Chennai Express : Movie Review

3500 screens in India and 700 overseas – Director Rohit Shetty’s much-awaited and much-hyped ‘Chennai Express’ is the widest Hindi film release till date. Add to that, the mammoth star power of SRK and the onscreen hit pair of SRK-Deepika… your expectations are bound to soar. Does ‘Chennai Express’ meet the humongous expectations? Let’s find out!

40-year old Rahul (SRK) embarks on a vacation to Goa and boards the Chennai Express to hoodwink his grandmother. Enter Meenamma (Deepika Padukone), the daughter of a don not willing to settle down with her father’s choice.

There are three stars in the movie –

SRK, Deepika and the Director himself. Rohit Shetty is among the most successful commercial directors we have today and has the most number of 100-crore films to his credit (i.e. three). His rule – entertain the audience, make movies for the masses and pull in the crowd. ‘Chennai Express’ is no exception. It is what you call a typical commercial masala potboiler… there is romance, comedy, action (yes… cars are blown up too) and much more. I must admit here that I am not really a fan of his style of film-making though I have enjoyed most of his movies except the over-rated ‘Golmaal’ sequels. Slapstick and loud comedy isn’t something I enjoy much though it is okay if given in right doses. Right from the first trailer, we knew it would be a ‘Rohit Shetty-issshtyle’ movie (!) and so it is.

There is nothing new, novel or path-breaking in the plot but on second thought, when did the makers promise one? The movie dips post-interval for some twenty odd minutes and there are over-stretched scenes. Music (Vishal-Shekhar) is strictly okay. While ‘1234’ and ‘Lungi Dance’ are foot-tapping, ‘Titli’ is soft and music to ears but definitely, not very memorable. Dialogues are good and what makes them better is the narration by SRK in his trademark wit.

SRK is at his charming best, enjoying his superstardom and also going over-the-top in comedy as per the need of the script. His fans will not be disappointed. He gets to do some nice action as well, especially towards the climax. It is an entertaining performance but not among his best (you were not expecting that from a Rohit Shetty movie… were you?). Deepika Padukone is getting better with each movie. She is a delight to watch and her quirky Tamil accent coupled with her good comic timing just proves what a fine actress she is turning out to be. The onscreen chemistry between the two (paired together after ‘Om Shanti Om’) is sizzling and they are so much fun to watch. The supporting cast is perfect.

Watch it or not: Doesn’t matter… you will watch it anyway! Yes… it is the kind of movie you will watch with your family and get entertained. Stay away if you can’t at all stand typical commercial cinema.

At the Box-Office: Reviews will be mixed but… Records will be broken (and again broken later)! Figures will be huge starting with the paid previews itself. I’m expecting it

to easily cross 180 crores at the Domestic Box-Office alone. Even in worst-case scenario, it will cross 100 crores. The fate of next week’s biggie ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara’ will decide if ‘Chennai Express’ will make it to the 200-Crore Club.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!