The Bollywood rumor mill is once more churning of reports that director Rohit Shetty is in an early stage of discussions with the superstar Shah Rukh Khan on a possible sequel to their 2013 blockbuster Chennai Express. The original movie that fused high-octane action, slapstick humour and a bit of romance continues to be one of the highest grossing Indian movies of all times netting more than Rs 400 crore in worldwide collections. As fans continue to recite classic quotations such as Badrinath ki dulhania and watch the pandemonium train scenes repeated, the news of the forthcoming Chennai express 2 has sent massive buzz on social media and the movie industry.
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Sources who are close to the development confirm that Shetty, having made an enormous splash with his Cop Universe extensions such as Singham Again, would like to rejoin the high-energy world he made with Khan. The negotiations are said to have started in a casual way at a recent meet between Shetty, Khan and maybe Deepika Padukone, who portrayed the rebellious Meenamma in the first part. Although the plot remains a secret, insiders indicate that the sequel may expand the formula of the first one, adding more stunts, culture embarrassments and car flips as pioneered by Shetty, as the new character, Rahul, ventures into South Indian heartland after getting married. On top of a series of recent hits, Khan is reportedly excited to reunite with Shetty as it is their first collaboration since Dilwale in 2015.
The original Chennai Express was a breakthrough to both talents. It was the first film of Shetty outside his action-comedies with Ajay Devgn as the lead actor, and he demonstrated his capability to make a pan-India film that was enjoyed both by families and youth. The performance of the hapless yet lovable Rahul Mithaiwala by Khan received an accolade of him making the transition to light and physical comedy, and Padukone, in her debut performance under Shetty, demonstrated a good comic timing. The soundtrack, with hits such as 1-2-3-4 Get on the Dance Floor, and its release on Eid helped in its long-term success, despite the fact that the movie is marking 12 years of its release.
The rumors of the sequel have been met with a swift reaction among netizens, saturating sites with memes, fan edits, and wishlists. People are calling out Padukone to come back fantasizing about a heightened love triangle with intensifying chases and others speculating on cameos of the Shetty extended universe, such as Ranveer Singh of Simmba bursting in the party. Some remarks are throwbacks, such as, Take me back to that train ride with SRK and Rohit magic! and some comments are anticipatory, such as, It will break all records once again, in case this happens. South vs North chaos 2.0!” The hype has also raised controversies on whether the sequel would remain faithful to the original or transform itself with the changing times but the verdict is obvious: the viewers are famished to see more of this unstoppable duo.
With Shetty finishing his post-production obligations and Khan looking into his next schedule post-King, a 2027 release could be a possibility in Chennai Express 2, with big holidays to ensure that the movie has the most festive vibe. To date, these discussions are an exciting beginning of the sequel boom in Bollywood that will provide the same adrenaline rush of fun that made the original movie a classic crowd-pleaser. It is surely to be seen that with his track record of turning ideas into box-office juggernauts, Shetty will chug back to theaters soon.
