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.

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.