Will SRK say 'Chak de!' with 'Chennai Express'?

A super-duper hit from superstar Shah Rukh Khan is long overdue, says the industry. Though his magnetic personality pulls in fans for each of his films, they were not enough to make his last few films blockbusters. Now trade pundits are hoping that "Chennai Express" would taste box-office success and boost King Khan's fluctuating fortunes.

Shah Rukh has pulled out all stops to make this one a hit - from onground promotions across states, special appearances on the small screen, having the film's music played in restrooms of multiplexes and releasing it on an occasion as holy as Eid on Friday - King Khan has steered "Chennai Express" around all the right quarters.

In the recent past, the 47-year-old has showcased a variety in his roles - if he played a fictional version of himself in "Billu Barber", he portrayed Rizwan Khan, a character suffering from Asperger syndrome in "My Name Is Khan" with vengeance. His "Ra.One", one of the most expensive movies made in the country, gave SRK a superhero avatar, while "Don 2: The Chase Continues" brought him back as the villain, and "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" gave a window to his most-loved romantic streak.

"My Name Is Khan" fared better internationally. SRK himself admitted he could have done better with "Ra.One". And the fizz for "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" died soon after it was released.

Such lulls are not new in the Bollywood badshah's over two-decade-old career. Remember how post-"Main Hoon Na", his films "Swades", "Veer-Zaara" and "Paheli" won critical acclaim, but failed to elicit an overwhelming response at the box office?

Then 2006 release "Don" punched out the bad phase with its tremendous business, followed by two more blockbusters -"Om Shanti Om" and "Chak De! India" in the following year.

Now people are hoping for a winner in the Rohit Shetty directorial "Chennai Express", which sees SRK romancing his "Om Shanti Om" co-star Deepika Padukone.

More so, since it is only Farhan Akhtar-starrer "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" which has been holding the fort at the cash registers since four weeks now. Smaller films have come and gone, but the demand for "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", a biopic on ace athlete Milkha Singh, has been pacing ahead, crossing the Rs. 100 crore mark on Bollywood's racing track.

"Chennai Express", with its huge marketing campaigns and tie-ups, heavy duty promotions, eclectic catchy music, as well as a grand release of over 3,500 screens in the country and 700 screens abroad, is expected to outshine "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag". It is also being dubbed in nine languages - English, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Turkish and Malay.

" 'Chennai Express' is a commercial entertainer and has an obvious and enormous demand overseas with Deepika Padukone's and Shah Rukh Khan's fan base," says Amrita Pandey, executive director, International Distribution Studios, Disney UTV.

Nine months after failing to impress his fans with his true-romantic avatar in "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", SRK has taken the commercial action-comedy genre route, which is usually the trademark of his arch rival Salman Khan.

"'Chennai Express' is a comedy film with a love story, but it's definitely not like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' or 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It's a family entertainer. There's a little action too," SRK stated recently.

2 Comments

Recommended News

Recent News

Ranbir Kapoor Says Prabhas Impressed Him Ranbir Kapoor Says Prabhas Impressed Him The series of laurels on Prabhas for his performance in Baahubali 2 The Conclusion continues and most times it comes…… Boxoffice! Aamir Khan's Dangal grosses 300 Crores within a Week Boxoffice! Aamir Khan's Dangal grosses 300 Crores within a Week Aamir Khan's Dangal has turned out to be a money spinner this year end.The film based on the life of…… The Best Film of 2016 announced The Best Film of 2016 announced About 23 Film Critics assembled to pick up the finest feature films, actors and technicians of Bollywood for the year…… The Best Film of 2016 announced The Best Film of 2016 announced About 23 Film Critics assembled to pick up the finest feature films, actors and technicians of Bollywood for the year…… YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO KNOW DANGAL’S MONDAY COLLECTION ALONE YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO KNOW DANGAL’S MONDAY COLLECTION ALONE Aamir khan’s Dangal is making waves world over and carries both the tags, critical acclaim and commercial success along with…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLU BHAI! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLU BHAI! Salman Khan celebrates his birthday today (27th December).  The actor turns 51! Salman had just one release in 2016 which…… Aamir Khan’s Dangal astonishing 4th day collection Aamir Khan’s Dangal astonishing 4th day collection Aamir khan’s Dangal is making waves world over and carries both the tags, critical acclaim and commercial success along with…… Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ continues its dream run in South India Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ continues its dream run in South India Disney’s Dangal continues its dream run at the box office. The Tamil and Telugu dubbed version of the film which…… Dangal Enters 100 crores Club in Three days Dangal Enters 100 crores Club in Three days Withstanding the demonetisation effect and also making waves with its highly emotional content, Aamir Khan's latest film "Dangal" unleashed it's…… Aamir Khan gets shock on Facebook Aamir Khan gets shock on Facebook Aamir Khan’s Dangal movie, released on Friday, is running to packed houses. While it collected Rs 30 crore on first…… More Hindi News