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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Any attempt to intellectualise Chennai Express is futile. This film is unabashedly juvenile in its sense of humour and entertainment. Shah Rukh Khan is in full-on self deprecation mode. Deepika Padukone speaks in a caricature-ish Tamil accent. More than half the film’s dialogue is in Tamil. The story arc is so simple that you can fit it in a single tweet. Despite all its shortcomings, this is still a funny film. Rohit Shetty makes chettinad-style masala movies. And that’s the perfect description of this film.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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’!

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.