CHENNAI EXPRESS

Firstly, for getting the actresses' name to appear before the actor's on the credit titles- Salute!

If you get the humor, you are on track. Rohit Shetty’s sense of humor will certainly appeal to the larger section of audience, the classes might feel left out, but the masses will receive ample whistle-moments in larger than life action sequences, romance and well intended humor. Like they say, you can’t please everyone.

Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) on-boards the Chennai Express to dupe his grandmother who has asked him to immerse the ashes of his grandfather in Ramesvaram. But instead of meeting his filthy brained pals, he ends up meeting the good hearted, runaway bride, Meena (Deepika Padukone), who is the daughter of a Don in Komban village of Tamil Nadu and gets stuck up with her. The two try to escape the goons by running away.

If the script of Chennai Express is keenly observed, one may hardly find any new angle in the storyline. But the film’s presentation and its humor bring about all the difference. They provide for stuff unseen before. Watch out for the manner in which Shetty transitions from one scene to the other in several places. It is a visual delight. Of course the director has done this in his previous films; here it seems more sophisticated.

The film seems to leverage upon the fact that it has as its lead actor, none other than Shah Rukh Khan. The beginning scene in Chennai Express has been popularly termed as the spoof of SRK’s DDLJ train sequence. Well it is a spoof very well done! Just notice the change in music each time SRK lends out his hand (with all the love!) off the train. If that is not funny for you, you have missed out the Khan- Shetty sense of humor, that the film is essentially all about and have boarded the wrong train!

The script is simple and proceeds with ease. Shah Rukh Khan does a wonderful job. His comic timing is perfect and he is a visual delight on the 70mm (even otherwise). Be it action, romance (needless to say) or comedy, his experience at everything shows off with brilliance. Deepika Padukone lends a fantastic support. Her Tamilian-Hindi accent is very praiseworthy. Surely, many will try to imitate it after watching this one! The part in which they communicate by singing songs in life threatening situations is hilarious! Kudos! There is a lot of Tamil spoken undoubtedly but unexpectedly, this is used to maintain suspense in one scene.

This is a comedy film. So it’s delightful to note how it never lets go off the humor angle even amidst all the melodramatic scenes that add depth to the movie. All the Tamil to Hindi comedy is very wittily done. Kudos to the writers for innumerable lines that have a well intended sense of humor. For example, the one in which SRK says, “Tu Don ki nahi Donkey ki ladki hai!” It is funny to watch SRK hit on a lady sitting right opposite to him by singing “Tujhe dekha to…”! Also a variation in his character, Rahul, is brought about very well. The sequences in which she falls in love with him and he falls in love with her are very convincing. The latter part is scripted well with a dialogue fit to win hearts. In fact there are many hearty moments- The fight for love, the strength of love, doing the right thing by facing a problem and finally a good deed by the goon men. It’s probably nothing you haven’t seen before but these are glue elements that hook the audience.

Music and choreography are very well done. The colorful songs look beautiful on screen.

Such comedies are termed brainless, but the fact is you need intelligence to twist and turn words, sentences, languages and in the case of this one, even songs. So don’t miss the chance! Get on the train and watch out for everything up till the Lungi Dance!

RATING- 4 stars