STORY
Rahul (Shahrukh Khan)
is a forty-year old bachelor and lives in Mumbai. Rahul's parents died
in a car accident when he was eight years old and it was his
grandparents who brought him up. His grandfather has a sweet-selling
business - Y.Y. Mithaiwala - and he owns a chain of stores in Mumbai.
Before his birth centenary celebration two of Rahul's friends suggest
going to Goa for a vacation which he accepts. Right before the birth
centenary, his grandfather dies. His grandmother tells him that his
grandfather desired to have his ashes divided into two parts and have
one part of it immersed at Rameswaram.
She requests Rahul to go to Rameswaram and immerse the ashes. Rahul
reluctantly accepts her request. On the other hand he was eager to
attend the Goa trip, so, he and his friends make plans to dump the ashes
at Goa. But, they were forced to change their plan when Rahul's
grandmother told him that she would be coming to see him off at the
station. This forces Rahul to travel by train and he booked a single
ticket on the
Chennai Express. He plans to meet his friends after
commencing the journey at the Kalyan Junction station from where they
would travel to Goa by car.
Right after commencing the journey from Mumbai railway station, when
the train was leaving the platform, Rahul sees a girl running to catch
the train. He helps her board the moving train. Then he notices four men
also running to catch the train. Rahul helps them all to get in. He
learns that those four men were actually kidnapping the girl whose name
is Meenalochini Azhagu Sundaram (Deepika Padukone) aka Meenamma. She was trying to flee from a forced marriage to Tangaballi (
Nikitin Dheer). Her father Durgeshwara Azhagu Sundaram (Sathyaraj),
is a powerful headman of the Komban village in west Tamil Nadu. He
wants her to marry Thangaballi so that he would assume control of the
neighboring village as well. Meena takes Rahul to her father and
introduces him as her lover. Tangaballi challenges Rahul for a duel. Rahul accepts without knowing what he spoke in Tamil.
On the night of the fight, Rahul tries to escape with the help of a
local Sikh policeman but in the turn of events, ends up in Komban
village again. Surrounded by sickle-wielding henchmen of Azhagu
Sundaram, Rahul then pretends to kill Meena and escapes in her father's
favourite car. When the jeep breaks down, they decide to break up and go
separately. But, Rahul not knowing which way to go, comes back to Meena
who takes him to the Vidhaata village where a wedding was taking place.
Meena lies to the people that they are a married couple and have eloped
and needed protection.
The villagers grow fond of the couple and take care of them as long
as they stay while Meena realizes that she has fallen in love with
Rahul. When Rahul has plans of leaving secretly, Meena does not want to
earn the distrust of the affectionate villagers. As he tries to leave,
he is caught by Tangaballi but the villagers help him escape again.
Meena who persuades him to immerse his grandpa's ashes travels with
Rahul to Rameswaram. There they complete the procedures and on their way
back, Rahul, realizing that he has also fallen in love with Meena, does
not tell Meena where they go. He takes Meena back to her father again
and tries to make him understand and honour his daughter's wish. He also
confesses for the first time that he loves her too. Rahul tells
Tangaballi and his goons that he has come ready for the fight this time.
In the fight that follows, Rahul though severely injured emerges the
winner. Meena's father and Tangaballi finally turn over a new leaf and
accept that the heart of a common man like Rahul is much bigger than
their physical ability and political clout. Azhagu Sundaram, allows
Rahul to marry his daughter, the twist that changed Rahul's life
forever. When they finally unite, the film leaves a message that love
knows no barriers of region or language and that with a strong heart,
there is no limit to what a common man can achieve.
Source-- wikipedia