The Hindu Business Line : Kerala `fighters' join forces with Jackie Chan

IMAGINE acting in a fight sequence with martial arts superstar Jackie Chan. Well, that's what G. Sathyanarayanan, of the Thiruvananthapuram-based CVN Kalari, got to do a few weeks ago.

Sathyanarayanan, an expert in Kerala's traditional martial art of Kalaripayattu, was recently in Shanghai to act in Chan's latest film, which is being produced in both Chinese and English. Besides Sathyanarayanan, five other Kalaripayattu exponents from CVN Kalari also feature in it.

The film's director Stanley Tong, who has directed several movies starring Chan, including Rumble in the Bronx, had visited Kerala earlier this year, says Sathyanarayanan. While in Kerala, Tong — who is also a martial arts aficionado — saw a Kalaripayattu performance at CVN Kalari and decided to use this martial art in the film.

The film, in which Jackie Chan portrays a character cast in the Indiana Jones mould, is believed to have the working title The Myth. Set in a land that resembles India but is called Sadai, the film features eight Indians, including Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat as a princess and the six Kalaripayattu practitioners. While much of the film is being shot on specially created sets in a Shanghai studio, the outdoor scenes are likely to be shot in India this October.

In the film, the six Kalaripayattu exponents play the role of `fighters' in Sadai. In addition, Sathyanarayanan himself got to act in a one-on-one fight sequence with Chan.

Sathyanarayanan, who has worked on several films in India, says the Shanghai experience was quite "different and very organised."