Is 'Chandni Chowk To China' Akshay's story?

Mumbai, Jan 1 (IANS) After director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, it is Akshay Kumar who is going to relive his childhood memories of Delhi's old quarters in 'Chandni Chowk To China'.

For long, Akshay had felt that his own success story had the potential to be made into a movie. And now it looks like he's getting his way.

Nikhil Advani's new action-adventure-comedy titled 'Chandni Chowk To China', the name that the filmmakers have finally settled for, has distinct shades of autobiography in its plot.

The film's nimble-footed hero is a cook who goes to China and encounters further adventures. By now it's part of the Akshay legend that he served as a cook in Bangkok and earned his way back to Mumbai to make cinematic history.

The kitchen-angle isn't the only similarity between Akshay, who still has his father's family in the capital, and the hero from Chandni Chowk. Both are martial-arts practitioners.

Also if you look at the film's leading lady Deepika Padukone she's tall, slim and regal looking... like Akshay's wife Twinkle. A coincidence? Akshay has always liked women who are tall and in-charge.

One reason why China was chosen for Advani's film is to tap Akshay's long-cherished yearning for a full-on martial arts film.

Not having done a full action film for over seven years, Akshay has trained in a martial arts form known as Wushu for the film.

'It's a very intricate art practiced on screen by Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Everyone knows Akshay is a big Jackie Chan fan. This is his chance to get even. Akshay plays a cook who goes to China,' Advani told IANS.

'But I can't say if 'Chandni Chowk To China' is autobiographical. My writer Sridhar Raghavan ('Johnny Gaddar' director Sriram's brother) wrote an original screenplay. If he was inspired by Akshay's life, he'll know better,' Advani added.

The director has finalised the locations in China and the shooting for 'Chandni Chowk To China' will begin on Feb 22 in various parts of the country, including Shanghai. Advani will wrap it up by May.

About the corny title, the director laughed, 'We earlier called our film 'Made In China'. But we all felt 'Chandni Chowk To China' suits the mood better. We've a song with that title in the film. So why not?'