Forget Jackie Chan, come in Akshay Kumar.
Yes, that’s him with the swords drawn in Rohan Sippy’s Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C), the film that promises to bring back martial arts to Bollywood. If the last few years in Bollywood belonged to comedies and romance, this year will see action rule the roost. And we’re talking action in its rawest form. Good, old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Not the dishum-dishum stuff of the Seventies, of course, but sleek, high-end, digitally-enhanced action sequences. Yash Chopra’s Tashan, Sippy’s CC2C, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj, Aamir Khan’s Ghajini, Rakyesh OmPrakash Mehra’s Dilli 6 and Vipul Shah’s Singhh is King are all going to rekindle the audiences love for unadulterated action.
Akshay, confirming the comeback, said, "I’d rather raw fight with skill than stand there and blast someone away with a machine gun. I find direct combat scenes physically more challenging and exciting." The actor, whose forthcoming films are full of high-octane action scenes, added, "Even though the raw fights are given slick treatment, they retain their desi flavour. I am back to doing martial arts. It’s definitely more thrilling than computer-enhanced sequences."
Hollywood action director Dee Dee Ku, who’s worked on films like Matrix and Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger and choreographed CC2C, said, "In direct fights, you use your body without any gadget, your body is the prop. That makes it more thrilling and challenging. I must say that action in Bollywood is soon going to beat Hollywood standards." Actor Anil Kapoor, who’s seen action evolve over the years, agreed there’s a trend resurfacing.
"Action has come a full circle. From Tezaab to Race and now Tashan. It’s back to the typical masala maar dhaad. The mass hero is back with his herogiri, macho men are side-stepping their metrosexual counterparts. I prefer the direct physical fights over sleek, animated ones any day."
Action director Alan Amin, who wiped out the blood and gore in Bollywood and gave the industry stylised action like in Dhoom, also said action is more natural once again. "The emphasis is on realism and, yes, it’s back to raw fights. Stylised action that’s realistic, yet panders to the hero’s ego, because that’s what our junta wants," True, and plenty of it!
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Yes, that’s him with the swords drawn in Rohan Sippy’s Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C), the film that promises to bring back martial arts to Bollywood. If the last few years in Bollywood belonged to comedies and romance, this year will see action rule the roost. And we’re talking action in its rawest form. Good, old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Not the dishum-dishum stuff of the Seventies, of course, but sleek, high-end, digitally-enhanced action sequences. Yash Chopra’s Tashan, Sippy’s CC2C, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj, Aamir Khan’s Ghajini, Rakyesh OmPrakash Mehra’s Dilli 6 and Vipul Shah’s Singhh is King are all going to rekindle the audiences love for unadulterated action.
Akshay, confirming the comeback, said, "I’d rather raw fight with skill than stand there and blast someone away with a machine gun. I find direct combat scenes physically more challenging and exciting." The actor, whose forthcoming films are full of high-octane action scenes, added, "Even though the raw fights are given slick treatment, they retain their desi flavour. I am back to doing martial arts. It’s definitely more thrilling than computer-enhanced sequences."
Hollywood action director Dee Dee Ku, who’s worked on films like Matrix and Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger and choreographed CC2C, said, "In direct fights, you use your body without any gadget, your body is the prop. That makes it more thrilling and challenging. I must say that action in Bollywood is soon going to beat Hollywood standards." Actor Anil Kapoor, who’s seen action evolve over the years, agreed there’s a trend resurfacing.
"Action has come a full circle. From Tezaab to Race and now Tashan. It’s back to the typical masala maar dhaad. The mass hero is back with his herogiri, macho men are side-stepping their metrosexual counterparts. I prefer the direct physical fights over sleek, animated ones any day."
Action director Alan Amin, who wiped out the blood and gore in Bollywood and gave the industry stylised action like in Dhoom, also said action is more natural once again. "The emphasis is on realism and, yes, it’s back to raw fights. Stylised action that’s realistic, yet panders to the hero’s ego, because that’s what our junta wants," True, and plenty of it!
