Kung Fu Yoga

[GeneChing]

Bollywood Kung Fu Yoga

JUL 5, 2017 @ 09:26 PM
Why China's Moviegoers Have Gone Wild For India
Rob Cain , CONTRIBUTOR
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.


Aamir Khan Productions
Dangal is an Indian film starring Aamir Khan.

Jackie Chan, China’s biggest movie star, has been extremely shrewd in choosing films with broad commercial appeal to his core audience, the moviegoers in the People’s Republic of China. The 63-year-old action star is a perennial favorite at the box office, with credits in such hits as live action films as Skiptrace ($133 million in 2016) and Dragon Blade ($117 million in 2015), and animated films like Kung Fu Panda 3 ($154 million in 2016) and Monkey King: Hero is Back ($153 million in 2015). His stardom stretches back for decades for good reason: he knows how to pick his films.

Given his long track record as a tastemaker, when Chan announced in 2015 that he would shoot an action-adventure comedy film in India called Kung Fu Yoga, the movie world took notice. Originally intended to be the first co-production under the new India-China co-pro treaty, Kung Fu Yoga’s story, written and to be directed by Stanley Tong (CZ12, Rumble in the Bronx) would feature Chan as an archaeology professor who embarks on a quest to find a long-lost Indian treasure, a diamond artifact known as the “Eye of Shiva.” The film co-stars Indian actors Sonu Sood, Disha Patani and Amyra Dastur and was shot largely in India.

Sure enough, when Kung Fu Yoga released in China in January, it not only became a massive box office hit with a $254 million lifetime gross (the sixth-biggest in Chinese history), it also touched off an extraordinary run of hits that had India connections. The first half of 2017 would see three movies with strong India ties (Kung Fu Yoga, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, and Dangal) place among China’s four highest-grossing films, and two more (xXx: Return of Xander Cage and Buddies in India) in the top 11.

All told, five movies that featured Indian actors, Indian settings, or both, earned an aggregate $958 million in China in the first six months of the year, a 24% share of all of China’s movie ticket revenue. That's more than just a coincidence: that's a trend.

Why China's filmgoers have gone gaga for Indian-themed content can't be easily attributed to any single cause, but it can probably be boiled down to three main factors. First is the general audience backlash against half-baked domestic stories with uninspired plots, cardboard characters and humdrum settings.

Second is the gradual emergence in China of a beloved sub-genre, the Aamir Khan film. Khan's Indian movies, starting with his 2009 social comedy 3 Idiots, have found an enthusiastic and rapidly growing audience, with his latest film Dangal, enjoying a record-breaking run of $192 million in collections to date.

Third is what appears to be a growing curiosity about and interest in China's southern neighbor. The two ancient cultures share many values in common, including deep filial piety and appreciation for family, reverence for education, and respect for hard work as a conduit to success. Both countries are also at relatively similar points in their economic development, and thus the struggles Indian movie characters face with regard to such issues as female empowerment, the transition from a rural to an urban society, and the challenges of climbing the socio-economic ladder, all resonate nicely with Indian audiences who confront similar obstacles in their own lives.

[GeneChing]

This was originally posted months ago, a remix of the Bollywood number from Kung Fu Yoga. For some reason, it's gone viral this week on the newsfeeds.

[GeneChing]

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - see the connections, right?

Kung Fu Yoga wins top prize at BRICS film festival
by Asa Butcher Jul 30, 2018 11:48


The Chinese-Indian action-adventure Kung Fu Yoga, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, won the Golden Rhino award for best film at the 3rd BRICS Film Festival. wishcarole Flickr CC BY 2.0

The Chinese-Indian action-adventure Kung Fu Yoga, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, won the Golden Rhino award for best film at the 3rd BRICS Film Festival, which was held in the South African city of Durban.

The five-day event was held as part of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which took place from July 19 to 29, and also in tandem with the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Each of five BRICS member states, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, submitted five entries, which included features, documentaries and short films.

While Kung Fu Yoga took the top prize, China also won the Best Supporting Actress award, which went to Bai Baihe for her role in I Belonged to You, a Chinese romantic drama directed by Zhang Yibai, reported China News.

The festival jury also awarded prizes for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editor, Best Cinematography and Best Composer/Music, as well as a Special Jury Award for submitted feature films.

Founded in 2016 in order to promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding among BRICS countries through films, the festival was first held in New Delhi, India and then Chengdu in southwest China.

Following a suggestion from Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, filmmakers from the member countries committed to make a co-production for the next five years. In 2017, Chinese director Jia Zhangke was involved in a five-part anthology Where Has Time Gone with an all-male directorial team.

This year, Jia supervised the BRICS film Half the Sky and was joined by an all-female list of directors, which included Liu Yulin (China), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (India), Elizaveta Stishova (Russia), Daniela Thomas (Brazil) and Sara Bleher (South Africa). The theme was “Contemporary women's emotions and society”, added China.org.cn.

In honour of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, five five-minute long short films were produced by the respective members with the help of the South African Film and Television Foundation, as well as South African production companies Via-Vollenhoven and Appollis Independent, reported multi-platform content firm Independent Media.

"Each country reflected […] how each member country related to Nelson Mandela and the impact he had through leadership, politics, humanity, culture, and unity," wrote Independent Media.

[GeneChing]

I dunno - Indian tabloids are notorious rumor mongers. That being said, this film did really well, so I could see a sequel.

Will Sonu be the next Chris Tucker?

Sonu Sood reveals Kung Fu Yoga 2 is in pipeline: Jackie Chan is excited to come back to India
Simran Singh Apr 09, 2019 09:54:49 IST

Sonu Sood made impact in the international market with Kung Fu Yoga in 2017. With the success of the film, the makers are planning a sequel of the Jackie Chan and Sonu-starrer.


Disha Patani, Jackie Chan and Sonu Sood at a promotional still of Kung Fu Yoga. Image from Firstpost/Sachin Gokhale

At the HT Style Awards, Sonu spilled the beans on the film. "I recently met them (Chan and director Stanley Tong) three days back in Dubai and Stanley is writing it, and they are saying that it's coming out very nice." He further added that Chan and the whole team are looking forward to come to India again. "All are very excited getting out the whole team together and coming back to India. Fingers crossed! Let's hope for the best."

Currently, Stanley and Jackie are working on their upcoming action film Vanguard. Sonu met the director and actor for a special dinner in UAE and there they discussed Kung Fu Yoga 2. As soon as Tong completes Vanguard, they will start working on the sequel.

The Singh Is Kinng actor's collaboration with Chan fetched a huge number of eyeballs worldwide Apart from Sonu, Disha Patni and Amrya Dastur were also integral parts of the film.

Sonu was last seen in Rohit Shetty's blockbuster cop drama Simmba, where he locked horns with Ranveer Singh, who played the titular character of a corrupt cop.

Updated Date: Apr 09, 2019 09:54:49 IST