‘Indian 2’: Who Is Lu Zijian? Know All About ‘118-Year-Old’ Chinese Martial Arts Master Who Inspired Kamal’s Haasan’s 106-Year-Old Senapathy

When the first Indian movie came out in 1996, Kamal Haasan's Senapathy character was shown to have survived the events of the explosive climax that killed his son and fled to Hong Kong. Since Senapathy used to be a freedom fighter in India's revolt against the British empire, his age was touted to be over 70 years during the main events of Indian. Now, with Indian 2 coming to theatres on July 12, 2024, Kamal returns as Senapathy, but going by the trailer's events, the sequel looks to be set in present times. This leaves us confused since that would make Senapathy's age to be about 106. Indian 2 Trailer: Kamal Haasan’s Senapathy Returns To Clean the ‘System’ in This Action Film Directed by Shankar.

Yet for a 106-year-old man, Senapathy is shown to be quite agile in the Indian 2 trailer, which made many question how that could be possible. Some fans even doubted if it is the real Senapathy and not his son Chandru, who somehow survived his father's murderous attempt and continues his vigilante legacy.

Director Shankar, during the trailer launch, cited 'Lu Zijian' as an example to defend Senapathu's implausible agility at his age.

Shankar Talking About Lu Zijian at Indian 2 Trailer Launch

Shankar claimed that the Chinese martial artist used to perform daredevil stunts at the age of 120. As for Senapathy, the director claims Kamal Haasan's character is also a master in an ancient form of martial arts called Varma Kalai, though we are not sure if being proficient in Varma Kalai gives you longevity to cross 100 years of age.

Watch the Trailer of Indian 2:

As for Lu Zijian - Shankar's inspiration for Senapathy - he is quite the real person, though he wasn't doing martial arts at 120 as the director claimed. Claimed to have been born in 1893 and passing away in 2012,  Lu Zijian had died at the age of 118, allegedly. Why allegedly? We will come to that in a moment. But before that, let's give you a brief overview of who this man is.

Who is Lu Zijian?

Lu Zijian is claimed to have been one of the oldest documented martial artists in history, having died at the age of 118. He was a very admired and skilled martial artist in China, who was also learnt in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. It is claimed that his disciplined lifestyle, enhanced by his martial arts regime and medicinal knowledge, not only increased the longevity of his life but also gave him the physical agility to perform martial arts even at a late age. He is said to be skilled in Xingyiquan (Shape-Will Boxing), Baguazhang (Eight Trigrams Palm), and Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan).

Lu Zijian is claimed to have shown his martial arts prowess to prove himself as a hero in bringing down a gang of dacoits in the 1920s, defeating a lecherous factory owner in 1931, escaping the Nanjing Massacre in 1944 and so on. He is regarded as a legend by many who have followed his lore. Lu Zijian has also won a lot of martial arts competitions, widening his reputation as a skilled champion. ‘Hindustani 2’ vs ‘Sarfira’, ‘Singham Again’ vs ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and More – Biggest Box Office Clashes in Bollywood in 2024!

He passed away on October 21, 2012, peacefully in his sleep, perhaps suffering from complications caused by a fall he suffered three years prior. A video of his practising martial arts had gone viral a few months back, though it is unsure Lu Zijian was of what age when this video was taken.

Watch Video of Lu Zijian Demonstrating His Skills:

Lu Zijian's Age May Not Be True

Most of Lu Zijian's stories come from his own autobiography, including the year he was born. Many of the details cannot be verified, and some of his critics even claim many of his feats are fabricated including his age. It was pointed out that as per some official records from 1986, Lu Zijian was said to be in his '70s, which won't make him 118 when he died in 2012.

Even Gerontology Research Group, the global non-profit organisation that validates the ages of supercentenarians, hasn't included Lu Zijian among its oldest documented people. In fact, according to its records, the oldest man documented is Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who died in 2013 at the age of 116.

So, like Lu Zijian, is Shankar pulling off some trickery when it comes to Senapathy? Or like many in China, has the director fallen for an allegedly fabricated lore to justify why his centenarian is kicking ass at an age where he needs to be chilling at home? We will find out on July 12, 2024, when Indian 2 releases in theatres. Indian 2 is releasing in Hindi as 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).