Jackie Chan's new film "Kung Fu Yoga" was supposed to be fruit of the co-production agreement between India and China. However, the film has come under fire from critics in India who have accused the film of being old-fashioned and offensive.
"Kung Fu Yoga" follows the story of an archeology professor (played by Chan) who teams up with an Indian counterpart to search for a lost treasure in Tibet. The film was a huge hit at the Chinese box office, but it did not go down too well with audiences in India.
Indian critics blasted the film for stereotyping Indians and expressed their anger in their reviews of the film. The film was labelled as an overdose of cultural sterotypes, calling it a "series of misfires, wearing inauthenticity on its sleeves like a badge of honour," by The Wire, while another critic described it as an affirmation of China's stereotypes about India.
Indian publication Mid-Day reviewed it as a "desi exotica - starring snake charmers, and the great Indian rope trick." The film, directed by Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx" director Stanley Tong, was supposed to create a link between both countries. However, the joint venture suffered a major setback after India's Viacom18 pulled out of the project in 2015 amid rumors claiming that it withdrew from the co-production as it was not getting enough say in how it was being made.
A number of Indian critics also called out a bizarre utterance of what sounds like Chinese government propaganda in the film. There is one scene in particular when Chan's character is asked by an official to "help the Belt and Road initiative," which is essentially a wide-ranging pan-Asian project that aims to connect China with several Asian and European countries and strengthen its regional dominance.
Watch the trailer of "Kung Fu Yoga" below: