I have grown up watching SRK movies, hence it is with mixed feelings that I watch his movies now. The thought of watching SRK's old movies again is far more appealing than that of watching his recent movies. Yet I go to the theatre every now and then, giving myself some excuse or another.
I was genuinely going to miss watching Jab Tak Hai Jaan, and couldn’t resist the combined pressure of the then-Yokefellow ("It is Yash Chopra's last movie") and the sibling (she likes Katrina). My parents were in town as well. Perhaps I didn't wish to resist after missing Ra.One and both Don movies in the theatre?
Perhaps.
“I am going to watch comedy and laugh a lot” – this was the reason I gave myself for Chennai Express. It is a poor reason, given that I get easily distracted while watching mindless movies. As it turned out, not getting tickets for the lone show of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the other reason. The sibling has been aggressively promoting the Milkha movie so much that I decided to go and watch it. I still cannot fathom the sight of Milkha dancing.
The promotion of Chennai Express was eye-catching, and everything looked straight out of a Tamil movie. People took offence at the accents.
I was genuinely going to miss watching Jab Tak Hai Jaan, and couldn’t resist the combined pressure of the then-Yokefellow ("It is Yash Chopra's last movie") and the sibling (she likes Katrina). My parents were in town as well. Perhaps I didn't wish to resist after missing Ra.One and both Don movies in the theatre?
Perhaps.
“I am going to watch comedy and laugh a lot” – this was the reason I gave myself for Chennai Express. It is a poor reason, given that I get easily distracted while watching mindless movies. As it turned out, not getting tickets for the lone show of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the other reason. The sibling has been aggressively promoting the Milkha movie so much that I decided to go and watch it. I still cannot fathom the sight of Milkha dancing.
The promotion of Chennai Express was eye-catching, and everything looked straight out of a Tamil movie. People took offence at the accents.
SRK said that he was the lone non-South Indian associated with the movie. That’s not true. The 6 feet 4, well-built Nikitin Dheer who played Tangaballi can’t pass off as a South-Indian even if everybody wishes. While casting Nikitin Dheer as the villain, why do filmmakers want us to believe that he will lose physical fights? Yes, I know that romance has to win / justice has to be awarded and all that idealism, yet against Dheer, it looks absurd. Hrithik’s Akbar looked somewhat convincing against him, and managed to win the fight. SRK’s puny Rahul had a different idea. His courage won Tangaballi’s heart, and he let go.
What did I like about this movie?
What did I like about this movie?
In the opening credits, Deepika's name appeared before that of SRK - this was a nice touch. Deepika’s Meena looks ravishing. SRK played a 40-year old and looked convincing. Some of the action sequences, especially the ones where SRK is driving an orange coloured jeep, are nicely done. The usage of Tamil and some Malayalam is nice – it feels good to understand other Indian languages, particularly when I find myself stumble through the Punjabi used in movies I like (for example, Fukrey). I could recognize Tamil actors in the movie – Sathyaraj, Delhi Ganesh, the priest in the village where Rahul and Meena take refuge. I couldn’t recognize Manorama though. I liked the references to SRK's earlier movies including "Dil Se" and DDLJ (of course), and the communication via songs.
“Telegram se leke twitter ke zamaane tak woh zinda rahe. Poori zindagi ji unhone.”
I also liked the take on death – Rahul’s Sachin Tendulkar-loving grandfather (played by Lekh Tandon who is supposed to have discovered SRK) “getting out” on 99, how Rahul reacts to his parents’ death when he was 8, and the news about Meena’s mother’s death.
As a kid, I heard the song that went “Ennama kannu, soukiyama?”. Regular Tamil movie-watchers, did this line get used later in some eve-teasing context? So when Sathyaraj goes “Ennama kannu” repeatedly, I was quite thankful that Rahul makes fun of it towards the end.
“Lungi dance” – sung by Honey Singh is a earworm. I can imagine it being played on the dance floors at b-schools and perhaps in dance floors outside as well. The tune is catchy, and everybody who watches Indian movies these days seems to swear by their allegiance to the Thalaiva. I am not a fan of Rajnikanth or Honey Singh (I am speechless at how he gets so many songs despite his horrible song of last year), and yet liked the way this song has been picturised. Go ahead, take offence.
I tweeted to the film critic post this review, and received a neat “thanks” in response. Among other stuff, I found myself nodding about the “clever update on facebook.” It did cross my mind – several updates did, and then I let them all be.
“I think I should stick to watching movies that make 00 crores”
“Rahul. Naam kyun suna maine?”
I didn’t mind the brief sermon delivered by Rahul on what it means for women to be truly independent, though speaking to a powerful Don in a reasonable manner seemed silly.
And yes, it was wonderful to discuss the movie with Manali. We spent some time looking through the wiki entry when we were wondering about the locations used in the movie.
Now, coming to the bits I didn’t like.
Why did the Sardar character have to be introduced? Or for that matter the Sri Lankan smugglers?
More than the accent, I get annoyed when a language isn’t spoken correctly. Deepika’s accent isn’t the problem. When she mixes gender and says, “Kamban goan jaati. Chennai express se.” it is annoying. It reminded me of the focus on “shudh bhaasha” in this movie.
“Garu” makes an appearance – this is clearly Telugu. A smattering of Malayalam also appears in the form of the truck driver who calls out to Ayyappan just as all stereotypical Mallus do. Each language has its nuance. Why confuse them all?
“One two three four” is sung in perfect Hindi apart from the strong start in Tamil. If I didn’t know it was a Hindi movie, I would have easily mistaken it for a Tamil song – the music is overwhelmingly Tamil, and so are the dance steps. How did the dappan koothu dancer sing in perfect Hindi and speak about shaking booty?
I am waiting for 2 States. It better get the stereotypes right, and I hope there’s lots of English to boot.
“Telegram se leke twitter ke zamaane tak woh zinda rahe. Poori zindagi ji unhone.”
I also liked the take on death – Rahul’s Sachin Tendulkar-loving grandfather (played by Lekh Tandon who is supposed to have discovered SRK) “getting out” on 99, how Rahul reacts to his parents’ death when he was 8, and the news about Meena’s mother’s death.
As a kid, I heard the song that went “Ennama kannu, soukiyama?”. Regular Tamil movie-watchers, did this line get used later in some eve-teasing context? So when Sathyaraj goes “Ennama kannu” repeatedly, I was quite thankful that Rahul makes fun of it towards the end.
“Lungi dance” – sung by Honey Singh is a earworm. I can imagine it being played on the dance floors at b-schools and perhaps in dance floors outside as well. The tune is catchy, and everybody who watches Indian movies these days seems to swear by their allegiance to the Thalaiva. I am not a fan of Rajnikanth or Honey Singh (I am speechless at how he gets so many songs despite his horrible song of last year), and yet liked the way this song has been picturised. Go ahead, take offence.
I tweeted to the film critic post this review, and received a neat “thanks” in response. Among other stuff, I found myself nodding about the “clever update on facebook.” It did cross my mind – several updates did, and then I let them all be.
“I think I should stick to watching movies that make 00 crores”
“Rahul. Naam kyun suna maine?”
I didn’t mind the brief sermon delivered by Rahul on what it means for women to be truly independent, though speaking to a powerful Don in a reasonable manner seemed silly.
And yes, it was wonderful to discuss the movie with Manali. We spent some time looking through the wiki entry when we were wondering about the locations used in the movie.
Now, coming to the bits I didn’t like.
Why did the Sardar character have to be introduced? Or for that matter the Sri Lankan smugglers?
More than the accent, I get annoyed when a language isn’t spoken correctly. Deepika’s accent isn’t the problem. When she mixes gender and says, “Kamban goan jaati. Chennai express se.” it is annoying. It reminded me of the focus on “shudh bhaasha” in this movie.
“Garu” makes an appearance – this is clearly Telugu. A smattering of Malayalam also appears in the form of the truck driver who calls out to Ayyappan just as all stereotypical Mallus do. Each language has its nuance. Why confuse them all?
“One two three four” is sung in perfect Hindi apart from the strong start in Tamil. If I didn’t know it was a Hindi movie, I would have easily mistaken it for a Tamil song – the music is overwhelmingly Tamil, and so are the dance steps. How did the dappan koothu dancer sing in perfect Hindi and speak about shaking booty?
I am waiting for 2 States. It better get the stereotypes right, and I hope there’s lots of English to boot.
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