Chennai, Aug 10: What is loss to popular Tamil actor Vijay is a gain to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, as his latest flick ‘Chennai Express' is running to full houses in several theatres across Tamil Nadu.
As Vijay's Tamil film “Thalaivaa”, slated for release on Friday, hit a block in the last minute following some objections, “Chennai Express” starring Khan along with Deepika Padukone in the lead, has been “well” received in Tamil Nadu.
“Thalaivaa” hit the block due to objections by a man called Karnan, hailing from Tirunelveli in the state, who claims the movie was based on the life of his grandfather S S Kandaswamy and his father S K Ramaswamy who live in Dharavi in Mumbai.
A few theatres in Chennai also received bomb threats from a little known outfit Tamil Nadu Oppressed Students Revolutionary Force, who supported the arguments of Karnan, prompting the theatre owners to cancel bookings, which began on Wednesday.
Film industry sources said people who had already booked for tickets for “Thalaiva” were asked to come to the counter for the refund of their money.
However, many opted for “Chennai Express” as the tickets were available as desired by them—including the timing and day.
An insider said considering Vijay's mass appeal, tickets would have been booked for a week. However, as the theatres decided to refund the money, people preferred to watch “Chennai Express” as it was also released today. Moreover, tickets for Hindi movies do not sell like hot cakes in Tamil Nadu similar to those for a movie acted by Vijay or Ajith, he said.
Taking cue from it, a press release said another Tamil actor ‘Bharath's movie “FiveFiveFive” which was expected to hit the screens on August 15, has been advanced and it would be released tomorrow.
