The moment he took to the stage, the crowd present at Siri Fort Auditorium started shouting his name.
People could not resist their over-enthusiasm for the moment when this international actor with a cute face and a lovely smile greeted them with a ‘Namaste’. Being Chinese, the international martial arts master, actor and director Jackie Chan stole the hearts of his Indian fans by addressing them in Hindi.
“Please sit down, sit down,” Chan spoke to the audience. “It is so exciting to be here, and I feel so honoured,” Chan said, who visited the country after ten long years to inaugurate the week-long Chinese Film Festival in the Capital.
Dressed in a traditional white Chinese coat teamed with white sneakers, Jackie said, “I'm not young anymore, but you all love me. And that is why I do stunts, and risk my life for all you fans.”
However, this Hong Kong-born actor, who is known for his expertise in stunts and for his roles in blockbuster movies like Police Story, Rush Hour and The Myth, took the Indian and Chinese audience by surprise when he sang a song about loving his country. “You may not understand the lyrics, but the music is beautiful. The song is country is my country, home is my home and it got 600 million hits last year when it was released,” said Jackie.
As he started the rendition, the video of the song was played on the giant screen behind him. Though it was difficult for people to understand the language, the music regaled his fans. As he finished, the audience could not resist themselves and constantly chanted ‘Jackie, Jackie, and Jackie’.
With that amazing inauguration, Jackie amidst audience, for a few minutes, watched Chinese Zodiac, directed by Jackie himself, which was the opening film of the festival. The other Indian and Chinese dignitaries present at the festival talked about popularity of Indian and Chinese films.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari in his speech said, “V Shantaram’s film Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani was the first film which had struck a chord with the Chinese. Later, it was films like Do Beegha Zameen, Awara and Shree 420 that went on to become hits with the Chinese audience and lately, Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots.”
Sharing something really interesting, Tewari said that the Chinese Premier had on his visit to India, said he too had watched 3 Idiots on his daughter’s insistence.
Meanwhile, Mr Han Sanping, member of the Chinese delegation, talked about the festival and said, “We are happy to be a part of such a unique initiative. Films are a great way to communicate and connect. Through this festival we are making an attempt to not only connect with the Indian audience through our work, but also understand and learn about Indian tastes and culture.”
