**(Long and uneven, but entertaining)
DIRECTOR:
Nikhil Advani
WRITERS:
Rajat Arora
Kailash Kher
I have never seen an honest-to-goodness Bollywood film before, and I don't know that "CHANDNI" is your typical Bollywood film as we Westerners imagine them. In any case, this was definitely a case of culture shock, even if the filmmakers were trying to produce your typical, average, everyday martial arts spectacle.
This is not Jacie Chan. What this is, in fact, is the longest movie I have ever sat through. The running time is only 154 mins, but it feels like it goes on forever! The plot is simple. A dimwitted, annoying moron is mistaken as the reincarnation of the great Chinese warrior Liu Shengh, who defended the Great Wall of China to his valiant death. Based on that premise, the film unspools stunning fight after stunning fight mixed with incredibly depressing drama and slapstick humor.
I enjoyed the film, regardless of the uneven storytelling and the incredibly annoying lead actor. The fighting was wire-work and CG heavy, but it was still impressive and fun to watch. The dance numbers (this is a Bollywood movie after all) were actually quite fun and I wanted more of them. The title track dance number is the best and was really the highlight of the film, unfortunately it comes in at around the 30 minute mark. The best part of the film, however was the incredibly hot Deepika Padukone, who plays dual roles as a spokesmodel and an ass-kicking assassin. Her presence made the boring parts bareable.
This is not Jacie Chan. What this is, in fact, is the longest movie I have ever sat through. The running time is only 154 mins, but it feels like it goes on forever! The plot is simple. A dimwitted, annoying moron is mistaken as the reincarnation of the great Chinese warrior Liu Shengh, who defended the Great Wall of China to his valiant death. Based on that premise, the film unspools stunning fight after stunning fight mixed with incredibly depressing drama and slapstick humor.
I enjoyed the film, regardless of the uneven storytelling and the incredibly annoying lead actor. The fighting was wire-work and CG heavy, but it was still impressive and fun to watch. The dance numbers (this is a Bollywood movie after all) were actually quite fun and I wanted more of them. The title track dance number is the best and was really the highlight of the film, unfortunately it comes in at around the 30 minute mark. The best part of the film, however was the incredibly hot Deepika Padukone, who plays dual roles as a spokesmodel and an ass-kicking assassin. Her presence made the boring parts bareable.
VERDICT:
An incredibly fun film that does get a little to serious at times and outstays its welcome. Still, martial arts fans should get a kick out of action and surprisingly the singing and dancing
were the best parts!
were the best parts!
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