Chandni Chowk To China (2009)

Critic Reviews

• Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

  If Chandni Chowk to China is any indication, a combination of Bollywood and kung-fu movies is something the world needed without even realizing it.

• Michael Hardy, Boston Globe

  Chandni Chowk to China is Bollywood's all-singing, all-dancing, all-Hindi bid to conquer America.

• Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News

  Chandni Chowk isn't going to appeal to those not already entertained by Bollywood and kung-fu movie clichés. But it could turn the charismatic Kumar into a global star, making the prescribed happy ending even sweeter for Warner Bros.

• Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

  Chandni has martial- arts montages and Bollywood song-and-dance numbers. As tacky as the latter are, they're the sweet -- and only? -- draw of the movie. They also give this slight comedy-adventure its epic and unearned length.

• John Anderson, Variety

  If Chandni Chowk to China were a person, it would need Valium.

• Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

  In fact, at two hours and 34 minutes, CC2C is too much by a half: too much dancing and fighting and too much footage of the Great Wall of China.

• Mike Scott, Times-Picayune

  Insufferable. Burdened with insipid plotting and lame comedy.

• David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com

  Tries to juggle Bollywood musical with martial arts action and slapstick comedy and fails at all three.

• Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat

  This is a fun movie, as well as an interesting peek into what entertains audiences in a different culture.

• Christian Toto, What Would Toto Watch?

  Chandni Chowk to China is a fresh, invigorating mashup of Bollywood and Asian martial arts epics. Then, it stays around a good half hour too long. Way too long.

• Maitland McDonagh, Miss FlickChick

  An energetic, if uneven, movie masala whose ingredients include broad comedy, fists of fury, dark family secrets and musical numbers.

• Thomas Leupp, IGN Movies

  Packs enough entertaining moments in its 154-minute running time to whet our appetite for more films from the subcontinent, but its sloppy audio and low-rent visual effects will likely prove distracting to American audiences accustomed to more polished fa

• Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

  A wholly missed opportunity to broaden the Hindi film fan base in America.

• Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly

  Half Bollywood, Half Chinese, all nonsense spectacle. Nikhil Advani's sprawling action-comedy has the feel of great ambition designed by committee.

• Justin Strout, Orlando Weekly

  Any hopes of stylistic experimentation or genre fusion are quickly dashed and it becomes evident that this is simply two films: the first half singing, dancing Bollywood and the second a middle-of-the-road martial arts flick.

• Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review

  ...so energetically off-the-wall that the sheer novelty alone makes it entertain much of the way.

• Mark Peikert, New York Press

  Chandni Chowk to China never captures our imagination the way those twin Tarantino films did, mostly thanks to a lead character who's too dumb to root for, much less believe in.

• Mark Keizer, Boxoffice Magazine

  Results are wonky, with its detriments mainly attributable to its Indian influence.

• Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

  Chandni Chowk is the kind of madness to which you surrender unconditionally or not at all. You'll find the trans-Asian journey from the market street in Delhi to the tyrannized village in China bewitching or bewildering, with little room in between.

Read all 19 critic reviews