China and its intimate connection with Indian cinema over the years: Throwback Thursday

The cross border tension between India and China does not seem to wane even after Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State for Defence, requested the Chinese army to withdraw from the Bhutanese territory and proceed to resolve the Sikkim standoff diplomatically. Amidst these trying times, it is only befitting to look back at the impact China has had on Indian cinema and vice versa over the years, as part of Throwback Thursday. Aamir Khan phenomenon [caption id=“attachment_3502235” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Aamir Khan attends ‘Dangal’ press conference on April 20, 2017 in Chengdu, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)[/caption] What started with Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 film 3 Idiots has increased multifold with Nitesh Tiwari’s sports biopic Dangal now. When Hirani introduced Aamir Khan as a rebel against the system in 3 Idiots, the Chinese audience responded positively and earned about Rs 16 crore in the country. Aamir continued to fare well at the Chinese box office with Vijay Krishna Acharya’s 2013 action thriller Dhoom 3 and Hirani’s 2014 science fiction satire PK. But his Dangal gained unprecedented success by becoming the highest Indian grosser ever. Indo-China Three Film Deal [caption id=“attachment_3217828” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Jackie Chan at a promotional event of Kung Fu Yoga in Mumbai. Sachin Gokhale/Firstpost[/caption] Three years ago, when Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping visited India, he signed a three film deal with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to promote the Indo-China relations. While Stanley Tong’s action-adventure comedy Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and Sonu Sood, tanked at the Indian box office earlier this year, there are two more Indo-Chinese collaborations in the pipeline, including a cross border romance directed by Siddharth Anand. 7am Arivu [caption id=“attachment_3782119” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  A still from the film. Twitter[/caption] In this AR Murugadoss’ 2011 Tamil science fiction martial arts film, the lead actor Suriya is a martial arts and medical science expert along with being a descendant of the Pallava dynasty. He has been commissioned to stop a fatal disease in China from spreading in India. The film got embroiled in controversy for portraying Bodidharma in inaccurate light but nonetheless made for an interesting Indo-China premise. Chandni Chowk to China [caption id=“attachment_3782133” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ranvir Shorey and Akshay Kumar in a still from the film. YouTube[/caption] Though the film across as rather stereotypical, and also an alleged rip-off of Stephen Chow’s 2004 comedy Kung Fu Hustle, it is remembered for its outlandish yet irresistible soundtrack. Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone were seen delivering some kicks and chops in typical Chinese fashion in this 2009 action comedy by Nikkhil Advani. Tubelight [caption id=“attachment_3669151” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Salman Khan and Zhu Zhu in as still from Tubelight. Twitter[/caption] Kabir Khan’s recently released period drama was not shot in China but it addresses the pertinent issue of the futility of war. A Hindi remake of Little Boy, it traces the journey of Salman Khan’s character with the Indo China War of 1962 as the backdrop. The film also boasts of Chinese actor Zhu Zhu. While it did not perform exceedingly well in India, trade analysts are hopeful that the film will do commendable business once it releases in China.