The Shah Rukh mania

SRK at a mall in Ahmedabad 

A mere appearance of Shah Rukh Khan in a public space can be assured of milling crowds. And when the superstar embarked on a multi-city promotional tour of Chennai Express, huge crowds packed venues, not just in India but also in London and Dubai.

A mall in Bhopal where SRK was scheduled to make an appearance in the afternoon saw people coming in as early as 9 am. By the time King Khan arrived, the numbers present swelled to over 70,000. "It was pure hysteria," exclaims a source associated with the Rohit Shetty film, also starring Deepika Padukone. Later that evening Shah Rukh visited Ahmedabad. The three-storeyed mall was filled to capacity.

A full day was set aside for Kolkata, the city where the superstar also owns a cricket team. Fans had been gathering since mornng to welcome their hero. "Even before SRK reached, the entire road leading to the mall was full of people... about 1.5 lakh of them," said the source.

Everywhere he went, the actor performed to all the numbers of the movie. "One Two Three Four,Lungi Dance and Tera Rasta Chhodoon Na were the most loved numbers. SRK made his dance regionally relevant by incorporating dance steps of that particular city."

Chennai Express, produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Red Chillies Entertainments Ltd, releases on August 9.