Chennai Express
Year: 2013
Director: Rohit Shetty
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone

Say what you may about Rohit Shetty’s films. Call them silly, crude, crass, mindless and other things in the same vein. But I sincerely admire the unassuming, affable fellow. Making these so-called brainless mass entertainers requires a lot of intelligence and the man seems to have that in abundance. He made his debut in 2003 with a dud called Zameen but since the time, he made Gomaal (2005) and combined his wits with Ajay Devgan, he has delivered hits at will. The Golmaal-triad, All The Best, Bol Bachchan and Singham have proved Shetty’s mastery on making money-making mass entertainers, which rely on gross coarse humor and loads of action. In fact, he has earned the right to be called Bollywood’s most successful film-maker!

So naturally my curiosity was piqued when he decided to join hands with SRK to make Chennai Express. How does this unlikely first-time pairing fare on silver screen?

What’s the plot?

Going on the pretext of immersing his late grandfather’s ashes at Rameshwaram but actually planning to scoot to Goa for a rollicking vacation, a 40-something Mumbai-lad (Shahrukh Khan) ends up on Chennai Express. While attempting to rescue a damsel in distress (Deepika Padukone), a daughter of a South Indian don, he is hauled up and brought to the don’s household. The imaginative girl concocts a story and presents him as her lover to avoid an unwanted marriage with a criminal her father has selected for her. Now how will this cooked up love-story stand up in face of stiff resistance from the pissed off crime families?

What’s hot?

·         Overall light-hearted treatment with a few genuinely funny scenes.

·         Deepika Padukone carries this film on her shoulders, delivering an adorable performance as a spirited Southern belle.

·         The typical colorful look and feel of Shetty’s films gets a fillip with the beautiful South Indian locations.

What’s not?

·         Shahrukh Khan appears tired and tiresome; but still efficiently pulls off his standard comic and romantic routines.

·         The plot is wafer-thin and the comic punches are few, far-between and far-fetched.

·         The pacing is slow.

·         Loud and garish treatment.

Verdict

Shetty already said it loud and clear that it is not a movie for intellectuals. Let’s say that it is not a movie for anyone who expects the ‘meaningful’ cinema! It is a typical Masala movie featuring an ageing superstar, which lazily motors on while paying ‘tributes’ to his past films, cashing in on the stereotypical North-South culture clash and throwing in a soapy mix of comedy, romance, action and melodrama. If you are in a desperate mood to be amused, you may even find yourself smiling at the decidedly silly on-screen happenings!

The 200-plus crore box-office collection has already given the answer to the exasperated question – “Who will spend their hard-earned money to watch such tripe?”

Rating

2 and ½ stars