A Review of ‘Kung Fu Yoga,’ an Indian-Chinese Film

When President Xi visited India, he signed an agreement to produce 3 joint films. This is the first of these films. The film stars Jackie Chan with an ensemble of Indian stars led by a Sonu Sood and Disha Patni. The film is, however, a Jackie Chan vehicle and despite his 63 years carries himself and the film with aplomb.

The film is a box office bonanza in China grossing over $900 million. It was not much of a hit in India where Jackie is not the superhero. The film features two Indian stars in Disha Patni and Sonu Sood. This is a big break and Sonu who plays the villain is pretty good. Disha will do Indians proud with a lovely midriff and for a voyeur. She can also be seen in a bikini.

The story is simple. A Chinese archaeologist on the search for an ancient relic. The villain Sonu also wants it. The search takes the duo to Tibet, India, and Dubai. In Dubai, the star is a lion a pet of a grand sheik. There is plenty of action and some lovely shots of Dubai. The Jumeirah beach resort is the setting and this is where Disha dons the bikini.

There are plenty of action scenes with a hair-raising scene with Jackals. Jackie is a great Kungfu star and he obviously shows his wares. But there is very little romance in the movie and that is the reason the film didn’t click in India. In addition stereotype scenes of elephants and snake charmer are not the best way forward.

The film does have slick editing and direction. The shots in Dubai are well executed. It’s a terrific advertisement for Dubai and shows camel races and car chases, with a lion in the back seat.

The ending is pretty bizarre as the villain Sonu Sood and Disha as well as Jackie get into a classical dance. Hats off to Jackie for doing the dance so well. The relic remains in a temple and the story is over. The finance is from China and thus the film will appeal more there. The success of the film is due to Jackie and that means he is the biggest star of the east.

Two more films will be made and we hear one of the girls Priyanka Chopra or Deepika Padukone will star. In this film, the role was offered to Amir Khan but one supposes he won’t play second fiddle to Jackie. Overall a passable film, which could have entertained more.