Pull the chain, stop this train!

Film: Chennai Express
Director: Rohit Shetty

“Don’t underestimate the power of a common man,” says Shah Rukh on numerous occasions in the film. The statement couldn’t be truer. With the crowd flooding films like Golmaals and Singham, the cinema of Rohit Shetty’s genre (we don’t have a name for it yet) has enough encouragement to bloom, and Chennai Express is a byproduct of the same sentiment.

A film whose fate cannot be altered even by a film critic with the abilities of Professor X, critiquing Chennai Express based on standard parameters would be an exercise in futility. Having said that, this film does not even live up to the standards of previous Rohit Shetty films. The film which starts off as an unabashed, in-your-face laugh ride derails (pun intended) into a set-piece drama from the nineties.

It tells the story of a 40-year-old single man, Rahul, who is assigned the task to immerse the remains of his dead grandfather in the sea at Rameshwaram. He boards the Chennai Express with a plan to cheat and leave for Goa with his friends. However, he has no idea that the hand he extends to help Meenama board the train in DDLJ fashion, will also bring him his life’s biggest conflict.

You see the film from Rahul’s perspective and therefore most of the humour is generated from his inability to understand Tamil and his forced attempt to stereotypically mimic the sounds. With a dearth of mind-blowingly hilarious moments, you have to make do mostly with whatever little banter Deepika and SRK share.

SRK’s effortless portrayal of Rahul relies heavily on the fact that he is playing his pet character on screen. From self-deprecating humour to puppy-face romantic looks to a beaten-to-pulp lover displaying courage, he puts his entire repertoire from DDLJ on display again.

Deepika, whose name quite fittingly appears before SRK’s in the opening credits, is the real star of this film. Her timely, accented punch-lines like “Kahaan se laiye ayisi bawkwaas dictionary?” and other cute Hindi phrases are what keep you upbeat during the endless 2.45 hours. And, the way she looks throughout the film, if enough girls watch the film, Deepika may be responsible for bringing sarees and half-sarees back into mass-fashion.

Apart from that, Chennai Express is a typical medium-distance journey in a second-class bogey. Rohit Shetty’s fetishes for cars toppling like dominos and fist fights with hefty people flying in all directions are stimulating on no level. Add to that a clichéd plot where Sathyaraj, who plays Meenama’s father Durgeshwara Azhagusundaram, finally let’s go of his daughter’s hand in the Jaa Simran Jaa sentiment, absolutely kills the mood.

Watch it for Deepika Padukone and a couple of chuckles, if you must. Most importantly, be careful common man, your attendance will make or break the film.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on August 10, 2013

King's Speech - An Interaction With Shah Rukh Khan

The journey of a thousand miles, it is said, begins with a single step. For Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed king of Bollywood, the journey has been long and eventful. The first step of his journey, which saw him act in over 75 films on the large screen, was on the small screen where he made his debut in Fauji. Shah Rukh's association with the most beloved piece for furniture in every household (read television) has only grown since.

Having acted in Circus, Wagle ki Duniya, Dil Dariya and many other TV series in the early stages of his career, Shah Rukh has since hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati and Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain?. His relation with television goes back many a days. Speaking at the launch of Zee Cine Awards, Shah Rukh was visibly happy at the 20 years of Zee, and said, "It is a great achievement. We were present at the inception of Zee, which was India's first satellite channel. It was a time when the idea that something like this could be created and presented to the people was quite unbelievable."

Acknowledging the past glory of the medium, Shah Rukh also envisioned a future for film actors to collaborate into television ventures. "Yes, there have been many occasions where film stars have hosted TV shows but I absolutely don't mind acting in a TV series. The trend is already present in the US where big film stars venture into TV series. Ultimately, we like to tell stories and if a good story is waiting to be told, why would we have a problem?" says the King.

Khan who has more than a billion fans across the world has surfaced as more than just an actor. He is a shrewd businessman who has invested and indulged in all spheres of his interest. Owner of an IPL team and a production house, Shah Rukh has also invested in Red Chillies VFX, a wing of Red Chillies that specifically deals with special effects. "I believe that we are capable of competing with the international standards in terms of graphics and visual effects. We have the machinery and the skill to deliver quality output at an affordable price and visual effects is the way ahead," he says. Speaking about the prevalent mediocrity, he adds, "It is sad that we are okay with what we have. We are okay with our stunts being filmed with the harness visible. That isn't acceptable to me. We must strive for excellence and we are doing that. Ra.One was an attempt at doing that and right now we are working on Krrish 3 too."

But all his interests aside, King Khan says that it is acting that makes him happy. The veteran actor, known across the fraternity for his energy, says that he wants to act as long as he can. "I remember a time, a few years ago when I was frustrated on a shoot due to too much work. Saroj Khan approached me then and told me to leave all the whining for when I am out of work and to soak it all in while it lasts. That's what I have been doing," says Shah Rukh, who is currently shooting Rohit Shetty's next film, Chennai Express. "I try to complete at least two films a year and fit in another half, maybe. The past few years have been a little slow because of my injury but I try to make up for it and enjoy what I do," he adds.

Shah Rukh's bio-data has a list of awards and laurels that gives the amount of work he has done a run for its money. Explaining his distinctive opinion on the awards, "I like all kinds of awards and like all of them. I have received a fresh face award, a power award and what not! Like other kids ask their fathers what toy he brought them today; my kids ask me what award I got home," he humorously states. On a serious note though, he adds, "Viewers' choice awards are great for the popular cinema and then there are critics awards which acknowledge some special performances that would miss out because of the star system that dominates the popular category awards. But we are artists and all we need is applause, no matter where it comes from."

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on December 22, 2012

A Mundane Curtain Call

The film had a lot running on it – apart from the baggage of Yash Chopra that was unavoidably thrust upon it, the film was Shah Rukh’s return as the real romantic hero; add to that AR Rahman’s music and Gulzar’s lyrics. However, like most films that crumble under the weight of heavy expectations, Jab Tak Hai Jaan falls short of writing itself in history as anything other than the final trick Yash Chopra’s magic hat.

Yash Chopra was known to have mastered the technique of making the audience suspend their abilities to think rationally and buy into his premise. The larger than life characters and dramatic dialogues take you into a world that exists only in imaginariums.

The story of the three central characters is largely derivative and lacks originality. The plot points are loose pit-stops in the scheme of things and are not strong enough. The screenplay takes help from recent box office and critical successes – especially the parts where Samar Anand (SRK) is disposing bombs for the Indian Army leave you with clear flashes of scenes from Hurt Locker. A song in the film also resembles, in bits and pieces, another song from last year’s big hit Rockstar. However, majority of the desired audience of the film doesn’t buy the ticket for the story, thereby making the flaws in the plot unimportant. The film has a few typical Yash Chopra moments but comes across as a forced attempt than the effortlessness in his earlier films.

Nevertheless, even die-hard Shah Rukh fans might see a depleted superstar making futile attempts to appear young and romantic. Let’s face it, a 47-year-old face can barely muster up the innocence of a first love and the hurt of a first heartbreak. Shah Rukh’s inefficiency to fulfill the chocolate boy is just one nail in that coffin.

Katrina Kaif, yet again, lets her bust do the acting and is extremely dull and, after a point, it becomes unbearable to listen to dialogues coming out of a stone face. Anushka Sharma, who plays a documentary filmmaker, appears to be on a perpetual high (we suspect Prozac). Her character of Akira fails in portraying both the class of Kurosawa (her apparent namesake) and the zest of a young girl.

In terms of its music, the entire soundtrack will be out of your playlist in less than three days – highly shocking for such forgettable work from AR Rahman. Gulzar’s lyrics too, are simplistic but lack the elegance of Dil toh baccha hai ji.

For a cinema fanatic in India, ie everyone, it is impossible to ignore this film. The final presentation of one of the legends of the industry, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a great reminder of the delightful experiences all of us have had thanks to Yash Chopra. Albeit the film isn’t in the same league as Waqt or Deewaar or Trishul, missing it wouldn’t be the best decision. SRK fans, watch it for your hero, the rest of you can watch it as a mark of respect to the pal do pal ka shayar.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on November 14, 2012

5 Films: Only SRK Fans Must Have Seen

Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (1995)

For an actor in the formative period of his career, Ketan Mehta's Oh Darling was quite a risk for Shah Rukh. A film that was a little ahead of its time, in terms of content and presentation, came across as outright ridicluous and was largely misunderstood. For Shah Rukh, it was a bold decision to participate in a film that is perhaps an expression of satire in a country that wasn't ready for it. With fight sequences choreographed to mock the song and dance sequences in the rain, this film was a deep comment that very few people reached out to understand.

Paheli (2005)

This Amol Palekar film, an adaptation of a short story, was at the box office for a lesser time than a hummingbird spends around a flower. Shah Rukh plays a double role, one of Lachchi's husband Kishen, and a ghost who takes the form of Kishen. An old folk story narrated by puppets, this film, just like Swades, was Shah Rukh's attempt at changing his image. The film was critically acclaimed and was a hit abroad, it was also India's official entry to the Oscars that year. However, in India, only fanatic SRK fans made the movie last in the theatres for the short duration that it did.

Guddu (1995) 

Prem Lalwani's Guddu is a film that marks a specific era in the career of the superstar. After his brief stint as a negative character in Darr, Anjaam and Baazigar; this was Shah Rukh's first film as a good guy in a stand alone film, having just finished Karan Arjun. Guddu tales a complex tale of human relationships and its predicaments and, barring a few implausibilities and crude dramatic elements, is a sweet film that captures emotions and relations in the right vein.

Ram Jaane (1995)

Of all Shah Rukh Khan films which feature him 'in and as', Ram Jaane is perhaps the worst 'as' to be in. This Rajiv Mehra film shows SRK as a nameless orphan who adopts the name after a priest responds to what his name is with 'Ram Jaane'. SRK makes his return as a villain for the first time after Anjaam and Ram Jaane portrays him as a negative character that is in the grey area and was a very crass and ordinary drama. The film received mixed reactions from the audience and did well at the box office, but is not a film Shah Rukh will be remembered for. However, a true blue fan would say, Ram Jaane why some people didn't like it.

Koyla (1997) 

In a year that saw the superstar's Yes Boss, Pardes and Dil Toh Pagal Hai hit the silverscreen; Rakesh Roshan's Koyla was the black sheep of the bunch. A mute Shah Rukh, a damsel in distress Madhuri Dixit and an evil Amrish Puri as an aged scoundrel; the film is an extension of the dead and buried genre of feudal drama. The oppressor inflicts pain and when the lid blows, the oppressed revolt and order is achieved. The melodrama was appreciated for some of the songs but was, in more ways than one, ordinary.

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on November 2, 2012