it after seeing success. Akshay was better when he wasn't in the race. Now his brains have turned topsy turvy. Singh is Kinng was illogical too but at least it was entertaining. I want a refund of all the Akshay Kumar films I have seen. CC2C isn't just disappointing and amateurish; it offends the sensibility of the viewer as well. There hasn't been a film as sad or horrible as CC2C this far! I declare January 16 to be declared National Mourning in India, as it's the day cinema died!"

Akshay's Singh is Kinng got a bumper opening because of the hype but Chandni Chowk didn't manage that either. People who saw the paid previews were so disgusted with the film that they warned all their friends to steer clear of the film. Then critics were unanimous in their decision to pan the movie.

In recent times, movies like Ghajini and Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Na have been so successful that multiplexes have had to increase shows to accommodate audiences. But now they are in trouble as the shows of CC2C, a movie that is only three days old, are running empty and they have to reduce the number of shows.

Interestingly, like the incredulous plot of the film, the making of the film also defies any logic and was an act of sheer over-confidence. It seems Akshay liked a poster featuring him with standing with two crossed swords. So he asked Nikhil Advani what was the script of the film. Nikhil replied that there was no story or idea, it was just the poster that they had. So Akshay asked him to write the script based on the poster and that he would work in his film which had a "new way of working" that is the poster is ready before the script.

Nikhil Advani's first flick, Kal Ho Naa Ho, looked so much like Karan Johar's previous flicks: K3G and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that many people believed that KJo had not only produced but also ghost-directed the film. With debacles like Salaam-e-Ishq and Chandni Chowk in his kitty, we know for sure that he didn't direct KHNH.

Tashan, which released in April 2008, was the first monumental disaster of that year. It starred Akshay as well. Now with Chandni Chowk to China, Akshay has raised the bar for how bad a film can be.

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International Premiere of Chandni Chowk To China

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