the first Indian Released in 1996, the film sees Kamal Haasan's character Senapathy surviving the explosive climactic events of his son's murder and fleeing to Hong Kong. As Senapathy was once a freedom fighter in the Indian rebellion against the British Empire, he was advertised as being over 70 years old at the time of the film's main events. Indian. now, India 2 Kamal will be returning to the role of Senapathy in The Last of Us, which hits theaters on July 12, 2024, but judging by the events in the trailer, the sequel will likely be set in the present day, which would make Senapathy roughly 106 years old, which is confusing. Indian 2 Trailer: Kamal Haasan's Senapathy returns to cleanse the 'system' in Shankar's action film.
But as a 106-year-old man, Senapathy: India 2 The trailer had many questioning how this was possible, with some fans suspecting that it was not the real Senapathy but his son Chandru, who somehow survived his father's assassination attempt and is continuing the vigilante tradition.
At the trailer launch, director Shankar cited “Lu Zhujian” as an example to defend Senapattu's incredible agility for someone his age.
Shankar talks about Lu Zhijian at Indian 2 trailer launch
When asked how the 106-year-old Senapathy could do it, Shankar cited Chinese martial arts master Lu Zhijian, who is 120 years old and performs death-defying stunts. #India2 pic.twitter.com/yHbvqMJGHA
— MovieCrow (@MovieCrow) June 26, 2024
Shankar claimed that the Chinese martial artist was still performing death-defying stunts at the age of 120. As for Senapati, the director claims that Kamal Haasan's character is also a master of an ancient martial art called Varma Kalai, though it is unclear whether mastery of Varma Kalai confers longevity beyond 100 years.
Watch the trailer for Indian 2:
Lu Zijian, who Shankar modeled Senapati on, was a real person, but he was not a martial artist at 120 years old as the director claims. Lu Zijian, who was born in 1893 and died in 2012, is said to have died at the age of 118. Why is this the case? I will touch on this point later, but before that, let me briefly explain what kind of person he was.
Who is Lu Zijian?
Lu Zijian is said to be one of the oldest martial artists in history, having died at the age of 118. Lu was a highly respected and accomplished martial artist in China, who was also trained in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. It is said that his disciplined life, strengthened by his martial arts discipline and medical knowledge, not only extended his life, but also gave him the physical agility to perform martial arts at an advanced age. Lu was said to have been skilled in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Tai Chi.
Lu Zijian is considered a legend by many who follow his legacy, having supposedly become a hero through displays of martial arts prowess that included defeating a gang of bandits in the 1920s, defeating a lecherous factory owner in 1931, and escaping the Nanjing Massacre in 1944. Lu also won many martial arts competitions, enhancing his reputation as a skilled champion. 'Hindustani 2' vs 'Sarfira', 'Singham Again' vs 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' and more – Bollywood's biggest box office showdown of 2024!
He died peacefully in his sleep on October 21, 2012, likely due to complications from injuries sustained in a fall three years earlier. A video of him practicing martial arts went viral a few months ago, although it is unclear how old Lu was at the time the video was filmed.
Watch Lu Zijian show off his skills:
Lu Zijian's age may not be true.
Most of the story about Lu Zijian comes from his own autobiography, including his date of birth. Many details cannot be verified, and some critics claim that many of his feats, including his age, are fabricated. Official records from 1986 state that Lu Zijian was in his 70s, which has been pointed out as not making him 118 years old at the time of his death in 2012.
Even the Gerontology Research Group, a global nonprofit that verifies the ages of centenarians, does not include Lu Zijian among the oldest people on record. In fact, according to the group's records, the oldest man on record is Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who died in 2013 at age 116.
So, like Lu Zhijian, is Shankar up to something when it comes to Senapathy? Or, like many in China, has the director been fooled by an allegedly fabricated legend to justify why a 100-year-old Senapathy is in the spotlight when he should be chilling out at home? We'll find out on July 12, 2024. India 2 It will be released in theaters. India 2 Released in Hindi Hindustani 2.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2024 10:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
