Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh KhanTwitter/@iamsrk

Action-packed romantic comedy "Chennai Express" starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone is set for the biggest release ever for a Hindi film in the UK markets.

Rohit Shetty's directorial venture will hit the screens worldwide on 9August on the occassion of Eid featival. The film was earlier set to release on 8 August, but was postponed by a day since Eid will be celebrated the next day.

The 47-year-old actor already has a huge fan following among UK audiences. He was also voted as the third greatest Bollywood star in a survey conducted by Eastern Eye, a British Asian weekly newspaper. [Read the report here]

"I am very glad the film is getting such a big release here. UK audiences are fantastic. I don't believe that actors have regional appeal but I have to accept that some of my star value is largely down to audiences here," said Shah Rukh Khan, according to PTI.

"With all humility and kindness, I would like to request them to keep watching my films the same way. It is a great fun film, the kind I haven't done before and I promise it will be a great ride."

"Chennai Express" will be screened across 125 theatres and around 170 screens in the UK circuits, making it one the biggest Bollywood releases in the country.

 "As a Shah Rukh starrer and an all-out commercial entertainer, it does deserve the widest release of all time. In terms of marketing as well, we have gone all out. We just wanted to ensure that it is a movie that everyone has as their first choice in this festival season when people want to go out and watch a movie," said Siddharth Roy Kapur, managing director - studios for Disney UTV, the co-producers and distributors of the film.

"Chennai Express" is one of the most awaited films of this year. The first half of the year has seen a dry spell at the box office with only "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" making it commercially big at the worldwide box office.

Now all eyes are set on "Chennai Express" with hopes it would gain the top position and become the biggest grosser of this year.