Jackie Chan connects with fans in Delhi

Indian movie buffs have loved his action movies for years, but Hollywood actor Jackie Chan, who was in New Delhi for the inauguration of the China Film Festival on Tuesday, showed his funny side much to the delight of the audience who had turned up to see the star.

“Namaste! Please sit down, sit down,” Chan told the audience, who stood up for the star at the packed Siri Fort Auditorium as he took to the stage.

He said it was “so exciting” to be in India, and he felt “so honoured”.

“I’m not young anymore, but you all love me. And that is why I do stunts, and risk my life for fans,” said the star of movies such as “Police Story”, “Rush Hour” and “The Myth”.

The Hong Kong-born actor sang in Chinese. The song, he explained, was all about “loving your country”.

“You may not understand the lyrics, but the music is beautiful,” he said.

“Jackie, Jackie! Jackie, Jackie” — the audience cheered on.

The six-day China Film Festival is a joint initiative of the India-China Economic and Cultural Council, India’s ministry of information and broadcasting, China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and the Chinese Embassy in India.

The event kickstarted with the screening of Chan’s latest film Chinese Zodiac. The 59-year-old star said initiatives such as the China film festival will help both countries understand each others’ cinema.

He even said that next year, China may host an Indian Film Festival, and he will attends it.

Talking about India as a movie market, he said: “I think India is a wonderful market. It has a population of 1.2 billion and some 12,000 screens. It is a big market, so everybody will concentrate on your country [gradually].”

Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari was also present for the inauguration of the festival.