Never afraid to try something new, Stephen Chow is set for big things worldwide
Stephen Chow Sing-chi's big-budget, Lunar New Year blockbuster CJ7 might be doing less well at the box office compared with his previous offerings. But Chow's place among comedy greats is certain.
Chow doesn't need to make much of an effort to provoke laughter.
His unique brand of mo lei tau humour - a mix of slapstick humour and nonsensical parodies - worked magic on Hong Kong people in the early and mid-1990s.
His early films, such as All for the Winner (1990), which launched his comedy film career, Fight Back to School (1991) and Justice, My Foot! (1992) are effective escapist entertainment filled to the brim with gags, one-liners and action set pieces.
Poking fun at almost everything from relationships and bodily functions to the government, Chow became a megastar whose films were guaranteed box-office successes.
With greater power comes greater responsibility. In 1994, Chow began to assert creative control over his films even when he was not directing, improvising scenes, dialogues and jokes on the set.