Chennai Express

Awards

Song Awards:
• 2013 - Mirchi Music Awards - Female Vocalist Of The Year - Titli - Chinmayi

Trivia

Album

• Starting with this film, Shah Rukh Khan, who would normally get top billing in his films, decided to give the female stars of his films top billing. [1]
• This was the debut Hindi film of the Tamil film veteran Sathyaraj.
• There were reports in the media that Shah Rukh Khan was not happy with the film's music and had asked director Rohit Shetty to get Vishal - Shekhar to rework it. Vishal - Shekhar denied these reports.[2][3]
• Reacting to complaints that the film would displace the Marathi film "Duniyadari" (2013) from single-screen theatres in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had threatened to disrupt its screening. Rohit Shetty had then met MNS's leader Raj Thackeray and assured him that the film's distributors' would not enforce their deal with the single-screen theatres and let the Marathi film play.[4]
• The people of the drought-affected Satara had complained that the film's crew had made unauthorised use of water from the Dhom dam. The film's producers had claimed that they had the necessary permissions and had even paid for the use of water from the dam. Maharashtra's irrigation department had ordered an inquiry into the matter and asked for a report detailing the film crews' water usage.[5]
• Deepika Padukone's attempt at Tamil-accented Hindi in the film received criticism from various quarters. It was alleged that her dialogue delivery in the film had caricatured the Tamil people. Deepika had stated in her defence that she was South Indian herself and would never do anything to insult the people of the South.[6]
• This was the fourth film in which veteran filmmaker Lekh Tandon had an acting role. He had debuted as an actor in Shah Rukh's "Swades" (2004) and later worked in "Paheli" (2005) and "Rang De Basanti" (2006). This was his last Hindi film. He died in 2017. It was not a coincidence that three of the films Lekh Tandon acted in had Shah Rukh in the lead role. Tandon was the first filmmaker to sign the actor, giving him his first break for the TV serial "Dil Dariya" (1988 - 1989). Shah Rukh had returned the favour by convincing him to act in "Swades" (2004). The industry veteran had refused to take money for his acting work till this film, for which Shah Rukh insisted that he accept a fee. When Lekh Tandon declined to specify his remuneration, Shah Rukh, whose Red Chillies Entertainment banner was co-producing the film, paid him Rs. 11 lakhs for a relatively minor role.[7][8][9][10]

Song

• One Two Three Four (Get On The Dance Floor) - South Indian actress Priyamani made a cameo appearance in the film for this song.
• Chennai Express - This was S.P. Balasubramaniam's last released Hindi film song. The singer died in 2020 after developing complications resulting from COVID.
• Chennai Express - This was singer Jonita Gandhi's debut Hindi film song.
• Lungi Dance - The inclusion of this song in the film was surrounded by controversy. News of this song had first surfaced when Yo Yo Honey Singh had announced on a TV show that he would be recording a song for this film. Music director Vishal Dadlani had taken to Twitter to rubbish the rapper's announcement and called him a "tacky rape-rapper" - a reference to the misogynistic lyrics in Yo Yo Honey Singh's songs. When Vishal - Shekhar found out that the rapper had, in fact, recorded a song for the film, they had a showdown with Shah Rukh Khan who had managed to calm them down. Singh's song was released as a single and was not part of the film's music album. Vishal Dadlani was reportedly miffed by these developments and refused to participate in the film's promotions. He even skipped an episode of a reality show he was judging because Shah Rukh was supposed to attend it. Dadlani continued to be vocal about his distaste for the lyrics of Yo Yo Honey Singh's songs. In an episode of Indian Idol Junior, in which he was a judge, he discouraged a participant from singing Singh's songs. Years later, in 2021, Dadlani and Yo Yo Honey Singh appeared together on the reality TV show Indian Idol and patched up publicly.[11][12][13][14]
• Lungi Dance - The song was a tribute to the Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth. It was used in the film's end credits.
• Titli (Drum & Bass Remix) - This track was released as a single. It was not part of the film's music album.

1. ^ It's ladies first for Shah Rukh
2. ^ Shah Rukh Khan not happy with music of Chennai Express
3. ^ Not asked to re-work 'Chennai Express'
4. ^ Chennai Express gets MNS green signal
5. ^ Use of dam water for Chennai Express angers villagers in drought-hit Maharashtra
6. ^ Not spoofing South India in Chennai Express: Deepika Padukone
7. ^ Swades (2004)
8. ^ Paheli (2005)
9. ^ Rang De Basanti (2006)
10. ^ Why Shah Rukh Khan owes Lekh Tandon
11. ^ Vishal Dadlani upset with SRK over Honey Singh's Lungi song?
12. ^ War between Vishal-Shekhar and Honey Singh worsens
13. ^ Vishal Dadlani reprimands kid singing Honey Singh's song
14. ^ Yo Yo Honey Singh, Vishal Dadlani hug and patch up on Indian Idol 12