Dear
King Khan,
I have been an ardent fan of
your work all along, watching your movies. Be it your misfires like Guddu, Dil
Aashna Hai or Badhshah to all your blockbusters or even the recent lukewarm
flicks like Ra.One and Jab Tak Hai Jaan…
However, I cringe to say that this fan
might just skip your latest masala-Rohit
Shetty-shtyle take on cinema in the
South. The reason may be a mere assumption or a gut feeling that you, along
with Rohit Shetty are out there on a mission to spoof Tamil Cinema and expect
high praise and applause!
I have to admit that I don’t
know the premise, story or the director’s so-called vision for this movie.
Having said that, the promos easily give an inkling of what’s in store. We all know your history and histrionics at taking a dig at south Indian cinema
and their characters (the ‘enna rascala,
mind it’ shenanigans in OSO or the ambitious Ra.One where you play a south
Indian father and mess up the character royally), giving me all the more reason
to fear the look and feel of Chennai Express. Incidentally, being a south Indian, I haven't come across the terms 'enna rascala' or 'mind it' outside of your movies.
Traditionally, south
Indian characters were stereotyped in Hindi Movies, be it Mehmood in Padosan
or Mithun in Agneepath, and now Chennai Express is giving more than mere
hints (through Deepika’s dialogue delivery, the lungis, the fat goons and the likes) to take this stereotyping on a larger scale. What is
interesting to note is that actors in your league (the likes of the Dabangg Khan, Aamir the perfectionist,
or Rowdy Kumar) have all done movies
inspired by the south, paying homage of sorts, but never once caricatured them
and gotten away with it!
Your version of South Indians
is quite different from what it really is.
I have come across two online articles and strangely, both are inspired
by your movies.
&
My heart skipped a beat almost
when recent news reports confirmed of a “tribute” to superstar Rajnikant
through a music video titled ‘lungi dance’
by an uncanny combo of yours with Honey Singh. I wonder if this should be
called a master stroke in marketing or a disaster in waiting! Why in heaven’s
name Rajnikant would need an endorsement of any kind from you, still worse, from
Honey Singh??!!
Let me set the record straight.
I am an avid movie buff; watch every kind of cinema and my views do not in any
way reflect the quality of Hindi movies. With your by now infamous well oiled promotion strategy well in place and the songs topping the charts, it is a no-brainer that Chennai
Express will make its way to the blockbuster club (which strangely is Rs.100
Crore nowadays without giving any weightage to the cost of production). But I would prefer not to 'get set po' and be content with the fact that I did not contribute to the
impending atrocity!
Off late, I can see your sincerity turning into desperation for a blockbuster. But
please don’t look for shortcuts like Chennai Express! You should know that there is a sea of
difference between paying a tribute and making a caricature of something.
While I choose to miss the train
this Eid, I am confident that the screen will once again light up with another memorable
portrayal, just like the innocent Sunil
from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa or the flirtatious Raj Malhotra from DDLJ, the confused yet determined Mohan Bhargav from Swades or the intense
Kabir Khan of Chak De!
Hope you scorch that screen again for
your fans!
-
A
humble fan from south India!
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