Bollywood Kung-Fu!!

[GeneChing]

Genelia D’Souza to learn martial arts for film role
Updated on Thursday, February 24, 2011, 17:11


Genelia D`Souza is all set debut in the Malayalam film industry. The girl next door will be playing a Portuguese princess in the much awaited film ‘Urumi’. And there is more!

Not only does she plan to look gorgeous as the princess, but also plans to surprise her fans with some awe-inspiring martial art stunts.

Urumi is based on the attempted assassination of Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama, who arrived in Kappad near Calicut, in 1498.

According to sources, the actress was initially a bit worried about doing action sequences where she had to perform Kalari which is the most ancient system of physical self-defense and martial technique. That`s when she remembered her friend and `Ready` costar Ram.

The actress informed her director that Ram, who has trained in Kalari martial art, had helped her a lot and enlightened her about the art while practicing it.
Genelia will also go through a short training in martial arts to play her role better.
The next door is all charged up for this ‘different’ role and we wish her luck!

Genelia. I like that name.

[GeneChing]

Maybe I should change this thread titles to 'Bollywood Karate!!'?

NOT!

Karate will be our national sport: Akshay Kumar
Published: Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011, 16:44 IST
By Team After Hours | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

The martial arts enthusiast and actor talks about how karate should be made compulsory in schools and on the popularity of martial arts.

On the global scene
As far as martial arts are concerned, the South Asian countries are far ahead of us. I feel interacting with them and fighting them will benefit those learning the art here. I want the children here to have exposure to the best karate fighters and teachers and I want them to learn martial arts with the same passion and dedication as children in other South Asian countries do.

Like a boy from every rural family is sent to the armed forces to become a soldier, I hope that a child from every family will be enrolled in karate here.

My plans for karate
Taking the karate championship to an international level is on the cards. The response we have received over the last few years has been phenomenal. I am confident that we will see success even with an international karate championship. India has some extreme talent and I’m doing all I can to expose it. I couldn’t be more pleased with everyone of them.

All the adults and children take this competition very seriously — every opponent was there to win — there are guys and girls who can seriously kick ass... I have already prepared them for the fact that next year we are making my tournament international and that countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, will be competing with India’s finest karate champions.

I’m already looking forward to next year! Right now, I want to host the championships only in India and I want to show the world what a great host India is.

I do not want to make martial arts a source of entertainment on Friday nights. Who wins? Who falls? No, that’s not what this is about. I just want to give everyone the opportunity to learn one of the greatest forms of physical disciplines in the world. Cinema is different, training is different. I feel we should leave the attraction of martial arts to cinema and reveal the magic of martial arts to the competition floor.

Martial arts in India
Karate, one day, will be our national sport or at least second on the list. I want everybody to understand that karate is not just a combat sport; martial arts keep me fit, agile, disciplined and punctual. It helps you control anger, negativity and enables you to focus during extremely stressful situations. Karate is more than just kicking and punching, it is an art. I would love to make karate compulsory in schools. Everyone — especially women — deserve to be taught self-defense in this country.

You’ll be surprised to know that young girls at my karate tournament manage to throw around guys twice their height and weight and lock them to the ground. Women are powerful and I want them all to be protected in life.

On Indian martial arts
Some of the most incredible forms of martial arts trace their origins to India. They are practically secrets to the rest of the world. I want the world to see what India has to offer. We have techniques that even the Chinese don’t have, let’s be proud of our traditions and embrace what we are. My aim is to change the perception of martial arts in India. We have such talented individuals. We just need to find them and nurture them.

Common misconceptions
Martial arts mustn’t be misconstrued as violence. I hate violence. I adore my art, but if it’s used in the wrong way, you might as well be a murderer. There’s a huge difference between a man who ‘can kill’ and ‘will kill’. Art it is not an excuse to go around thrashing people.

[GeneChing]

That's a great name, come to think of it. Genelia. Yea. I like the sound of that. Genelia. She deserves another pic.

Genelia D' Souza trains in martial arts for 'Urumi'

Bollywood's 'Girl next door' Genelia D'Souza' went all her way to perfect her turn as a sword-totting warrior in the tri-lingual film 'Urumi', with special classes in martial arts, horse riding and rowing.

The actress who recently represented the film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, plays a Portuguese girl who falls for an Indian rebel, played by Malayalam star Prithviraj, in the film.

The 24-year-old is the lead in the multi-starrer which has cameos by Vidya Balan, Prabhu Deva, Tabu and Amol Gupte among others and impressed director Santosh Sivan with her diligence.

"She spent weeks learning 'Kalaripayattu' and horse riding and rowing so that she could do the action scenes herself. It was great to see her persistence and hard work," said Sivan.

And the actress was more than happy to be promoting the mega-budget film in Hong Kong and took to Twitter to tell her fans about her excitement. "Off to HK for HAF-Asia's Premier project market tonite. Urumi is 1 of the 28 prestigious films to be selected! My baby has started to crawl(sic)," she tweeted.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Misplace a T and an A in there and we are in for some fun, LOL !

[GeneChing]

Shaolin to the stars...the Bollywood stars....

Shaolin’s Indian face is basking in Bollywood’s limelight
May 24, 2011


Kanishka Sharma ith Bollywood star John Abraham on the sets of Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.

Watching The 36th Chamber of Shaolin transformed the life of Kanishka Sharma.

It inspired him to take up martial arts at the age of seven, and Kanishka can now proudly look back over a career spanning 26 years in the same.

“Martial arts teaches you to be strong, but it also teaches you to be humble,” says Kanishka. “Shaolin says if you know how to hurt someone, then you should also know how to heal someone.”

Kanishka’s Shaolin expertise has led him to be called in to train Bollywood stars like Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan (for Don) and Abhishek Bachchan (for Game).

“Priyanka is an incredibly fast learner,” says Kanishka. “She’s as flexible as rubber! As for SRK, everybody knows he’s a hard worker.”

Abhishek comes in for a fair share of praise too.

“As an individual, Abhishek is highly knowledgeable. He knows a lot about warfare and it is a pleasure to interact with him,” says Kanishka.

Not just behind the scenes, Kanishka has enjoyed a bit of the limelight too, with a role in the John Abraham-starrer Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. But he asserts, “As long as the project is good, I don’t care if it’s in front of or behind the camera.”

Kanishka says there are a lot of misconceptions about martial arts: “The type of martial arts that are practiced today are all sports forms. They can only get you gold medals in a tournament, they don’t teach you how to save a life on the street.”

[GeneChing]

Rowdy Rathore sounds amusing. Good to see Akshay doing another martial arts flick.

28/06/2011
Akshay Kumar to train in combat karate for his next

New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) Action star is taking two months off to train in traditional combat karate for his next film, ''Rowdy Rathore''.

The 43-year-old actor will train in this form of martial arts for his role in the Prabhudeva directed film set in the rustic heartland of India which also stars Sonakshi Sinha.

"Akshay along with the action director of the film will take time out to study the traditional martial arts form that is popularly practiced in the underground sectors of South East Asia and can only be practiced by people who have great expertise and concentration," a source said.

The Bollywood star also plans to introduce Combat Karate in his Karate Academy next year and also in the Invitational National Karate Championship 2012.

"Akshay Kumar is very passionate about the sport and believes that the introduction of new martial arts forms will only take the Championship to a greater height. The planning for its establishment is currently being discussed," the source added.

[GeneChing]

I saw yutyeesam at Legends and told him he was slacking on this thread. He conceded that. Just to bait him back, I'm going to pummel him with a three-fer today.

YUT

Bollywood stars go back to school
Published: Monday, Aug 1, 2011, 9:28 IST
By Aakanksha Naval-Shetye | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Katrina Kaif

Actress Katrina Kaif learned scuba- diving for one of her recent films. Hrithik Roshan apparently brushed up on his Marathi for Agneepath, while Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan both have recently learnt specialised forms of martial arts for their own forthcoming films.

Not too long back, Deepika Padukone learned skating, while Priyanka Chopra learned the desi form of martial arts for Drona. It’s no secret that actors often go to great lengths to get into the skin of their characters, even if this means having to learn a whole new art form. However, the stars too are certainly not shying away from being students again, no matter what the experience.

Kaif, who has learnt not just biking, but also belly dancing and playing a guitar, apart from scuba-diving for her recent films reveals that while she enjoyed the bike part, the scuba-diving is not something that she was too kicked about.

“I don’t think I’d want to try my hand at it again, unless a role calls for it. I did it only because the film required it,” shared the Bollywood hottie.

Chopra feels that having to learn something new is one of the perks of being an actor. “I really enjoyed learning martial arts for both Don and Drona. I think it was exciting and that’s also what I love about being an actor, there’s so much more you can learn and do,” she’d said earlier.

According to trade analysts, most actors today are definitely more kicked about learning something new than using body doubles. “These days the competition ensures that the actors put in their extra efforts, no matter what it entails,” says trade analyst Komal Nahta.

For actor Shahid Kapoor it was a dream come true whenhe got to fly an F-16 for his role in Mausam. “I don’t think I could’ve gotten a chance to fly one otherwise,” he joked. On a serious note he adds, “I think we actors are quite lucky on that front as we in a way get to lead so many lives and professions.”

Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar says that most of them look at it as a fun thing rather than a punishment and adds, “Most of us end up loving what we learned so it’s a win-win situation for both the filmmaker as well as the actors.”

YEE

Salman Khan to train in martial arts in Korea
Mid-Day.com
Monday, August 01, 2011 (Mumbai)

Taking off his shirt to fight the enemy is not enough anymore.

Salman Khan is all set to perform the most difficult action sequences of his career in Sajid Nadiadwala's Kick, and that too, in locations rarely ever seen in any kind of cinema.

Says Sajid, "We wanted the action in the film to go way beyond what we've seen Salman do in Wanted and Dabangg. So, we're working towards that."

Kick will be shot in Korea, all thanks to Salman who is keen to explore new locations for his films.

"Yes, the Korean Tourist Organisation has opened its doors to Kick. We've selected Seoul, Jeju Island, Busan and Gangwon Do, but I can't reveal why we've chosen these places just yet," he adds.

However, we've reliably learnt that Salman will be shooting some of the most kick-ass sequences of his life in the wild Korean outdoors.

Says a source, "The action will be the very basic. Salman wants to take the action sequences from the original Telugu film Kick to another level. He was very impressed with Ravi Tejaa's action in the original, which was shot in Malaysia."

In September, the actor will start training in martial arts with well-known French stunt director Philip Guegan.p

SAM

Aamir Khan gears up for his Dhoom 3 makeover
Mid-Day.com
Monday, August 01, 2011 (Mumbai)

If Aamir Khan could build the most chiseled body in B-town for Ghajini and then break it down to look like a lanky teenager in Three Idiots, it shouldn't be surprising if he transforms himself yet again for his next action-thriller Dhoom 3. But, this time, the makeover may have to move beyond just the flab!

Apparently the actor, who is playing a gymnast and martial arts expert in the movie, will have to undergo a complete change of physique, not just in terms of weight but also body language.

For this, he has hired fitness expert Gerald Zarcilla to train him in martial arts and gymnastics. Aamir said during a recent interaction, "I have to bring down my weight to 60 kgs with just 10 per cent body mass. So that's going to be a task."

The actor has been recommended to watch Victor Salva's Peaceful Warrior to observe the body language of a gymnast in the film.

The actor, who weighed around 73 kgs in Ghajini, had to lose around five to six kgs to look younger in Three Idiots. But Dhoom 3 will certainly be the thinnest you'll the star since his early days.

Adds a source, "For playing a gymnast, your body has to be a lot more flexible and being lighter obviously helps. Aamir will undergo a lot of functional training and free hand exercises for the same."

His former trainer Satyajit Chaurasia, who helped him pack-a-punch with his eight packs, adds, "Before Three Idiots, he had said to me that his body feels like the Taj Mahal, and now I would have to break it down. But, by now, Aamir's body is flexible enough to mould into any shape or size. Of course, his dedication to get it absolutely bang on is commendable."

Though he is required to lose weight, eating less is the last thing Aamir plans to follow. Adds the source, "In fact, Aamir is eating more and eating healthy. He eats 12 meals a day and drinks at least four litres of water. He has never had a sweet tooth as such, so he is pretty good at resisting unhealthy food."

Apart from two-hours of martial arts training and regular gym exercises, Aamir apparently swims for an hour every day.

Aamir's daily diet

Breakfast - Fruits, egg whites, muesli with green tea

Midday - A fruit or vegetable juice

Lunch - Dal, roti, sabzi and curd

Evening Snack - Tea/cheese cubes/rusk

Dinner - Boiled vegetables/grilled chicken or fish

[GeneChing]

And I know it's Kalaripayattu, not kung fu, but this just seemed to sit better here than here.

Hamlet takes to martial arts in Karmayogi
Sanjith Sidhardhan | Aug 29, 2011, 03.21PM IST

For the first time in Malayalam cinema, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet will hit the silver screens next month through V K Prakash's 'Karmayogi.'

Indrajith plays the dual role of Hamlet and his father in Karmayogi, which will feature most of the characters of the Shakespearean tragedy, while Nithya Menon and yesteryear Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure plays the characters of Ophelia and Gertrude, respectively.

The movie will be an entertaining action drama, beams director Prakash, adding that it will give prominence to the traditional martial art form - Kalaripayattu.

Indrajith plays a conflicted Kalaripayattu exponent who is tormented by his father's death, which leads him to his mother, Gertrude, living with his uncle. The story focuses on the themes of indecision, revenge, loyalty and treachery.

Interestingly, most of the action sequences in the movie are real stunts done by Manipuri men. The national award winning director's previous two movies, 'Gulumaal' and 'Three Kings,' were commercial entertainers but, according to the director, 'Karmayogi' is an entertaining action drama.

"I have always struck a balance between both genres," says Prakash who is of the opinion that Malayali audience should promote different and experimental cinema by going to the theatres.

He says that though the audience now like fast-paced movies that keep them entertained, sensitive cinema with fresh ideas should also be encouraged.

This Shakespearean work is also scripted by Belram Mattannoor, who wrote for Jayaraj's 'Kalliyattam' based on Othello.

[GeneChing]

More women opting for martial arts
Tanvi Trivedi, TNN | Oct 4, 2011, 12.42PM IST

A variety of people opting for martial arts in the city

Mallika Sherawat learns kickboxing, Priyanka Chopra mastered the 'gatkha' form of martial arts , Akshay Kumar owes everything he is today to his training in taekwondo and karate!

Whilst earlier, the ratio of women to men learning karate was 10% to 90%, today camps and classes all over the city have 45%-50% women opting to learn karate or kickboxing. Women feel vulnerable today when they work late hours. Sumit Kumar, heading F&B operations at Park Hyatt Goa, acquired a first dan in karate and specialised in aikedo and kickboxing. He has also been instrumental in teaching women to learn self-defense techniques. "It is mainly the art of using your opponent's power and converting that against themselves. Even a simple dupatta, hairpin, nailcutter, a ladies' bag can be used through the martial art technique against the opponent." Amruta Trivedi, became the youngest Gujarati woman at 21, to earn a black belt in karate, "Karate has given me extremely high levels of focus in life."

Prashant Mehta a four-degree black belt in taekwondo says, "Taekwondo, is a combination of leg techniques. More than the black belt, it is achieving those levels that provide a mind-body bonding. The family background, temperament, attitude and your discipline matters a lot!"

Says Revanta Sarabhai, a dancer who has learnt the art of Kalaripayattu a renowned Kerala-based martial art dance form, "When you go down the pit filled with red clay and fight your opponent, you get a thrill and excitement." Says Gita Patel, a kickboxing expert, "It's a quick fat burner and combats depression and stress."

With a couple of schools making martial arts mandatory and part of the curriculum, it feels that martial arts has the power to change your life."

even a simple dupatta...

[GeneChing]

I had an opportunity to interview Akshay but it fell through. I still would love to interview him.

Akshay Kumar promotes martial arts in Mumbai
Updated on Sunday, October 23, 2011, 12:48
Akshay Kumar promotes martial arts in Mumbai Mumbai: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar attended the finale of the `Akshay Kumar Invitational and International Karate Championship` in Mumbai on Saturday.

The event was organized by the actor himself and had commenced on October 19.

Also present on the occasion were acclaimed Bollywood actors Mithun Chakraborty and Ritesh Deshmukh, another bollywood actor.

Kumar who himself is a trained martial art fighter, owed all the success he had achieved in life to Karate. He even propagated the study of martial arts in schools.

"What I am today is because of karate. That is what karate means to me. Karate is also about self-discipline, infact any form of martial art. It would be brilliant if students were taught this in schools as a subject. The lives of those children would definitely change," said Kumar.

Kumar also lamented the fact that monetary support for Karate was missing. He added that apart from cricket, no other sport got due recognition in the country.

"Whatever I have learnt I want to share it with people. This tournament I started on my own. You would be amazed to know that I had approached a big corporate company to ask them to sponsor this tournament. But because this is Karate, they offered only 3 lakhs (three hundred thousand) rupees. Only because this is not cricket or any form of entertainment. This is what Karate means to people. It````s a sad thing and I was shocked. From that very day I decided that I would sponsor this tournament on my own," said Kumar.

Participants from countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, participated in the championship.

Kumar later declared that he would like to hold this championship on a larger scale and would like people from across the world to take part.

Akshay Kumar was born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, to a Hindu family in Amritsar city of India````s northern Punjab state. He was however raised in Delhi before he moved to Mumbai.

Kumar, besides being an actor, is also a producer and has learnt martial art. He has appeared in more than hundred Hindi films since he started his acting career about twenty years ago.

The actor was conferred with India`s fourth-highest civilian honour - the `Padma Shri` award in 2008 for his contribution to the film industry.

[GeneChing]

Also worthy of mention here (I posted these with their own threads):
7 AM Arivu
Gandu
With RA One getting good distribution here in the U.S., Bollywood is back in the ball game.

Kannada | Posted on Oct 30, 2011 at 02:06pm IST
Kannada Review: 'Obavva' a treat for action lovers



Hyderabad: Film: 'Obavva'; Cast: Deepak, Ayesha, Shobharaj, Swasthick Shankar, Petrol Prasanna, and Bullet Prakash; Screenplay Writer-Director: Aanand P. Raju; Producer: Kantha-Pravin Ramakrishna; Camera: Gauri Venkatesh; Music Composer: Rajesh Ramanath; Rating: ** 1/2

Ayesha, a trained Karate and Kungfu expert known as Karate Queen in the film industry, makes a comeback with 'Obavva' and shows her prowess in fight scenes. Ayesha plays Lady Amithabh with five rocking fights in the second half.

The story is nothing but a remix of Shankar Nag's 1980s Kannada films 'Seetha Ramu' and 'Chandi Chamundi'. Director Anand P. Raju has never been apologetic about the fact and acknowledged taking references from the two films.

Despite many flaws in the film, Raju has been able to present an engaging and entertaining movie. One thing that can be said in favour of the film is the fight sequences featuring Ayesha and film's hero Deepak.

Till the end of the first half, Deepak makes his presence felt with punchy dialogues and fights. But Ayesha takes over with five fight scenes in the second half, which may not appeal to family audiences. Since there is a niche audience for actioners, so the film may have a limited appeal.

other problem is that the producers have chosen a title with a historical significance. It is known Obavva, who was called Onake Obavva, saved the kingdom of Chitradurga rulers when Hyder Ali's army wanted to surreptitiously enter the town through a hole in the fort. Obavva killed them single-handedly and the army waiting outside the fort had no option but to retreat.

The title is unsuitable but the director has tried to justify it by naming the heroine's character as Obavva.

The music and camera work does not raise above ordinary levels.

'Obavva' revolves around Badri, an auto driver employed by Obavva's father. Obavva secretly loves Badri, but he always stays away from her. But Obavva gets her parents' permission to marry Badri.

Meanwhile, local don Devaraj wants to usurp Ayesha's father's property. His henchman - Deal Dharma and Skill Jain - use violent methods to get hold of the property, but Badri intervenes and beat them to pulp.

But he is killed by Dharma, who stabs him from the back. Later Badri's spirits enter Ayesha's body and she reliquishes the villains.

Deepak scores in action sequences and his dialogue delivery is lovely. Though short in performance, Ayesha comes out good in Kungfu action sequences. Swasthick Shankar, Shobharaj and Petrol Prasanna play baddies with ease.

Nothing could be said about music or camera work, three fight masters have done a better job. Ayesha's performance is a treat for action film lovers.

[GeneChing]

I haven't been keeping up with Bollywood and have no idea who Kangana is.

Kangana Ranaut learning martial arts for Krrish 2
Friday, December 2, 2011, 10:50 [IST]


Actress Kangana Ranaut, who is playing superwoman in Rakesh Roshan's forthcoming movie Krrish 2, is undergoing rigorous training for the role in the movie. The Bollywood star says that she is learning different forms of stunts like martial arts and kickboxing. And she is also doing workouts to lose her weight.

In an interview with an English daily, Kangana Ranaut speaks about her role in the film Krrish 2 and her preparation for it. She says that she would appear as superwoman, who has supernatural powers. She adds that she is doing lot of workouts to lose her weight to fit into a superwoman costume.

Kangana Ranaut further says that she has several stunts and action sequences in the film Krrish 2 and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has hired a trainer for her. The actress adds that she is going to the beach at 5 am every morning to learn martial arts, kickboxing and other forms of fighting.

[GeneChing]

But in my defense, this is Tamil film, which isn't truly Bollywood. It's Sri Lankan.

Jiiva, Naren and 25 kung fu experts
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, December 03, 2011]


As many as 25 kung fu experts from various places are coming to Chennai this weekend, to take part in the shoot of 'Mugamoodi' directed by Mysskin on Monday. Jiiva and Naren are playing the protagonist and villain respectively in this movie.

"A stadium has booked in Chennai where scenes involving a kung fu competition will be shot. Jiiva and Naren will fight with each other in the presence of martial art experts. A huge set has been erected inside the stadium for the task," sources in the know tell us.

Being a superhero film, special attire has been designed for Jiiva for 'Mugamoodi'. According to circles close to Mysskin, the 'Nandhalala' and 'Yudhdham Sei' director, his forthcoming venture will be a first of its kind attempt in Tamil cinema, on the likes of 'Superman' and 'Spiderman' of Hollywood.

Music for 'Mugamoodi' will be composed by K, who made his presence felt with 'Yudhdham Sei'. Pooja Hegde is the heroine while Prakash Raj and legendary Telugu actor Nageswara Rao will play pivotal roles. "It will be a grand movie in all aspects," sources add.

The film will be a 2012 summer bonanza by UTV Motion Pictures.

[GeneChing]

Kangna Ranaut’s Jackie Chan connection
Published: Tuesday, Jan 3, 2012, 10:45 IST
By Sayantan Dalal | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Actor Kangna Ranaut, who is playing Bollywood’s first super girl in Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish 3, feels that it is Hollywood actor and martial arts expert Jackie Chan who inspires her while shooting for the action sequences.

The actor is very much determined to give it her 100 percent in making her role perfect. Kangna, who is busy shooting for the movie at present, trained in martial arts, film action, kick boxing, stretching and yoga to get in form for her role. Though initially it was quite tough for her to go through all the rigorous training, lately she seems to be enjoying the art form a lot now.

Ask Kangna about her love for action and she says, “I remember watching Jackie Chan movies as a child, staring at the screen and trying to imitate his moves. It would be a privilege to meet him in person.” The actor is an avid watcher of his films. She explains, “His work is so good and versatile, it’s difficult to choose any one particular film. But I personally like his films,Project and Police Story. And I really like Rush Hour, since it’s so difficult to mix fightingh sequences with humour, but Jackie has done a commendable job.”

Looks like after actor Mallika Sherawat, Chan has another Indian actor to add to his list of fan following.

Here's some pix of Kangna

Jackie Chan’s trainer for Akshay, John
Prashant Singh, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, December 25, 2011
First Published: 15:47 IST(25/12/2011)
Last Updated: 15:52 IST(25/12/2011)

Back in 2004, he trained action star Jackie Chan for his film, Around The World In 80 Days. Later, Seelum Pradip (famous as Nung in the film industry) also worked on Rambo films and Thai martial arts film, Ong Bak (2003). Now, the action director has created stunt sequences for Akshay Kumar and
John Abraham in Sajid Khan’s next, Housefull 2.

“Although I’ve designed all the action sequences myself, Nung executed them with Akshay and John,” says Sajid, adding that Nung has worked on films like Rambo and Ong Bak for their Thailand portions.

“He is superb and has lived up to our expectations.” Reportedly, he had also trained Salman Khan for his action sequences in Ready.

Akshay-JohnTo give Nung a complete idea, Sajid had, in fact, handed over all the storyboards to him. He explains, “We shot the sequence in various parts of Thailand, and Nung came in as big help because of his expertise.”

In Housefull 2, the director says he has tried to go back to the original Bollywood-style fight sequences. He reminisces about growing up watching Amitabh Bachchan’s films, in which he would beat up 20 men at one go.

“And thanks to the raw fighting style, we could never think that he can’t do it. In my film too, Akshay is fighting 20 people in a very relatable and believable manner. Plus, the way John’s rippling muscles and facial expressions are shown gives a very raw and rugged feel,” he adds.

For Sajid, Akshay and John were superb in the action sequences. “But with Akshay, the sky is the limit. You can think of any stunt knowing well that Akki can pull it off. He gives a director that kind of confidence. And since he loves action, he generally gels well with stunt masters and action directors,” says Sajid.

The sequel to the 2010 hit Housefull, Sajid’s film also stars Asin, Zarine Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Shazahn Padamsee and Riteish Deshmukh among others.

[GeneChing]

Nevertheless, it's a decent snapshot of what's happening in the Indo-Chinese film market now.

Bollywood looks east to tap Chinese market
By Phil Hazlewood (AFP) – Jan 4, 2012

MUMBAI — India's Bollywood film industry is eyeing its Asian rival China as a potential market, after a successful run of "3 Idiots", the coming-of-age comedy starring Aamir Khan.

The 2009 film, about a group of struggling students at one of India's elite universities, opened in China in October and takings have so far topped 160 million rupees ($2.9 million), according to producers Vinod Chopra Films.

"The Chinese audience identified with the societal and parental pressures on today's generation of young students seeking success," said Vinod Chopra, who helped to adapt Chetan Bhagat's novel "Five Point Someone" for the big screen.

The writer-producer-director said he was already receiving enquiries from China for his next film "Ferrari Ki Sawaari" (A Ride in a Ferrari), which is due for release at the end of April.

He and other industry figures said he hoped the success of "3 Idiots" would see more Hindi-language films released in China, where only a handful of foreign movies are allowed to be shown each year.

"This has demonstrated that universal themes will cross cultural and linguistic boundaries," Chopra added in emailed comments to AFP.

Indian films were popular in China in the 1940s and 1950s but ties between New Delhi and Beijing became frosty, not least because of India's granting of asylum to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The two countries also fought a war in 1962 over disputed border territory.

The first Hindi-language film to be shot on location in China -- "Chandni Chowk to China" -- was released in India in 2009 and was hailed as a breakthrough, although panned by critics and audiences.

The action comedy about a lowly Indian chef in New Delhi who is mistaken for the reincarnation of a fabled Chinese warrior starred Akshay Kumar and "Kill Bill" actor Gordon Liu.

Before "3 Idiots", only the 2010 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "My Name Is Khan" has recently been shown in China.

Meenakshi Shedde, a Mumbai-based film critic and film festival consultant, said Bollywood had largely ignored the potential of China and other Asian countries in favour of courting the Indian diaspora in the West.

But she said that Indian film-makers and studios were now looking east.

"I'm 100 percent sure of it. It's just a matter of time... We have a one-billion-strong population and the whole world is looking at us. But we've never looked at these markets in Asia." she added.

"China, which also has a one-billion-plus population, is the biggest market. But we've never crossed-over consciously. The market is too big to be ignored."

Hollywood studios have been making inroads into Indian cinema in recent years, forging joint ventures with local partners for pre- and post-production work.

Some Chinese film-makers have also started to realise the need to win new audiences and have adapted movies to draw in crowds from non-traditional markets like India.

Jackie Chan's "The Myth", for example, was shot on location in India and co-starred Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, while Peter Chan's musical drama romance "Perhaps Love" used Bollywood choreographer Farah Khan.

Shedde noted that both "Chandni Chowk" and "My Name Is Khan" were produced or distributed by US studios (Warner Bros and Fox), which could provide the key to unlocking the Chinese market for Bollywood in the future.

"It's Hollywood opening doors for Bollywood in China. We're riding on Hollywood's coattails," she added.