Kung-fu Fighter

In the original movie,the young schoolboy learns karate from his Japanese janitor,but since Zwart shot the entire movie in China,he had to fall back on kung-fu. So,in Zwart’s version of The Karate Kid,the helpless “karate” kid no longer practises karate,instead,he learns Kung-fu from his master. “China is all about kung- fu whereas Japan is about karate. I was so intrigued by the philosophy of kung-fu,which is an artistic form and uses graceful movements,that I felt compelled to take the story to China,” he adds.

There’s a reason why he has kept the original title though. “The boy initially tries to learn karate from some old video tapes,so we decided to retain that element in the title. Besides,this name has a recall value,” says the director. Made on a budget of US $35 million ,the new The Karate Kid ,he adds,packs in slicker fight sequences and a larger dose of humour than the 1984 film.

Zwart’s also made news lately for having 11-year-old Jaden Smith (son of actor Will Smith) perform dangerous martial arts without a stunt double. “Jaden was on board before I signed up for this project,and I ensured that he trained intensely for four-five hours daily to perfect his technique. We knew where to draw the line with his training,” he says.

Before hanging up,Zwart recalls an India connection—he had directed Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in the Pink Panther 2 . “If I am ever looking for the femme fatale for a film,I would love to cast her in it,” he says. For the time being he is focusing on The Karate Kid though,which releases worldwide today. “I hope people do not draw comparisons with the original movie,” he says.