Martial Arts Professional Magazine

Mumbai, India…India is experiencing great prosperity and growing importance in the world; and if its film industry, popularly referred to as “Bollywood,” has its way, then it also expects to have more of an impact on the world of entertainment, with a series of new action movies that could rival American and Chinese films and their stars.

Enter Akshay Kumar, a well-known Indian actor and martial artist since his teens, who stars in Chandni Chowk to China (or CC2C), one of many action films to be released by Indian studios that they claim will excite audiences throughout the world.

Akshay said, “I find direct combat scenes physically more challenging and exciting. I am back to doing martial arts. It’s definitely more thrilling than computer-enhanced sequences.”

The presence of Dee Dee Ku (who directed action sequences in The Matrix and Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger) as action choreographer of CC2C would seem to indicate that Indian filmmakers want a bigger piece of the growing interest in action or martial arts movies. According to Ku, the action in Bollywood will soon beat Hollywood standards.

Akshay’s interest in martial arts started at an early age. “My passion for martial arts goes back to my early teens when I went to Bangkok [Thailand] to master them,” Akshay explained. “My father insisted I learn [martial arts] when I was nine years old. Even today, I practice for two hours. It disciplines me. Martial arts is not just about violence and fighting, but about the power to change your life. I owe everything I am to martial arts.”

Akshay will host a seven-part mini-series, Seven Deadly Arts, on the National Geographic Channel. He introduces viewers to each of the seven arts: Shaolin Kung fu, Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Muay Thai, Capoeira and Kalaripayattu. Conversant with Taekwondo, Karate and Muay Thai, Akshay will spar with practitioners of these art forms, as he learns from masters of the other four arts.

The actor donated his time to the shooting of the series, saying, “This is my way of giving back to the art that has taught me so much.” He added that he hopes to acquire at least two acres of land in Mumbai to realize his dream of establishing his own martial arts school.