And then there were three…

Three posters, that is.

When Akshay Kumar was working as a cook in Thailand, he had three posters hanging from the kitchen walls -– one of Hollywood stud Sylvester Stallone, a second of Bollywood hottie Sri Devi, and a third of Hong Kong martial arts legend Gordon Liu.

Almost 20 years later, Kumar cooked up a smorgasbord of a movie career, with an exotic menu of Bollywood movies featuring him as the main course and Stallone, Devi and Liu as the complementary side dishes.

“I wish I had put more posters up,” Kumar told Buzzine about his modest poster collection. “I have now worked with all three of them. I’m going back to that magic wall and adding more posters of people I want to work with. It’s shocking.”

What is actually shocking is that it took so long for Bollywood and China to meet on the silver screen. Sure, the two neighboring countries have made movies featuring elements of each other, yet never has one country made a feature film based upon a signature element of the other country.

Then again, Kumar’s own life integrated Chinese and Indian cultures, so it was only natural that he would find a way to bring the best of both countries to the silver screen.

Oh, and he had an opportunity to stand face-to-face with Liu in front of the camera.

Thanks to some financing by Warner Bros., Kumar and Liu joined forces to create Chandni Chowk to China, the first Bollywood feature film to incorporate martial arts as an integral portion of the plot.

“This is the first Hindi movie where [kung fu] is integral to the plot,” the film’s director, Nikhil Advani, told Buzzine. “The entire movie is about finding kung fu and finding yourself, yet it’s a simple film and a simple journey.”

Kumar, who plays the lead role Sidhu, agreed.

“This movie introduced India to kung fu,” said Kumar, whose passion for martial arts and film ran so deep, he accepted the lead role on the condition that Advani come to his home each morning at 6:00 am to watch one of Kumar’s 300-plus kung-fu-type movies.

Thankfully, Advani relied upon Kumar’s lessons to connect the best elements of Indian and Chinese cinema. Unlike previous Bollywood movies that relied on its own industry insiders to incorporate China into its films, Advani and Warner Bros. brought in kung fu choreographers and top actors from China, including Liu, Roger Yuan, and Dee Dee Yu.

Chandni Chowk to China documents the life of Sidhu, who lives in the shadows of Delhi, India as a lowly vegetable cutter yearning for more. Unfortunately, Sidhu was rather lazy.

“He (Sidhu) doesn’t believe in hard work,” Advani said of Kumar’s character. “He believes in shortcuts. He has a voice that tells him he will meet a lot of difficulty if he takes shortcuts, but his journey is to gain an understanding.”

The naïve Sidhu apparently thought there was something bigger waiting for him in the shadows of the Great Wall of China. His lack of self-pride took him on the most unlikely of journeys -– from Chandni Chowk to China.

“If you see any kung fu movie, it is always about someone finding himself,” Advani said. “We all feel like we are caught in this rut and we need to get out of our daily routine. In the case of Sidhu, his rut is that he wakes up and cuts vegetables and he doesn’t want to do it. He believes bigger things are waiting for him.”

Directed by Advani and co-starring Liu, Yuan, Deepika Panukone, and Ranvir Shorey, Chandni Chowk to China is a madcap journey paralleling Kumar’s actual life –- he started off as a cook in a small Thailand restaurant before learning martial arts and pursuing a path to Bollywood greatness. Sidhu underwent his own transformation in Chandni Chowk to China, starting off as a cook and eventually finding greatness.

“The plot is different from my life,” Kumar said, “but the character is the same.”

Kumar noted that, before he became one of Bollywood’s biggest names, he was just a cook at a lowly restaurant in Thailand. Yet, with determination, focus, and resolve, he chased his dream of acting, eventually proving to be the ultimate success story and the perfect fodder for a plot of the first ever Bollywood/kung fu flick.

For Kumar, the movie was personally revolutionary. In addition to the lead character paralleling his real life, Kumar was just honored to work with Liu, whose performance in The 36th Chamber of the Shaolin inspired the Bollywood star to learn martial arts.

“It was Gordon Liu’s movie that motivated me to take up martial arts,” Kumar sheepishly told Buzzine. “Many of us learned kung fu because of him. My friends and I used to create chambers in my house.”

Now, a whole new generation of kids will create vegetable cutting boards accompanied by sharp knives in their kitchens, hoping to master the martial art of kung fu, thanks to Kumar and Advani’s ground-breaking movie.

In what is considered a revolutionary film for Bollywood standards, Chandni Chowk to China offers stunning visuals and action sequences never seen before in India and only seen in productions such as Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

“It is paratha and noodles coming together in one movie,” Kumar told Buzzine. “It should be a great thing to watch.”

A trend-setting movie, Chandni Chowk to China will open the door for a new genre of international filmmaking. No doubt, this action-comedy will find fans all around the globe.

“I’m not sure if Bollywood and kung fu will be together in several films, but this movie does open the door to combine elements from other genres,” Advani excitedly told Buzzine. “I think the trend has already started. For any Bollywood movie to make its mark globally, there has to be something fresh. We have to have something more to offer than song-and-dance.”

Chandni Chowk to China definitely offers more than typical Bollywood fare of song-and-dance. With an original score of eclectic Indo-Chinese beats, a lovable hero, funny dialogue, and amazing action, Chandni Chowk to China is a must-see for Bollywood and martial arts fans alike.