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Chennai Express backdrop

Chennai Express

8 August 2013Hindi2h 21m
out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 18 scored reviews · 3 not rated

Padukone shines, but SRK's mugging and a thin script weigh down this noisy masala ride.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Deepika Padukone's engaging performance
  • Criticised: Weak script and SRK's overacting

Audience

User score 6.9 out of 10 from 25 ratings, Mixed
Read 16 audience reviews ↓
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Critic consensus

What 21 critics are saying

Critical reception for Chennai Express was mixed-to-average, with most reviewers acknowledging it as an unapologetic, loud masala entertainer that delivers intermittent fun for audiences willing to disengage from logic and narrative coherence. Deepika Padukone was singled out by multiple critics as a genuine highlight, with several noting she outperformed her leading man. Shah Rukh Khan's performance drew the sharpest division, with detractors calling it overacted and self-indulgent while a minority found his comic energy worthwhile. Common criticisms included a weak, predictable script, an overreliance on DDLJ callbacks, a sluggish second half, and humor that wears thin through repetition.

How the 18 scores spread

3 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 21 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (21)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    Chennai Express is a full-on masala film that is completely unapologetic about its intentions. And that is its USP.
  2. Top critic

    Deccan Chronicle

    Film review ·

    He's on a high, jumping-jackflashin', jibing and jousting, picking up a sickle as if it was bottled pickle, all in a desperate bid to tickle your funny bone. Sorry, except for a few stray laugh-out-loudish moments, here's a bad trip. Shah Rukh Khan springs no surprises, re-rendering every old trick in the acting book. Indeed, it's disheartening to see him overact. Gratifyingly, Deepika Padukone sparkles: consistently radiant and restrained in the mayhem.
  3. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    The laughs came intermittently through the first half, and I was still sitting in my seat at the interval. And then it turned into the same old story : the plot, which was thinner than a self-respecting wafer to start with, just gives up and dies, and the lead pair, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone stop talking to each other and begin posturing. They have no competition from anything else : the trademark Shetty bang bang –car chases, jeeps blowing up, large groups of people charging at each other—is by now more eye glaze than ever.
  4. Top critic

    Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    So it breaks my heart to tell you that Chennai Express left me cold. This hyper, eager-to-please Rahul sorely tested my patience. And after a while, the innumerable references to DDLJ seemed like a lazy shot at siphoning some of the enduring affection we have for that film.
  5. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    How to put this politely? It's a big, fat bore. A bloated vanity project for an actor capable of so much more.
  6. Top critic

    Rediff

    Film review ·

    Chennai Express is, in a way, full circle for Deepika Padukone as she — enervated by box-office success and increasingly self-aware as an actress — holds up her end of the film far better, and more consistently than her leading man. She makes an effort; he makes faces. And he's never seemed more at sea.
  7. Bollywood Hungama

    Film review ·

    CHENNAI EXPRESS has the trademark Rohit Shetty stamp all over. You seek entertainment, entertainment and entertainment in a film like CHENNAI EXPRESS and the movie lives up to the hype and hoopla surrounding it. The tremendous craze surrounding the film, the Rohit Shetty - SRK - Deepika combo, the Eid release, besides the extensive release strategy by UTV, should ensure a record-breaking start for this biggie. Right from the paid previews to the opening weekend to Week 1, CHENNAI EXPRESS should be on a glorious march in days to come, setting new records in India and also in the international markets. All you lovers of masala movies, board this Express pronto!
  8. Bollyspice

    Film review ·

    On the whole, Chennai Express has a masala of comedy, action, romance and drama which will keep you entertained from beginning to end. Though it is by no means perfect, Rohit Shetty does handle the majority of this film quite well; which may be of some inspiration for future filmmakers seeking to produce and direct a fresh Bollywood comedy. In addition, it can be safely said that Chennai Express ends Shah Rukh Khan's lean phase, given that he starred in some less appreciated films in recent years. With Chennai Express, you will see the King of Bollywood back at his best and proving that he still has the talent and determination needed to keep audiences entertained. Thus, make the time to get on this train and witness a delightful story unfolds before your eyes!
  9. DNA India

    Film review ·

    The sole purpose of Chennai Express is to entertain. And that it does. So grab a bucket of popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride.
  10. Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    Well, if you leave logic and some of your education behind, Chennai Express manages to get some chuckles out of you, keeps you entertained for part of it and also makes you sheepishly want to be silly and dance to the Lungi song. That's most of the battle won in this country, isn't it? Frontbenchers, rejoice.
  11. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    In an ode to his own cinema—read Golmaal series, Bol Bachchan, Rohit Shetty ishstyle, the director, who has grossers in Bollywood's 100-crore club, ups the scale for his Eid offering. Note: You may not like the film if Bollywood potboilers leave you cold
  12. India Today

    Film review ·

    He always had the lung power. This time Shah Rukh Khan, in a bid to prove he still remains at the top of his game, is out gunning to score with lungi power. Chennai Express is a loud and crazy experience, so what if you might just forget all of it even as you hit the exit door after the show. It's got the lungi power while it lasts.
  13. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    Chennai Express is another average fare which stars King Khan. He will make you laugh with his flawless comic timing, romance with Deepika with a flattering charm and Rohit Shetty helps him absorb some superhero powers as well by which he beats to pulp a man twice his size. Yes, the last part doesn't quite make sense but then Chennai Express comes with an unwritten statutory warning – it isn't supposed to embody logic but it is, nevertheless, quite fun! I am going with a 3/5. Go with your family and have a good time!
  14. Yahoo! India

    Film review ·

    If you are a die-hard Shah Rukh fan and if you can overlook the many indulgences of the Rohit Shetty-style of filmmaking there is no reason for you not to love this movie.
  15. Zee News

    Film review ·

    If you ignore the few clichés (the repetition of 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' scenes and the lines that we have heard SRK speaking in his popular films), the lack of punch in the script and even the high predictability factor, then you are onboard for a fun ride with 'Chennai Express'!
  16. Mumbai Mirror

    Film review ·

    An individual opinion in such critic-proof films is like a smashed up secondary car in a Rohit Shetty convoy: it amuses momentarily. Deepika Padukone is perhaps the best reason to watch this movie and her absurd accent only adds to her charm. Of course it only works when the dialogue is comical. Imagine how everything derails when she talks like that in emotional scenes. As for Shah Rukh Khan, one hopes he smashes all box office records so that he may take a moment and consider doing a film along the lines of a Kabhi Haan, Kabhi Naa, Swades, or a Chak De. Films that were not about the math.
  17. The Navhind Times

    Film review ·

    The fault is not so much with the director Rohit Shetty as it is with the writer Yunus Sajawal. If you see Sajawal saab's filmography, it will boggle your mind – Rascals, Do Knot Disturb, Tom, Dick, Harry, God Tussi Great ho and many other travesties are credited to him.
  18. Daily Bhaskar

    Film review ·

    Given the trailer, viewers in the theatre will probably look out for two things: lots of crackerjack humour, equal amounts of earth-shaking, gravity-defying assault on human bodies, cars, jeeps, and even the train. Throughout, at least I couldn't spot a single moment that had me even mildly chuckling. The stunts and car-nage is limited to two sequences, which is a small fraction for a film that clocks over 140 minutes. So should you feel cheated, sitting in this loud, chugging train to Chennai? Perhaps.
  19. Deccan Herald

    Film review ·

    The good news first. "Chennai Express" is a pleasant and likable film in parts. The bad news is, it does nothing for Shah Rukh Khan's imdomitable star power except to tell us he can still play a 40-year Rahul without faltering. That we already know.
  20. Emirates247

    Film review ·

    It's endearing at times, but the jokes are repeated so often that they lose shine. Rohit's carnival-like comedy coaxes some laughs, but can leave you exhausted. Make no mistake, 'Chennai Express' is fun, but the kind that Rohit endorses.

From our readers

Audience reviews (16)

25 ratings · user score 6.9

  1. sophia ajazAug 2013
    1/10

    Chennai Express is the 21st Hindi film to enter the (now stale/yawn) Rs 100 cr+ club. Taaliyan!!! (or should I say Gaaliyan). And there ends the objective for this documentary on Tamilnadu Tourism. When the occasion is festive (Eid), the hundi is ready to be filled up with eager ever-willing / spending fans, there is a blitzkrieg of non-stop media, marketing and money spent like water, crass promotion spree with games releases etc, an entire week's free-run, competition trounced (Marathi Duniyadari and Tamil Thalaiva), mammoth release (3500) with countless shows daily in multiplexes alone and single screens counting, with ticket prices raised, the stage has been set by the big daddies (financiers) to rip the gullible apart. And to hell with the movie and the story. A documentary would do. Welcome aboard the Tamil Express. Were Ramaiya Vastavaiya released on Eid day, it too'd've done 100+ cr business. So it'd make sense only if CE ends up dong 300-500+ cr business. Let's see the star power. Let's see if this docu can survive a week and meet the next biggie the next week. Manmohan Desai-Amitabh Bachchan, David Dhawan-Govinda and now RoHIT SHITty-Ajay Devgan was/is a sure-fire hit combo. Most of the time these combos rode on luck but at times their movies didn't succeed. Shitty is purely riding on luck and he extended the olive branch to the over-the-hill, unsure and faded SRK, who lapped it up like there was no tomorrow. And believe me, this is so true. CE has entered the club but where has it taken SRK? SRK has nothing new to offer. He has no more new milestones to cross or any records to set. The movie cannot add anything to him except fan his ego. It's time for SRK to reflect and re-invent himself. In a couple of years he'll be 50 and... Let me leave this here as we've to discuss something very important- the (non-existent) story. The lucky letter K is abundant here in the train journey from Kalyan-Karjat-Kambam (Theni) to Rameshwaram. Forget Kashmir to Kanyakumari. A 40+ virgin hero, who is unsure whether he is Michael Jackson, Jim Carrey or Rahul of yore (I mean 20+ RAHUL) or whatever and makes faces to pass it off for acting (I guess, SRK has done better in his ads and photo shoots). The hero doesn't understand Tamil (so how did the director presume the viewer could follow this 60% Tamil padam. Wouldn't it be better for us to watch a genuine Tamil film Thalaiva?). The heroine does the translation but otherwise there is no mandatory sub-titling. Never mind as most of the viewers are doing what the hero is doing - NODDING yes and no. (Wonderful pastime). The heroine speaks Hindi in a funny accent and Tamil even more so but she sings songs in PERFECT Hindi! The toy train journeys through cardboard scenery. Wonder of wonders, a 35k cellphone thrown out of the train lands intact on STONES and is still functioning (phone/internet/text) like it is in

  2. UBnAug 2013
    4/10

    Utter rubbish. Tasteless and Overacting. Not sure if this is a Hindi movie or a Tamil as 80% dialogues are in Tamil. SRK at his stupid best. No suprises if this also makes it to the 100 Cr club and Rohith Shetty come up with another sequel called Howra Express or Nizamudhin - Kachiguda Express. I would rate it 1 out of 5. 1 for the Music & the Lungi dance. Keep away if possible.

  3. PoojaAug 2013
    7/10

    A total entertaining movie with no story n menaing to the movie, just a laugh thru out....SRK as always good n looked better than his previous movie Jab Thak Hai Jaan with less make up....Deepika superb acting n looked toooo good in a typical south indian dresses....Rohith shetty pictured beautifully and a good prmotion for the tourism too.....the songs lungi dance, Titli n kashmir tu was very good....over all again entertaining movie.......

  4. Bollywood BaadshahAug 2013
    6/10

    I would say if anyone looking for meaning and logic in a movie.. u r better of buying 'BLACK' movie CD or wait for upcoming 'SATYAGRAHA'starring Amitabh rather than watching Chennai Express. This is total wacko comedy made for PJ viewers. Knowing its a Rohit shetty direction one should know what to expect.... Its time SRK hang his boots.. Its Deepika's all the way.

  5. 7/10

    Chennai Express. Given the fact that I watched it finally on TV with low expectations so I cannot say that I was disappointed. Of course, it is a brainless comic flick but it is charming in its own ways. It is said that comedy does not lie in actions, it lies in reactions. So it is not hard to observe that Shahrukh Khan plays the victim act quite up to the mark in most of the comic scenes. But movie belongs to Deepika Padukone who plays the bridge between Hindi and Tamil language dialogs and charms you with her subtle expressions and thick south Indian accent done quite right. Movie works in comic scenes but derails in last half an hour by putting extra song like Kashmir to Kanyakumari, out of context speech by hero and long DDLJ type fighting scene. All in all, SRK fans can easily survive the movie and it makes a good family entertainer when watching at home.

  6. 5/10

    Finally Eid is upon us & unlike the previous years, we have a SRK movie hitting the screens rather than Salman's. After the disappointing "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", SRK join hands with Rohit Shetty in the company of Deepika Padukone for "Chennai Express". The expectations are nigh high after all Rohit Shetty is the king of "no brainer entertainers" with an enviable track record. With the film already having an unprecedented wide release in 3500 screens in 10 different languages, it should have the records toppling left & right. Being not a great fan of Rohit's no brainers, I just hope it isnt the same old stuff. Hmm...let's see... Rahul (Oh SRK, back to his favourite screen name for the umpteenth time) is entrusted to fulfill the last wishes of his grandfather to have his ashes immersed in Rameshwaram. Though he embarks on this journey with an alternate plan in mind, it all goes topsy turvy thanks to Meenamma (Deepika) who is being escorted back to her village in Tamil Nadu against her wishes for marriage by her cousin brothers. Meenamma hatches a get away plan with Rahul, but will they manage to escape from the clutches of her father??? Frankly speaking, I have never been a fan of Rohit Shetty films except for "Singham" which I enjoyed even more than the original. It's common knowledge that his brand of film making involves gravity defying stunts & brainless comedies...in short, a complete masala entertainer, which has a lot of takers as evidenced by the number of blockbusters he has to his name. Over here as well, the story isn't much different except that it's far more sensible than his other ventures. There are some genuinely hilarious scenes but quite a few were repeated which gets irritating after a point like the conversation conveyed through songs or the oft repeated "Dont underestimate..." dialogue. SRK has done an impressive job especially in the parts he makes mockery of himself, though there are quite a couple of scenes where he overacts. Deepika has done total justice to her role & stays toe to toe with the superstar. As opposed to Rohit's other films, the action sequences are quite minimal with the climax stunt being well choreographed. Vishal Shekhar's music rocked with "Titli" &"1234" being my personal favourites while Dudley's visuals were breathtaking at times. Verdict: Pre-release hype, catchy music & unprecedented number of release centres will ensure that the film takes an earth shattering initial. In all probability, it will break all existing records & will be marching its way towards 200C in the long run. From a personal point of view, it's just about average but definitely better than the usual buffonery of Rohit's films!!! Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

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