Rohit Shetty’s
Chennai Expressstarring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone looks like a film that was executed while the makers were in a goofy mood. The result, we must confess, has turned out to be nothing less than abysmal.
While Shah Rukh’s hamming like no one’s watching, the story flows through the lanes of shoddy dialogues and unnecessary action scenes. The slapstick, mind-numbing comedy makes you stare at the screen with utter astonishment – the shock of enduring one bad joke after the other is worse than consuming a bitter, terrible tasting tonic.
So this is how the torture-inflicting process begins – Shah Rukh (Rahul) is a 40-year-old guy who runs a sweet shop. But life isn’t too sweet for this lad until of course his grandfather passes away and Khan can finally live life on his own terms and give wings to his dreams. And he plans to start his freedom fiesta in Goa – but freaking fate has some other plans. He bumps into this gorgeous Tamilian girl (Deepika as Meena) who has been running away from a posse of fat sickle wielding gundas. Meenama’s dad wants her to marry Tangaballi played by the enormous Nikitin Dheer. But the chick would rather stay single than tie the knot with someone who hasn’t managed to touch the cockles of her heart. And there the hero’s Goa plan takes a U-turn and heads to the beautiful locales of South India.
Instead of chilling on the idyllic beaches of Goa, SRK is now entangled in a murky situation – he wonders why he showed any interest in Meenama at all. Why did he give her a helping hand while boarding the train – typical Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) style? He just needed a plain vacation and what he got instead is a dangerous ride on the Chennai Express. The goons catch hold of him and Deepika and take them to their village where the heroine’s dad – the deadly don is waiting for his daughter only so that he can hitch her up with the hulky Tangaballi. And that gives rise to a series of chaotic hide-and-seek games. And in the process Deepika and SRK fall in love. What does that sound like – clichéd or boring?
There are a few scenes that give us the uncontrollable giggles but that wasn’t enough to hold our interest in the film for too long. Deepika looked lovely and did great justice to her South Indian twang but SRK disappointed with his over-the-top performance. Without a shadow of doubt, DP takes the cake in this one. The film has this disorganised and incoherent quality about it, and trust us you don’t want to be a part of this mess. As the film ends with the super entertaining, feet thumping Lungi dance song, we wonder which was King Khan’s last film, his last performance that totally mesmerised us. Chak De! India (2007)…but that was ages ago, no..?
Film: Chennai Express
Ratings: ***1/2Directed by:Rohit ShettyStarring: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Niketan Dheer, and SatyarajWhat it's about:The story isn't very different from all the usual boy-meets girl romance. You know from the beginning what will happen. You have seen it many times before but the beauty is that you know whats coming, and you still want it. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) embarks on a journey to fulfill the last wish of his grandfather: to have his ashes immersed in the Holy water of Rameshwaram. He meets Meena (Deepika Padukone) on the train and while attempting to rescue her from kidnappers gets caught up in her mess. Thus begins his journey to her village, her people, and how her fight becomes his fight. It's a refreshing light-headed cocktail of love and laughs. The director stays true to his style and his audience. It is clean, colorful and comical.
What's good: This is a treat for all Hindi film lovers. It has it all you'd expect from a big commercial masala film. It has all the ingredients -- big star cast, drama, action, comedy, songs, the car chases and the big finish, all delivered in Rohit Shetty's unapologetic ishtyle. For SRK fans, it is an even bigger treat. The actor returns to what he does best -- romance. But it isn't the sacrificing and soppy love of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. This one is a crowd-pleaser. The film begins with a flashback with Rahul growling like a wild animal, and then he tells just how he got there. Among the things that crop up in Rahul and Meena's misadventures: Her dad's stolen car, a dwarf in the middle of the forest, a walk up 300 steps of a temple and drama at high-seas! SRK is in his elements whether he is beating up a village full of people, romancing Meena, beating up the big baddie or faking bravado when faced with four hefty goons. Deepika delivers yet another fantastic performance. She stays in character throughout and matches her co-star's energy and enthusiasm whether it is singing dialogues or fighting goondas. It's impossible to watch this movie impassively. Chennai Express has the the kind of flourish that makes you smile. Watch out for the crazy references in songs and scenes to Shah Rukh's previous films. Overall, this is a bubblegum blockbuster.
What's not: There is just too much Tamil in Chennai Express. There I said it. There are long dialogues between actors in Tamil, and while one doe understand what is being conveyed, it is still tedious. This is what it must feel to the rest of India, when they watch Hindi films with an overdose of Punjabi (songs/scenes) in Hindi films.The different being that Punjabi is similar to Hindi, and most people understand it. Not the case with Tamil. While Shah Rukh and Deepika are enough to light up the scene, you begin to miss other familiar faces in terms of character actors, who are always a part of Rohit's other films like the Golmaals, Bol Bachchan and Singham. Here, with all the south flavour, one often wonders if there are south actors in Hindi film or if it is a south film starring SRK and Deepika. It isn't convincing when Rahul suddenly speaks Tamil in the climax, and the very people who didn't understand Hindi earlier now comprehend everything. There is also boos boos like not a single scratch on the car, after it has been repeatedly banged from both sides, the injury on Rahul's lip getting wiped out afterMeena touches it but badi badi film on main aisi chhoti chhoti galtiyaan hoti rehti hain.
If watching vehicle chase sequences, cars being blown up in the air and muscled goons is your film genre of choice, then you would know that we could be talking about Rohit Shetty of the Golmaalseries fame. This time Rohit Shetty, one of the heavily critiqued film makers of the current crop for his directorial ways, has come up with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer Chennai Express.
Quite obviously, this unique combo of Shetty and Khan is enough to make one curious about their product. But once you go for it, you won’t regret watching ‘Chennai Express’, as you would have been after watching ‘Golmaal 2’ and ‘Golmaal 3’.
The journey on-screen begins with Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan back with one of his favourite screen names) on way from Mumbai to join his friends in Goa for a vacation. But at his foster grandmother’s behest, he reluctantly agrees to go to Rameshwaram to immerse the ashes of his dead grandfather. He boards Chennai Express but all his plans are foiled by a Tamilian damsel in distress – the runaway Meena – daughter of Komban village’s don Dugeshwara – who runs into Rahul accidentally while being chased by four of her brothers. Now as the story unfolds, it is revealed that Meena’s father wants her to get married against her wishes, and Rahul is supposed to be the girl’s knight in shining armour. The rest of the story is a riot of hilarious, romantic and action sequences with some interesting drama peppered and pickled in.
The Tamilian don and his henchmen (with hacking knives in hand) are shown in their full glory; as are the exotic locations down South. Seriously, cinematographer Dudley has an eye for capturing the Southern landscape in its abundance, and the breathtaking locations that one would see in ‘Chennai Express’ are going to make nature lovers fall in love with the lower reaches of the Indian subcontinent.
Crowd puller Shah Rukh Khan, in his act throughout the film, is zany, charming and at times flinching. On the other side, Deepika’s character exudes shades of rebellion, warmth and commitment. Her Hindi with Tamil accents sounds easy on the ears, convincing and humour inducing. Together the pair’s camaraderie on the celluloid results in funny situations and makes their chemistry more compelling.
The music of the film by composer duo Vishal-Shekhar boasts of a couple of good tracks like ‘Titli’ and ‘1 2 3 4 Get On The Dance Floor’. When played on the 70mm, the background number ‘Chennai Express’ ups the excitement level. But songs like ‘Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari’ could have been skipped. If we think from the film maker’s perspective, the so-called unwanted songs we are talking about would have been added with the idea of putting more depth to the romance angle of the film.
One of the downsides of ‘Chennai Express’ is its predictability. As the story moves forward, the guessing game becomes easier, thereby revealing the climax of the movie. Second, like any of the previous Rohit Shetty’s films, this one too is nothing really out-of-the box or one that can qualify for awards. It is Shah Rukh Khan’s act that makes the film substantial and keeps one hooked.
That said, if you ignore the few clichés (the repetition of ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ scenes and the lines that we have heard SRK speaking in his popular films), the lack of punch in the script and even the high predictability factor, then you are onboard for a fun ride with ‘Chennai Express’!
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