Chennai Express may be a so-called super hit despite the fact that the theatres are only filled to 60% of capacity in its 3rd week. The era of silver jubilees and golden jubilees are long over. Nowadays, producers are relieved if their movie runs for at least two weeks.
It is very easy to understand that the mainstream media like Times of India can be easily bought for sharing manipulated data about box office collections of movies. For the last few weeks, TOI is regularly carrying interviews of Shah Rukh, going to the extent of publishing his childhood photographs and information about his maternal grandfather. Shah Rukh went crazy promoting the movie before its release. The movie is at the most a one-time watch.
We can pity the audience who laugh at some of the silliest jokes in the movie. This shows a terrible dearth of real comedy in Hindi movies and deterioration in the audience tastes. Shah rukh’s age clearly shows and Tamilians are not going to forget the way he has portrayed Tamil characters as caricatures in the movie.
Can’t believe that this is the same King Khan who gave us the memorable “Darr” and “Bazigar” ! How the mighty have fallen ! What a let-down ! Rohit Shetty gets minus points for undoing the little good work that he did in “Bol Bachan” and “Singam”.
I complete agree with Jaya Bachchan who once said that “ Today, movies run because of stars and not because of content”. If Shahid Kapoor or Ranveer Singh had played the role of Shah Rukh, the film would have bitten the dust. The film’s collections can be solely attributed to the star allure of King Khan. By the way, Shah Rukh is my favourite actor and I am only anguished by the fact that the great actor is forced to do such roles that are completely devoid of logic. He struggles hard to fight his age and bring a few laughs.
Here are the 12 reasons why the movie sucks :
1. None of the songs are worth humming. By the way, who is the music director who has done so much injustice to Shah Rukh?
2. The lungi dance at the end of the movie is atrocious. What was the need to pay homage to a living actor like Rajnikanth? Where is the connection?
3. A veteran actress like Kamini Kaushal deserved a better deal. Her name does not appear in the credits though Deepika’s name appears prominently. It is pathetic to see such a senior actress wasted in a 10-second role.
4. How come Deepika’s character speaks English and Hindi so fluently but falters in Tamil? What exactly was she doing in Mumbai?
5. How can the villain (Pankaj Dheer’s son), who looks like Tamil actor Napolean, who is supposedly a Tamilian, speak such atrocious Tamil?
6. At the most critical juncture in the movie, both Shah rukh and Deepika break into an antakshari and worse the villain too takes part in it (by singing the Chammak Challo song).
7. The climax fights are tiring. When will Bollywood come out of its dirty habit of keeping pots, buckets and other accessories and showing them getting dismantled during a fight ? Rohit Shetty Sir, in how many more movies, are we going to see the glasses in auto rickshaws getting broken by the hero’s head and vehicles catching fire ? Your action sequences are becoming a big bore.
8. The movie completely slumps post-interval. We get impatient as to when the movie will end.
9. Rohit Shetty has picked up actors from Tamil cinema and television and they are all mere props and look like glorified extras. Poor things – we can’t blame them, they must have got good money for such 2-minute appearances. It is sad to see Satyaraj and Delhi Ganesh stoop so low.
10. As far as Deepika’s father’s role goes – what does Satyaraj have to do except utter – “Ennama Kannu” to Shah Rukh and stare ferociously. His role hardly has any substance and believe me, it gets damn irritating to see Satyaraj and the hundred extras surrounding him, again and again with the chakoos and talwars. Satyaraj is an accomplished actor in Tamil movies and he need not have played an “extra” in a Shah rukh Khan movie. Hence, one feels that Rohit Shetty has done great injustice to Tamilians. He has portrayed Tamilians in a poor light as if all that they do is pick up a knife and fight at the drop of a hat.
11. The storyline of the movie is wafer thin.
12. Before the climax, Shah Rukh and Deepika are travelling in a car and the former reaches the latter’s village. All of a sudden, Deepika’s costumes change. How ? What about continuity of the scenes Mr Shetty?
Other bloopers
1. Somebody has grossly misguided Rohit Shetty. He could have thought of a better name for the village instead of “Komban”.
2. “Thanga bali” is not a Tamilian name at all. “Bali” actually means slaughter. But Rohit Shetty has been led down the rabbit hole in naming his villain as “Thanga bali”.
3. Literally, every village is shown in the movie as having a home with 100 family members living in it. Whom are they kidding?
4. Hard to believe that, villagers are so kind and considerate enough to give an Armada jeep to the hero after knowing him for only 2 days. Which villagers are so generous?
5. Was the scene in which Deepika screams at night necessary? It may have been included for comic effect, but sorry Mr Shetty, the scene falls flat.
6. In how many more movies are we going to watch the “mother” sentiment ?
7. What was the role of the midget actor who converses with Shah Rukh Khan in a sign language in the forest when he asks the former for directions? Sorry, it was least funny.
