He isn't alone. He inadvertently helps Meenalochni "Meena" Azhagusundaram (Deepika Padukone) escape from a group of henchmen and lands himself in the middle of a small-town feud in Tamil Nadu. What follows is a chaotic, hilarious, and action-packed adventure involving a stern father, a burly fiancé, and Rahul’s desperate attempts to save his own life.
The story kicks off with Rahul Mithaiwala (Shah Rukh Khan), a 40-year-old man-child who just wants to immerse his grandfather's ashes in Rameswaram but would much rather be partying in Goa. Through a classic comedy of errors—and a helping hand from destiny—he boards the Chennai Express .
Unlike the sanitized, anglicized South Indian cities we sometimes see in Bollywood, Shetty gives us the raw, vibrant, and loud South. It is a land of banana leaves, filter coffee, MGR cut-outs, and men who communicate through raised eyebrows and voluminous lungis. For the uninitiated North Indian viewer in 2013, this was either terrifying or hilarious. For Rohit Shetty, it was the perfect playground.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Rohit Shetty loves explosions. He loves cars that defy physics. In Chennai Express , a train literally jumps over a river. A tempo flies into a fort.
: While praised for its entertainment value and the chemistry between Khan and Padukone, some critics noted it relied on South Indian stereotypes for humor.