New Delhi: Somewhere in the second half of Rohit Shetty's 'Chennai Express' an exhasperated Shah Rukh Khan makes a jibe at his critics and retorts to Deepika Padukone by saying "Pathetic masssy joke. This is single screen humour". That one line sort of sums up SRK's new film.
The man who has ruled the Box Office for two decades has clearly gone back to the basics with his new film. Because you know, single screen humour is what appeals the most. Or so he thinks.
From forced humour, to mash up of all the recent hit films, to giving a self-tribute to the classic 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', to even including Rajinikanth in the film-SRK and Shetty have made a portion comprising of all the 'hit' formulas but have clearly forgotten to include that one basic ingredient that demarcates a good cinema from a 'massy' film- content.
The actor seems to be unapologetic about it. And why not? The audience seem to love it- well mostly. The film has already created a record on the day of it had paid previews. The film has opened to packed houses thanks to the extended weekend and trade pundits expect it to be a blockbuster within five days of its release.
While the cash registers are ringing, it is also leaving some of SRK's old die hard fans red faced.
When the actor had made his foray into films, he was lauded for breaking the stereotypes. SRK was known for taking risks. From doing negative roles very early in his career- when most of his contemporaries were busy playing the quintessential hindi film hero on the big screen- SRK made critics and the masses sit up and notice him.
Two decades later, when the actor has achieved all that he had to and enjoys a super star status, he decides to play it safe and stick to cliches which leave many of his fans cringing. Because the antics are stale, the jokes are not funny and one just feels exasperated to see one's favourite star making a mockery of his own self.
Is it entirely SRK's fault? Perhaps not. In a country which makes like 'Bol Bachchan' and 'Dabangg' make 100 crores while films like 'Ship Of Thesues' and 'Paan Singh Tomar' struggle to even find a distributor, SRK perhaps is not wrong in opting for a safer route, which atleast assures him the moolah. But wasn't he the one who dared to take risk and star in experimental films? Wasn't he Bollywood's first anti-hero? And if he as a rank new comer could have the courage to star in films like 'Baazigar', 'Darr' and 'Anjaam', one wonders why SRK can't take risks now?
I miss the old SRK. And as a fan of the actor, I'd want him to take risks again. The sorts he took when he was new in the film industry. And not hang on to his established image in every film and make a complete mockery of it. The Khan that I saw in 'Chennai Express' wasn't the actor who I loved and watched time and again in DDLJ. Because that man was charming, and was self assured. The older version of him seems a bit scared and desperate to please the entire world.
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