With GHAJINI being almost certain to take a record breaking opening across the country, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is another film that has a lot going for it as far as hype and buzz is concerned.

Touted to surpass the biggest of the films, as far as the opening week is concerned, this Akshay Kumar starrer is all set to be the 'masaledaar bhelpuri' of Indian and Chinese mix.

With promos of this action comedy continuing to make a big impression, one can't help but quiz the film's writer Shridhar Raghavan about the 'big idea' that led to the making of CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA.

"For me, the spirit of this action comedy was fuelled by two films that I enjoyed watching as a child.

Incidentally, both of these films were directed by one of the producers of the CC2C, Mr. Ramesh Sippy. They are SHOLAY and SEETA AUR GEETA", says Raghavan who written diverse films like KHAKEE, BLUFFMASTER and APAHARAN before.

Rattling down the finer points of the two films that led him towards CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, Shridhar adds, "SHOLAY was a film in the genre of SEVEN SAMURAI while SEETA AUR GEETA was the tale of two female twins separated at birth, one a firebrand and the other a gentle soul.

Some of the other films that have inspired me in my growing up years have been the ones that were directed by one of all time favourite directors, the one and only Manmohan Desai. I still remember the fun I had with films like NASEEB and AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY."

"These were the kind of films I grew up on", says Shridhar, "The kind of films I loved. However, it was not so easy in the end. The daunting part was to write a contemporary script evoking the spirit of those masala movies that combined action and comedy."

He also has a fascination with Hong Kong cinema, as evident in the manner he has gone about making CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA with clear references to Oriental taste.

"From 36 CHAMBERS OF SHAOLIN to KUNG FU HUSTLE, I love them all. I particularly like the way humor can be blended with action the way Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow do it, a tradition that goes all the way back to Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd."

No wonder, a similar attempt has been made in CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, a film which is being pitched as first ever Bollywood Kung Fu comedy film.