New Delhi: Desperate times call for desperate measures, even in Bollywood. Because a film industry which survives on hit formula always tries to churn out films within tried and tested formula. And every one succumbs to it- even reigning superstars.
Shah Rukh Khan, the man who has ruled Hindi film industry for two decades now, clearly wants to stick to that formula. Because at a time when he still calls the shots and where he can afford to experiment with different roles, Khan unabashedly tries to go the route his arch rival Salman Khan took a few years back. When one looks at the stills of 'Chennai Express', the film looks like a mash up of Rohit Shetty's 'Golmaal' and Salman Khan's 'Wanted'.
So is SRK unconsciously (or perhaps consciously) going the Salman Khan way? Salman's career transformed post the success of Prabhudeva's 'Wanted' in 2009. A remake of a Telugu blockbuster 'Pokkiri', the film gave a fresh lease of life to Salman's career. 'Dabangg' followed 'Wanted' and then came 'Ready', 'Bodyguard' etc- all of which had Salman playing larger than life characters with little emphasis on the story line. All these films worked and made Salman an overnight superstar- a star who had several Rs 100 crore hits under his belt.
Salman's success story also gave birth to similar kind of films. Akshay Kumar got a 'Rowdy Rathore', Ajay Devgn came up with the 'Golmaal series', 'Singham' and 'Son Of Sardar'- some direct remakes of southern hits, some made on similar lines with a weak story line but high on entertainment. In fact, Rohit Shetty made this very genre a brand in itself. The director's films- panned by the critics for its absurd story line, slapstick comedy and lack of content has mostly worked with the masses. Shetty's films which typically have high octane actuion stunts, SUVS being blown up and in-your-face humour may be cringe worthy due to the lack of substance, but the films always manage to bring in the moolah. Shetty's kind of films aren't new though. Masala entertainers like his ruled Bollywood in the late 1980s and a substantial period of time in the 1990s. But films evolved, filmmakers tried a realistic approach towards cinema and with the new wave of directors coming in the film industry the audience changed as well.
During 2008-09, Salman Khan and Shetty's film worked mainly because it was able to tap the fantasy of the small towns and single screen audience, which still preferred to watch their heroes in larger the life roles. It also brought back memories of the early 1990s when Hindi cinema was just about potboilers. The other, experimental films were put under the bracket of art cinema'.
Shah Rukh's last film, Yash Chopra's swan song 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' may have managed to enter the elite 100 crore club, but the actor drew a lot of criticism for playing a 25 year old in the film. Before that, SRK's 'RA.One' was declared a superhit, but fans and critics alike choked and coughed at the absurd story line and SRK's cringe worthy dance steps.
It is interesting that while SRK remains one of the most bankable stars even two decades later, the actor's choice of films has been degenerating over the years. Sure, he surprises us once in a blue moon with a 'Swades' or 'Chak De! India' but the actor consistently sticks to his quintessential lover boy image in almost all his movies. He can act, he can entertain and he knows how to make even the most absurd films enjoyable with his screen presence. So when Khan teams up with a brand called Rohit Shetty who is most often trashed by critics for his kind of films but loved by the masses for the same films, one hopes that SRK puts on his marketing genius cap and churns out a commercial film which has some good old charm of the actor. And 'Chennai Express' is clearly not that. It just looks like another 'Wanted' or a 'Rowdy Rathore'.
Is it too early to judge 'Chennai Express'? Perhaps yes, but I am commenting clearly on the promos that are being played on every television channel nowadays. I'll be honest. I have grown up watching SRK films, have been his fan and even though grimaced at some of his past film, my loyalty as a fan towards the star has been undeterred. But now, I'd like my favourite actor to reinvent- not the Salman Khan way but perhaps in a more experimental way.
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