Will Chennai Express Flare or Fizzle?

While audiences are already going oo-la-la about the film’s first looks and the lungi adorned SRK-Deepika combo, the question that arises is will Chennai Express live upto its expectations? The first time coalition of Rohit Shetty and Shah Rukh Khan also marks SRK’s first liaison with the Ronnie Screwwala headed UTV banner. While Rohit and his lucky mascot Ajay Devgn have gone on records to score super-hits one after the other, all eyes are set upon this excitingly new and refreshing director-actor pair to deliver huge at the Box Office. The Bol Bachchan director, who is at his creative best with this special genre of films today, is eyeing a bumper opening and a speedier run of his Chennai Express with the superstar in tow.

Shah Rukh, who has ruled the Bollywood arena for over a decade now, has been losing out his domestic box office strength to a much powerful mass entertainer Salman Khan, off late. Though his films have also been working well at the box office, with his last three releases namely Ra. One, Don 2 and Jab Tak Hai Jaan shelling up over 100 crores each, his stardom is at stake with most A-list actors taking the idli-dosa route. Chennai Express, which is touted to be a mass entertainer with dollops of South Indian mirch-masala is also SRK’s first hand experience at the genre and by the circumstances that he is already in, Shah Rukh needs to score real big with this biggie in his kitty.

The ultimate Romantic Hero that this generation has ever seen, Shah Rukh is all set to mix his romantic genes with some grueling action sequences, that were a part of his previous films too, but at a much lesser rate. The action camaraderie that he is about to take on, has been the point of debate with mixed reviews from every nook and corner.  “Shah Rukh and action?” is what troubling Bollywood fanatic today, but with the array of films lined up for him, SRK is definitely trying to prove to the world that he is versatile and unputdownable as ever.

Another major focus of the film would be the chemistry between the lead pair. From Anushka Sharma to Asin, Katrina Kaif to Sonakshi Sinha, numerous names floated with the casting of the main lead opposite Shah Rukh. But Deepika Padukone, who clinched the trophy will be seen in a full fledged role, pivotal to the plot, which stands as a shift from the usual desi entertainers made today. While other films like Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore and Khiladi 786 had their lead heroines merely as showpieces, Deepika in Chennai Express seems to have a lot to deliver, performance wise. And with the recent sparkle with the Shah Rukh-Katrina chemistry, expectations from the SRK-Deepika duo is sky rocketing, given the successful tryst they shared in the reincarnation saga Om Shanti Om.

With Chennai Express fuelling up debates everywhere and storming the Bollywood territory, it is only left to time to say whether Chennai Express will flare or fizzle while we continue debating for the same!