Photos: Jackie Dancing Up A Storm In India

Jackie Might Pop In For A Quick Visit

According to this Jackie might be making a quick stopover in India on the 15th September after opening the film festival in Romania on the 11th September.

Hyderabad: International actor Jackie Chan will be attending a Telugu film’s audio launch in Hyderabad and if everything goes according to the plan, Arnold Schwarzenegger too will attend the film’s Tamil audio release in Chennai. “We are looking for a good venue in Chennai. If the venue is finalised, Arnold will come for the function,” says Aascar Ravichandran, producer of the Tamil film Ai, directed by Shankar. The same film is releasing in Telugu as Manoharudu.

While Arnold’s presence is not yet finalised, the producer says Jackie Chan has confirmed his invite for the Telugu audio function that will be held in Hyderabad on September 15.

SOURCE: DECCANCHRONICLE

VIDEOS: Jackie Chan In India

Assorted videos from Jackie's visit to New Delhi, India.

Jackie visits Smile Foundation NGO


Jackie at China Film Festival Press Conference (23 mins)


A general news report


Another news report.

Jackie Visits Smile Foundation India

Jackie paid a visit to the Smile Foundation Mission Education Programme Centre today.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Jackie Chan, martial art expert and one of Asian cinema's most prominent faces, Wednesday encouraged the children at the Smile Foundation saying that if they work together, they can achieve their dreams one day "like I did".

He visited Mission Education programme centres of Smile Foundation and interacted with children and gave martial art tips to young girls.

Talking to the children, the "Rush Hour" star, who himself had a difficult childhood, said: "You should study together, play together and dream together. You will definitely achieve your dreams one day like I did."

"I believe the beauty of a country lies in its people, especially its children. Education to these kids is what we all wish for and it is our responsibility to get our future generation to be well-educated and well-equipped to lead a dignified life. I would like to congratulate Smile Foundation for doing commendable job in building the generation next," he added.

They children presented a dance acts for Chan who also shook a leg with them.

Chan also emphasized on the role of self-defence for girls and young women and explained few self-defence techniques for young women of Smile Foundation and insisted on building self-confidence and self esteem.

Smile Foundation has so far trained 150,000 young women on self-defence and empowerment skills through its women empowerment programme - Swabhiman.

Vikram Singh Verma, COO, Smile Foundation said: "On behalf of Smile Foundation I would like to thank Mr. Jackie Chan for supporting our cause and encouraging the children."

He added: "I would also like to thank India China Economic and Cultural Council for facilitating Mr. Chan's visit here and making a dream come true of our little kids."

SOURCE: EN.MAKTOOB.NEWS.YAHOO.COM

Chinese Film Week in New Delhi

Jackie will be the Chief Guest at the Chinese Film Week in New Delhi which opens at 6pm on 18 June with a screening of CZ12.

SOURCE: ALLEVENTS.IN

Another Interesting Response to The Karate Kid

Another interesting response to The Karate Kid - this one from India. Just a point of interest the Indian martial art of kalaripayat mentioned in this article was featured in The Myth.

Enter the still and silent spirit of martial arts

More than a quarter of a century after thoroughly enjoying the original 1984 Karate Kid — and watching it repeatedly on TV over the years — the 2010 Karate Kid turned out to be more than just a nostalgic walk through memory. A simple tale of the inner transformation of a 12-year-old (Jaden Smith) from a fearful boy in a new school in a new country as he fights off a bully in a tournament under the guidance of a Kung Fu teacher (Jackie Chan) to a dignified return, the film explores the many facets of courage — and spirituality.

Kung Fu, Chan tells Smith in an intense moment, is in taking the jacket off and wearing it again. His point: the martial arts are not just about fighting, but life itself. It includes the physical stances, exercises, balance. But traditional martial arts also embrace an inner training where the mind, body and soul come together in a spiritual balance through breathing, stillness, calm.

Within Chinese martial arts, are other forms — Judo that plays with throwing and grappling; Karate that goes further into blocking and needs greater force. Beyond China lie more — the Korean Tae Kwon Do that’s similar to karate, but where the feet become the instrument of force; the Japanese Jiu Jitsu that uses the attacker’s strengths against him. In their essence, all martial arts are for self defence, not aggression.

But more than the glamorous fighting aspects, these arts are about harmonising the body, mind and spirit. They are first spiritual then martial, with their roots in Taoism and Buddhism. The 18 weapons — from sabre, spear and straight sword to axe, steel whip and hammer — that are taught in the second stage, where these weapons are seen as extensions of the body.

In this respect, the Chinese martial arts are similar to the Indian tradition, where the spirit is the guiding force of the body and all martial skills are, in addition to preservation, a technique of self-discovery. It is in this light that we need to see arts like Varanasi’s masti yuddha, Kerala’s kalaripayat or Andhra Pradesh’s kathi samu. It is a way of life and something whose roots like in religion but whose body resides in the science of prana, life. The common currency of Chinese and Indian martial arts is playing with the duo of energy and peace.

While Hollywood has explored the physical aspects in films like the Karate Kid franchise and actors like Steven Segal (he practises akido and supports the Tibetan freedom movement), the deeper aspects of the art are visible only to those looking for it. In Prahar, Nana Patekar plays Major Chauhan who in one tender moment tells a child that you fight not with your arms but with your mind.

Over a busy and loaded weekend — the Germany-Argentina and Spain-Paraguay matches — I managed to catch Karate Kid 2010 twice in the same hall. And came out with insights that some Western reviewers have debunked as cliché and predictable. They probably think that martial arts are about technology, guns, bombs. Good luck to them and their noise-surrounded readers.

For me, it’s the silence and stillness of the East — any day, any lifetime.

SOURCE: CUTTING THE EDGE