Chennai Express - Get on the train baby, but leave behind your brain baby!

I usually got for movies when I have heard good enough about them – and by good enough, I mean good story/power packed performance/soul stirring music/superior screenplay etc etc. So when I had to justify Mr. Hubby why I suddenly wanted to watch Chennai Express, a movie I was all frowns for since the promos began, it was a tough one. I had ignored all the hype and publicity, however, when every morning, the Radio Jockeys told of new records being broken, I wondered what it was that was doing so well for the movie. So, while majority of the crowd outside the theatre jostled to get their “Madras Café” tickets this Saturday, I quietly asked the staff at the ticket window for my Chennai Express ticket.

Must appreciate SRK for playing his age…has tried everything, his lucky name Rahul, heavy duty promotion, even Yo yo Honey Singh  to get the movie on with the aam junta. The middle aged grandson of a famous Mithai shop sets out on a journey from Mumbai to immerse his grandfather’s ashes in Rameshwaram…just one twist…this Rameshwaram is actually Goa. One lie leads to the other and to keep his grandmother’s faith he even boards the Chennai Express (although he plans to get down at the next station and join his childhood buddies on an all guy trip to Goa!). In comes Meenalochini (Deepika Padukone), with her beautiful South Indian accent and equally dangerous Don connection and  Rahul’s life changes forever. The chain of events sees him forced to accompany Meena and her bhai log to her village.

What happens next is a series of humorous moments, songs, and some emotional scenes to get the story going. The Sri Lanka boat scene and the marriage ritual scene reminded me of essays we had to write in exams – there used to be a minimum and a maximum word limit. Perhaps the Director too had to display his "Bhakwaas" ideas for full 141 minutes. So while there were some good scenes, there was no shortage of redundant scenes the director filled up all across by bribing the editor.

Boy meets girl, gets trapped in her don father’s territory because of her one lie, runs away, comes back, runs away again, this time with the girl…some age old senti moments, one song here and there…a climax with some action…typical SRK emotional drama with a frequent “Chennnaiiiiiii..Chennai Express as if to remind u of the movie name to cover up the weak grip of the story….u feel motivated? Well, I don’t.

If I write more about the story, there won’t be any motivation left for you to watch the movie. So lemme jump on to the good part…yes there was a good part to the movie as well. And that was Deepika. She has been a lucky mascot for SRK (Om Shanti Om, Billu). This time, the leggy lass outshone the king khan with her full clad girl next door look and a very cute South Indian accent. It was a treat to watch her utter dialogues in the typical accent and sing across the messages to an amused SRK in Bollywood parodies.

Music is good, atleast worth donning the phone playlist till some new blockbuster comes in.

I know most of u, like me would have already watched the movie, to see what the hype is all about, or worse still, due to shortage of good releases recently. But for those who haven’t seen yet, I suggest u can wait and catch the movie when TV channels decide to purchase the rights.

So, get on the train baby, but leave behind your brain baby!

Enjoy the movie while your mind relaxes back home!

And no prizes for guessing my favorite scene from the movie…

“Kahan se laye tum aiseee Bhakwaas dictionary?” Mr. Hubby and I have been forcefully garnishing our sentences with the customery “Bhakwaas”..:)

My rating: 2/5