Showing posts with label Shankar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shankar. Show all posts
After Gemini Film Circuit officially confirmed that they have parted ways with Vijay on very amicable terms. Wasting no more time Shankar immediately asked Surya to act in his remake of 3 Idiots, there was a brief moment of relief for Shankar as Surya was only happy for getting this opportunity but it wasn’t for long when Surya brought forward two of his conditions which must be fulfilled. One is that he cannot immediately give the call sheet and the next is that he wanted to do the lead role in the Telugu version also.
Shankar was little shocked at hearing this. Definitely Surya is eyeballing for a wider fan base in Telugu film industry as his dubbed films released there earlier have been great hits.
One thing is for sure Gemini Labs who have already signed Mahesh Babu for this role by paying him a huge advance are in major trouble now, if Shankar decides to go ahead with Surya which seems unlikely as Mahesh Babu is a huge star in Andhra.
Apart from the unconfirmed entry Surya, it is Srikanth and Jeeva who have been finalized for the remake of 3 Idiots.
Jeeva’s fans over the days have been thronging him to get updates about the cast in the remake of 3 Idiots through social networking sites.
Surprisingly, Jeeva has not spoken anything much regarding the movie 3 Idiots.Finally Jeeva mentioned that he has no idea whatsoever about the project.
He too was not sure about Vijay’s role in the flick and reassured that he will come up with more updates on the movie as soon as possible and is happy that the shooting for Ko is over.
We got updates that Jeeva is just back in the city after wrapping up his shoot for Ko, he has already begun started shooting for Rowthiram.
“I came back from Puducherry and started shooting for Rowthiram the same day,” said Jeeva.
“It was great fun shooting for Ko. The last schedule was in Puducherry, where we shot a part of a song. Interestingly, we were filming all over Tamil Nadu for this song. So, on the last day, after wrapping up the shoot, we all had a small get-together. The entire cast and crew spent the night talking about our experiences working on the film. Jagan, who plays an important role in the film, was busy playing pranks on us all. I also imitated KV Anand sir and he was totally cool with it. It was real fun,” he said.
As for the only actress in the move everyone is just hoping that Ileana stays out from this mess. The poor girl is expecting a comeback into Tamil films with this one.
Director Shankar it seems the sun refuses to brighten up your days for the moment. Industry insiders also mentioned Shankar is struggling for scripts after the demise of close collaborator and veteran writer Sujatha responsible for the screenplays and scripts in his movies and sadly this is the reason he has resorted to making remakes.
That pretty much summarizes the status of the movie as of now. Keep coming back for more updates on the ‘Moovar’. We will be the first ones to tell you about the final casting for 3 Idiots though. Don’t you think Shankar should move on consider the movie as a bad page in life and drop this project for now at least?
Politics Indian of the Year 2010:
Nitish Kumar : For pulling off the most stunning electoral result in India by focusing on development in an underdeveloped state, triggering hope amongst millions.
Sports Indian of the Year 2010:
Sushil Kumar : For becoming the first Indian wrestler to win a world championship and following it with a gold at the Commonwealth Games.
Business Indian of the Year 2010:
Kumar Mangalam Birla : For being an outstanding, no nonsense entrepreneur who has made a success out of most businesses he has entered into, including sunrise sectors.
Entertainment Indian of the Year 2010:
Shankar : For being a filmmaker with an unbeatable track record of 100% hits in Tamil….the latest being the costliest Indian film ever produced ‘Robot.
Ilayathalapathy Vijay seems has a lot to answer as it was rumored to have walked out of renowned Shankars project recently.
We caught up with him at his seaside villa in Neelankarai.
Here is an excerpt from interview.
Sir is it true that you are no more involved in Shankar’s movie?
I would rather let the official information come from the producer’s side. I’ve the highest respect and regards for Shankar sir. He has taken Tamil cinema to a new level. I would have loved to work with him, but there are some date hassles.
What about Kavalan?
As far as Kavalan is concerned, Vidyasagar will be finishing the re-recording soon and the film will be ready for release this month. The melodious music of the film is already a hit.
Siddique is a master of light-hearted comedies containing all the ingredients of entertainment. Actually, he wanted to make the film in Tamil first, but I was able to do it only after it was made as Bodyguard in Malayalam. The film is going to rock big time as he has successfully got the right mix of romance, comedy and sentiments in it.
Very true.
Is it a total remake of Bodyguard?
We have changed 75 % of the first half and made some minor corrections to suit Tamil nativity in the second half. The comedy in the first half between the three of us Vadivelu, Asin and me will surely get you. Even today, people tell me that the slapstick humor in Friends is the most viewed comedy track on television. Siddique knows the art of mixing slapstick with genuine humor. In the second half, there are unexpected twists leading to a climax that will pull at your heartstrings. I would rate the climax of Kavalan to be as good as any of my earlier hits like Kadhalukku Mariyadhai and Thullatha Mannamum Thullum.
What happening with you project Velayudham?
I’ve got a great team for the film — director Jayam Raja, producer Aascar Ravichandran, Genelia and Hansika, and a new actor from Mumbai who is playing the villain. It is an out-and-out mass film laced with some peppy songs by Vijay Antony. We have completed about 50 per cent of the film. It will be my summer 2011 release.
I’ve got a great team for the film — director Jayam Raja, producer Aascar Ravichandran, Genelia and Hansika, and a new actor from Mumbai who is playing the villain. It is an out-and-out mass film laced with some peppy songs by Vijay Antony. We have completed about 50 per cent of the film. It will be my summer 2011 release.
We heard you are joining the AIADMK for the next elections.
At the moment, I’m happy and content being an actor. I can’t stop people from writing imaginative stories about me entering politics.
We wish you luck with you upcoming projects and await your decision on Shankar’s movie. Thanks for your time.
Shankar has been in the news for his next movie which is a remake of the Hindi movie 3 Idiots. There has been lots of speculation about the cast and crew for quite sometime now. The current update is that Vijay, Jiiva and Illeana have been confirmed to act in the movie. Now it is being said that Shankar and the crew will set the ball rolling of 3 Idiots from December 5, 2010.
It is also being rumoured that the team is planning to can shots in Dehradun, where the original version was shot. So it seems that it is indeed a remake…quite literally!
It is also being rumoured that the team is planning to can shots in Dehradun, where the original version was shot. So it seems that it is indeed a remake…quite literally!
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| Ileana gets a whopping 1.5 crores for her role in 3 idiots remake |
Ileana D' Cruz is gearing up for her next film 3 Rascals, a remake of Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots. The actress is all set to play the female lead in this film directed by Shankar. Illeana has now become the highest paid actress in South India. No other South Indian actress has been paid Rs 1.5 Crores for a Telugu or Tamil film.
Although Aishwarya Rai took Rs 6 crores for Robot, she is not considered as a South Indian actress but a Bollywood heroine. So Illeana`s rate for the remake of 3 Idiots is the highest paid to a South Indian actress.
Director Shankar who is impressed with Illeana wanted her to be the heroine for both the versions of 3 Idiots, in Telugu and Tamil. So she demanded Rs 1.5 crores for both the versions together. And the producers obliged.
Ileana, who is currently filming Junior NTR's Shakti, recently had a lengthy discussion with the director about her role. She plays the role of a medical student, which was played by Kareena Kapoor in the original. It seems Shankar is making some minor changes to her character in the film to suit the taste of the regional audience.
Ileana will pair Mahesh Babu in Telugu and Vijay in Tamil. Shankar has finalized Jeeva for the third lead, which was played by Sharman Joshi in 3 Idiots. But he is yet to finalize the actor for second lead. Aarya, Silambarasan's name are doing rounds for second fiddle.
The movie will hit the floors on December 6.
Director Shankar has fans in non-Tamil speaking territories as well. Of course, the filmmaker’s previous films dubbed in Telugu and Hindi have made him popular in Telugu and Hindi film industries. His Tamil movie Indian dubbed as Hindustani and Anniyan as Aparachit in Hindi. Now, witnessing the grand success of Robot (Hindi version of Superstar Rajinikanth’s Endhiran), his blockbuster Boys is likely to be dubbed in Hindi.
The news has been revealed by the closer sources of producer of Sri Suriya Movies that he has already started working on dubbing process. It is said that filmmaker Abbas Tyrewala will take care of Hindi lyrics and dialogues. It is worth mentioning that Abbas shares a good rapport with A.R. Rahman as the duo has worked in couple of films that include Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Jhootha Hi Sahi.
Hindi audience are quite familiar with the Boys lead stars Siddarth and Genelia D’ Souza, as they have done some notable films in Bollywood. Sid has been a part of successful movies like Rang De Basanthi and Striker. Genelia's notable films are Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Chance Pe Dance, etc
Dream of all tamil cinema lovers to watch 80′s Rajini again in a Villain role was very much satisfied by Endhiran Chitti V2.0, but another long pending desire has beeen to watch the top two super stars of tamil industry Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan together on screen? And the question of will they or will they not had indeed been lurking in the minds of all.
And now if sources are to be believed Yes, after nearly 30 years the two true icons of Tamil Cinema will be soon joining hands to share the screen under the James Cameron of tamil cinema( As stated by K balachander ) Shankar.
According to the latest buzz in the industry, the victorious duo Shankar and Kalanidhi Maran , riding high on the success of ‘Enthiran’ , are planning for a mighty magnum opus multistarrer with the ‘Super Star’ Rajinikanth and ‘Universal Hero’ Kamal Haasan. And this time around Sun Pictures’ chief Kalanidhi Maran who has hit the jackpot already with 160 crores is now ready to splash a whopping 500 crore for this project looking at the collections of Endhiran.
The movie is said to be again a trilingual (Tamil,Telugu and Hindi).With Shankar heading as the capatain of the project , fans can relax and expect a treat on screen.
It is noteworthy here to mention Rajini and Kamal have worked together in their early days in 16 Vayathinile, Moondru Mudichu, Avargal, Ninaithale Inikkum, Thillu Mullu etc.
But Wonder if it would be Aishwarya or Asin chosen for this one . Well we won’t be surprised if we see both of them dazzling together.
More details on this huge project is awaited. Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan’s combination – sounds thrilling… isn’t it? Mheeeyy
Aarur Tamil Nadan alias Amutha Tamil Nadan, who is a deputy news editor with ‘Nakeeran’ , came to the police commissioner’s office with his advocates G Edwig and L Sivakumar and submitted the petition. “I had written a small novel ‘Jugiba’ in a magazine called ‘Iniya Udhayam’ , in 1996. My novel was repeated in ‘Dhik Dhik Dheepika’ magazine in 2007 with my permission . Director Shankar and producer Kalanithi Maran stole the raw story from my novel and added ingredients to the movie like songs, fights and graphics. Many of my friends and relatives informed me about the movie.I have sent a legal notice to director Shankar and producer Kalanithi Maran. As I did not get any response from them, I have now approached the city police commissioner,” the complainant told reporters.
“I have been in the literary field since my school days. CM M Karunanidhi and minister K Anbazhagan had endorsed my first book of poems in 1983. Later, I participated in many literary shows with Vairamuthu , Mu Metha and Abdul Rahman (Tamil poets). I was awarded the title ‘Kavimaamani’ ,” Tamil Nadan told TOI.
Shankar has tasted the success of his life after making his dream come true. Endhiran and Robot are raved and even Bollywood biggies were mesmerized by the imagination, creativity, visual effects, the ambition and the vision of the director. The whole of Bollywood film and media fraternity celebrated ‘Endhiran’ as the mother of all bollywood films and climaxes. Now, Shankar gets praise from people more valuable, some of the best industry stalwarts who were struck with awe by Shankar’s commitment, talent and imagination.
Shankar writes to his fans after long being busy in the shooting and the promotions. Here is the letter written by Director Shankar to all his fans followed by a letter written by K Balachander where he wholeheartedly praised Shankar with honest words and praise. The veteran director is truly impressed which is expressed through this letter by K Balachander to Shankar.
Hi Everybody,
‘Endhiran the robot’ film is in theatres now. I couldn’t be in touch with you guys for a long time since I was doing post production, release, theatre rounds and promotional activities till yesterday.
Thanks to everyone all over the world who enjoyed, supported and appreciated the film. Thanks to the press and all medias. I am very happy that the film is appreciated by the critics as well and was given 5 stars in many reviews and 4 – 5 in others. I am delighted with the box-office records south, north and all over the world.
Many stalwarts of the Indian film industry have congratulated me in person & over phone after watching the movie. It’s a wonderful feeling, Aamir Khan after watching the film invited me to his house, appreciated and discussed about the film till early morning with his wife Kiran and Director Rajkumar Hirani.
Hrithik Roshan called & shared his excitement after watching the film. Kamalhaasan congratulated by sending flowers to me with a beautiful message.
Kannada director & actor Upendra, Actor Prakasraj and lot of directors, actors and technicians called and conveyed their heartfull appreciation.
The most exciting appreciation came from Director K Balachander. He is one who is very successful more than 30 years as a film maker and he is my role model and my initial goal is to achieve atleast 15 years like him in this field. He sent me an appreciation letter which put me in an emotional high. I couldn’t control my tears after reading it. It made me humble & has given me the energy to work even harder. I am attaching his letter here with his permission.
He can shoot bullets with his finger, kill with a handbag, make mosquitoes apologise, clone himself a hundred times, even seduce the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with the cheesy line, 'come on, baby, give a beautiful kiss to the king'. So is it surprising that Rajinikanth, 61, has just starred in India's most expensive film which is also set to become India's most successful movie?
Three years after his last big hit, the Rs 60-crore, 1,000-print Sivaji: The Boss made Rs 128 crore; two years after the Rs 64-crore Kuselan tanked at the box office making just Rs 8 crore; and a year after his daughter's ambitious animated film Sultan ran into production and legal troubles, Shankar's Endhiran: The Robot has created a buzz that will translate into a Rs 300- crore box office gross on Sun Pictures' publicly listed balance sheet and act as a neat little pre-Diwali gift to Tamil Nadu's ruling family.
With the opening weekend gross alone being Rs 90 crore, he has also proved himself worthy of the tag of being Asia's second highest paid actor at Rs 45 crore. Whether it is shooting down policemen as the evil robot with the memorable Terminator-like line, 'Happy Diwali, folks,' or wooing Aishwarya with copies of A Briefer History of Time and Freakonomics, the hero-of-10-wigs has proved himself irresistible to all psychographics, young and old, MIT alumni and Mylapore maamis, urban sophisticates and rural fanatics.
Part urban legend now with the 99 Rajinikanth jokes (a sample, water boils faster when Rajinikanth stares at it) and part global phenomenon (The Robot has become India's highest grossing opening weekend film in the US at $2.5 million), he has established that he is The Superstar, with a box office collection surpassing India's biggest hit so far, 3 Idiots. A superstar who draws fans to the first day, first show of his film at 3 a.m. in Chennai's Rohini theatre; whose film has had the widest release across 3,000 screens worldwide; whose movie tickets were sold for up to $40 in some US theatres during the opening weekend; and whose releases are greeted with special prayers, milk abhishekams and public tonsuring, Rajinikanth proves that no matter where you are from (a Kannadiga who speaks Marathi) or how you began in life (as a bus conductor), success can be grasped faster than he can utter his "punch" dialogues.
For Sun Pictures, who spent Rs 200 crore on production and marketing, it was a trophy project. Sun Network Chairman Kalanithi Maran wanted a Tamil film for the international audience with an "international" standard, says Hansraj Saxena, COO, Sun Pictures. "After Eros's Ayngaran International pulled out because of the recession and there were no takers for Endhiran, Maran took on the project. He was sure he would get back the money he invested," says Tamil writer Vaasanthi.
Sun's marketing muscle, enveloping the state in surround sound, helped. Sun Pictures is part of the Sun TV network, which owns a dozen newspapers and magazines, 21 TV channels, 43 FM radio stations and controls 30 per cent of movie theatres in Tamil Nadu. Sun Network channels-Sun TV, K TV and Gemini TV-have been running trailers, its magazines like Kungumam, newspaper Dinakaran and the evening daily Tamil Murasu have done cover stories, and even the film's five-minute trailer, released in over 20 per cent theatres in Tamil Nadu, ran housefull at Rs 120 a ticket. Everything was to be done bigger and better, whether it was A.R. Rahman's music, Resul Pookutty's sound or Stan Winston Studio's special effects, making it a milestone in Indian cinema.
What's more, the film was smartly pre-sold. The Hindi theatrical rights were sold to Manohar Prasad's Gemini Film Circuit for Rs 23 crore, Telugu rights to Thota Kanna Rao of Sri Krishna Traders for Rs 27 crore, Kannada and Malayalam for Rs 14 crore, the Tamil overseas rights for Rs 17 crore, the music rights for Rs 10 crore, home video in all languages for Rs 17 crore, and tv rights for Rs 25 crore.
In Tamil Nadu, Sun Pictures retained the distribution rights, while in Chennai it sold them to a trusted lieutenant of dmk leader M. Karunanidhi, T. Nagar District Secretary J. Anbhazhagan, for Rs 27 crore. With a projected Tamil theatrical box office revenue of Rs 88 crore, the film will make more than a tidy profit. With 3,000 screens multiplied by four shows a day and at least 500 seats per show, the number of people who watched The Robot nationwide on opening day was an astounding 15 lakh. Add to all this Rs 20 crore earned by the Sun Network channels from the movie's promotional programmes, with ad costs averaging Rs 35,000 for 10 seconds.
This story is simple enough. It's the war between man and machine. Rajinikanth is Vazikaran, the Cornell and Stanford trained scientist who creates Chitti, a robot who will replace soldiers, by acting and thinking like a human. But he falls in love with Aishwarya, a medical student named Sana, who is already in love with Vazikaran. Naturally there is an evil Green Goblin kind of scientist, Bohra, played by Danny, who wants to exploit this weakness in Chitti's silicon heart.
The last 40 minutes is a real celebration for Rajini fans, as he struts on screen as Chitti, upgraded version 2.0, enjoying his wickedness, morphing from snake to giant man to enormous tower in one breath, intent on creating a new species, Robo sapiens. Industry sources say around Rs 50 crore was spent on the last 40 minutes and Rs 3 crore was spent for Rajinikanth's make-up alone. The sets for the climax cost Rs 5 crore. Beats zari borders and San Francisco skylines anytime.
For all its lightness of spirit and comic book humour, The Robot is also a triumph of technology. Domes light technology has been used to shoot 3D images of Rajinikanth for the first time to match the skin tone lighting for both the human and the Rs 4.8-crore robot. The camera report for the entire movie runs to around 1,600 pages and 40 per cent of the budget of the film has been spent on special effects.
"There are 1,500 CG shots in the film, of which 200 are complicated shots. Twenty-two scenes of the movie have been shot using animatronics and special make-up," says director Shankar, who last worked with Rajinikanth on Sivaji: The Boss. Everything is in excess. Fifty-seven costumes for Aishwarya and 55 for Rajinikanth were designed by Mary E. Vogt; dance moguls like Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram and Lawrence Raghavendra choreographed the five songs; and the locations varied from Vienna to Machu Picchu in Peru. Having raised the bar with The Robot, Rajinikanth will now have to do bigger and better. "After Chandramukhi in 2005, he was a superstar not just for Kollywood but also a top actor for the international audience," says software professional Simply Sundar, who also runs a fansite devoted to Rajinikanth. The actor's registered fan base has now crossed two crores, with 50,000 registered fan clubs and 50,000 unregistered.
In keeping with the apolitical nature of Endhiran, Rajinikanth has made it clear that politics is not his next act. He may have gone to meet Bal Thackeray during his Mumbai visit, but all he will publicly say about what is next is that he is planning a holiday. So it seems is Sun Pictures. With no direct productions in the pipeline, it intends to acquire distribution rights of the Rs 38-crore Vijay-starrer Kavalan. Topping the man who can divide by zero or drown a fish, as the jokes go, will not be easy.
With 3,000 screens multiplied by four shows a day, the number of people who watched the film nationwide on the opening day was 15 lakh.
Badsha (1995) Based on the Hindi film Hum, in which he had played a role, it made him a superstar with thousands repeating his dialogue: "If I say it once, I've said it a hundred times."
Muthu (1995) Made him a cult in Japan when it was released as The Dancing Maharaja. It got him a mention in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 2006 speech to the Diet. The landmark line? "When I will arrive, or how I will arrive, nobody will know, but I will arrive when I ought to."
Padaiyappa (1999) In his 150th film, he played Sivaji Ganesan's son, an engineer who returns to his village. The movie earned Rs 20 crore and ran for 100 days. Its music, by A.R. Rahman, was hugely popular. As was the dialogue: "En vazhi? Thani vazhi." (My way is a unique way).
Chandramukhi (2005) The longest running Tamil movie of all time, at 800 days in one theatre, was a remake of the Malayalam hit Manichithrathazhu. It saw him play a psychiatrist who could read minds by following facial expressions. He sported 15 different wigs. Movie made over Rs 55 crore.
Sivaji: The Boss (2007) He played a software engineer who returns to clean up the city. He changes the colour of his skin at will, bounces chewing gum around, and dances in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao. He was paid Rs 26 crore. Movie made Rs 128 crore.
Like Chuck Norris, Rajinikanth has a series of jokes devoted to him on the Internet
Rajnikanth never sells a movie. He gifts it to the nation.
Rajinikanth once kicked a horse in the chin. Its descendants are today called giraffes.
Rajinikanth will attain separate statehood in 2013.
Rajinikanth never wet his bed as a child. The bed wet itself in fear.
Rajinikanth has already been to Mars. Thats why there are no signs of life there.
Rajinikanth doesnt breathe. Air hides in his lungs for protection.
Rajinikanth puts the laughter in manslaughter.
Rajinikanth can speak Braille.
Rajinikanth got small pox when he was a child. As a result, small pox is now eradicated.
Rajinikanth goes to court and sentences the judge.
Endhiran/Robo/Robot's success has hushed up the furore over dubbed movies having a swell time in Hyderabad.
Man, machine, mohabbat… was a rather cheesy tagline for a film futuristically titled Robot and became the butt of sms jokes before Rajnikanth's costliest film till date hit theatres. The jokes and debates about why Southern stars don't stir the box office across India died a quiet death once Shankar's Robot/Robo/Endhiran arrived. Trade pundits who did the math trying to gauge if Shankar's expensive gamble would recover its cost, are now trying to fathom the record-shattering collections.
Cinema halls in Hyderabad have been juggling show timings to meet the demands for the screening of Tamil, Telugu and the Hindi versions. Brave the serpentine queues and reach the ticket counter to be faced with a standard question: “Tamil, Telugu or Hindi?” before you get the tickets. It's more likely that you see houseful boards though.
Film buffs in the city have had the advantage of watching original films releasing alongside their dubbed/remade counterparts for quite some time now. Gautham Menon's Ye Maya Chesave did roaring business even as the Tamil version Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaye sailed through in three multiplexes, drawing moderate to full houses for 2-3 shows a day. Karthi's Awara, helped by Yuvan Shankar Raja's lilting tunes, earned him recognition among Telugu film goers. The Tamil original Paiyya, which released simultaneously, saw Tamilians settled in the city queuing up. And Mani Ratnam's Raavan and Villain were cold turkeys, but that didn't stop film buffs from checking out the Tamil original Raavanan and drawing comparisons between the different versions.
Srikanth, general manager, Prasads multiplex, sees this as a reflection of Hyderabad's cosmopolitan culture: “There was a time when original Tamil, Kannada or Malayalam films would be screened in Hyderabad a good two to three months after their release in the neighbouring states. And those screenings were confined to morning shows. The increased response to native films has made it possible to screen more shows. Hyderabad is no more a vernacular city. It's only fair that people get to see a film in their language of preference,” he says.
On Wednesday, a day before the release of NTR's Brindaavanam, Robo was being screened for 10 shows in a leading multiplex with each one of them running to packed houses. Vasu of Multidimensional Pictures that distributed the movie feels Hyderabad is at a stage where it can leverage on its multi-lingual population. The furore raised by a section of the industry over dubbed films getting prominence is unwarranted, he says. “To the audience, all that matters is an entertaining film. We released the Telugu version in 205 theatres in the Nizam region and the collections have been 85 to 90 per cent even during weekdays. Tamil Nadu and Kerala do not have a problem with dubbed films and given Hyderabad's cosmopolitan society, it shouldn't be an issue here,” he asserts.
Trade analyst Komal Nahata affirms that Endhiran/Robot has broken language barriers elsewhere in the country too. “Endhiran alone has made business more than Rs. 100 crore, the magic mark that distributors earned through 3 Idiots. North Indians who don't take kindly to Rajnikanth and other South Indian stars have accepted the film, which in itself is a huge success,” he sums up.
At the movies
According to exhibitors in Hyderabad, tickets were sold out for Endhiran sooner than they did for Robo and Robot. The film has been running to packed houses in all three languages, leaving theatre owners perplexed as to how to make way for this week's releases — Brindaavanam, Aakrosh and Knock Out.
The growing number of shows and response to originals like Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaya, Raavanan and Paiyya alongside the respective Telugu dubbed/remade versions Ye Maya Chesave, Villain and Awara are indicators to the city's cosmopolitan nature.
The distributors' share from Endhiran alone has surpassed the Rs. 100 crore, beating the previous record of 3 Idiots.
l Trade pundits note that Robot's acceptance in Mumbai, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan regions break the notion that Southern stars are paper tigers in Bollywood strongholds.
Incredible special effects, graphics and super fun, that’s Enthiran. It is your family vacation film, due to the magic screen presence of “the one man army”- Rajinikanth.
You get to see a new superhero who is not Spiderman, Batman or Ironman. He is Chitty, the Robot, who acquires artificial intelligence and keeps the audiences glued to their seats. However don’t go expecting the typical Rajinikanth mass masala, as this film is something different but nevertheless entertaining. It is the classiest Rajinikanth movie which is technically state-of-art, with a designer look.
Story, like in all Shankar films is wafer thin. Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth) is a computer scientist and a nerd. He creates a Robot and names him Chitty (Rajinikanth), and his dream is to make it available for the Indian army. Sana (Aishwarya Rai) is a medical student who is in love with Vasee who is too immersed in his work. Vasee’s mentor and Professor Bohra (Danny Denzongappa), feels jealous of his invention and wants to use Chitty for evil things.
Meanwhile Vaseegaran inducts artificial intelligence into Chitty, to make him more human, but it spells disaster. Chitty falls in love with Sana and starts rebelling against Vasee and treats him like his competitor and enemy. At the same time Chitty, comes under the influence of Bohra, who tries to use him for his nefarious activities. But things go awry as Chitty turns into a Frankenstein, kidnaps Sana, kills Bohra and declares war on Vaseegaran.
The entire film is held together by Rajinikanth, who simply rocks as the scientist and the Robot. He is brilliant and the one-man entertainment troupe who makes his super heroics credible. The chemistry between the scientist and the robot crackles with energy, especially in the first half. Rajini steals the show as Chitty the Robo, goofy in the beginning and exuding menace with his expressive body and eye language in the second half.
The stunning Aishwarya Rai is good and has equal footing and brings an uninhibited joie to her role as Sana. Danny Denzongappa has hardly anything to do while the comedy of Santhanam and Karnas falls flat as it more slapstick in nature. Technically the film is awesome, and the money spent by Sun Pictures on special effects and graphics shows on the screen and stands up to Hollywood cinema standards.
Among the most breathtaking scenes, it is the formation scenes in the climax of thousands of Robots like Snake, dragon, ball, and Eiffel tower, Robot giant among many are spectacular. The stunt scene on the suburban train is awesome. Sabu Cyril’s production design are top-notch, especially the scientist labs and factory scenes.
Cinematography by Ratnavel gives it sheen along with Bhanu’s make-up for Rajinikanth which is perfect. He has never looked so good on screen. Antony’s editing is razor sharp, though he could have made it a bit racier. The songs and its picturisation are nowhere near Shankar’s earlier films. However Kilimanjaro... and Arima, Arima... stands out for its stunning visuals and AR Rahman’s score.
On the downside, there are far too many computer jargons and terms like gigabyte, IP address, worming and de-worming, which the ordinary viewer will not understand. The ‘mosquito scene’ and Kalabhavan Mani’s ‘One-day boyfriend’ scene hampers the tempo. The film doesn't just deliver solid entertainment for hardcore Rajini fans as the usual ingredients associated with his films like punch lines, electrifying stunts, sentiments and mass comedy is missing.
Shankar’s Enthiran- The Robot, will make you completely surrender to power of visual extravaganza and the technical finesse. His sci-fi dream project is groundbreaking, bigger but not better. Go for it for Rajinikanth, he is in rocking form. Taste the thunder.
Verdict: Enjoy the Ride
What Rajni can't, Rajni and the Robot can!
Krishnakumar Padmanabhan reviews Robot.
The Bad news first: There is no Rajnikanth 'entry' in Robot.
The movie cuts to chase directly, opening with Rajni working in a laboratory on a robot and gets on with business.
The Good news: The film more than makes up for it with the mother of all Indian movie climaxes, where Rajni is King Kong, he is the Incredible Hulk, he is Iron Man, he is a Transformer, and he is the Anaconda. He is everything you have seen in special effects laden Hollywood flicks. Heck, in one scene, pinned to giant magnet with his arms stretched, he even does a menacing Hannibal Lecter lunge.
Neatly bookended between these two scenes is Rajnikanth's biggest ever movie.
When regular hits became the norm, Rajni recalibrated his own benchmark for stardom with Baasha in 1996. In the 14 years since, directors have tried everything to make Rajni bigger than he already was. There was Baasha itself, where he had his greatest backstory unraveled after much intrigue. There was Padaiyappa, which pitted him against the most memorable lady villain in Tamil cinema. And then there was Sivaji, where he comes back from the dead. There was nothing more to be done, or so we thought.
The Bad news first: There is no Rajnikanth 'entry' in Robot.
The movie cuts to chase directly, opening with Rajni working in a laboratory on a robot and gets on with business.
The Good news: The film more than makes up for it with the mother of all Indian movie climaxes, where Rajni is King Kong, he is the Incredible Hulk, he is Iron Man, he is a Transformer, and he is the Anaconda. He is everything you have seen in special effects laden Hollywood flicks. Heck, in one scene, pinned to giant magnet with his arms stretched, he even does a menacing Hannibal Lecter lunge.
Neatly bookended between these two scenes is Rajnikanth's biggest ever movie.
When regular hits became the norm, Rajni recalibrated his own benchmark for stardom with Baasha in 1996. In the 14 years since, directors have tried everything to make Rajni bigger than he already was. There was Baasha itself, where he had his greatest backstory unraveled after much intrigue. There was Padaiyappa, which pitted him against the most memorable lady villain in Tamil cinema. And then there was Sivaji, where he comes back from the dead. There was nothing more to be done, or so we thought.
Then comes a movie like Robot, where Rajni is the hero, villain, comedian and a multitude of henchmen. He even appears in drag in a song. Muthalvan/Nayak was said to be the greatest Rajnikanth movie in which he did not act in. Shankar rectifies that in Robot, which is the greatest yet for star and director. This is the first time in many years that a director has brought something to the table that enhances a Rajni movie. Along with it, he also proves that if you want to make a Rs 150 crore film, he is the go-to man.
The movie is not so much science fiction as much as it is about finding the right excuse to enable Rajni do what he usually does, and make it look plausible.
Dr Vaseegaran (Rajni) creates a humanoid robot, Chitti, (also Rajni) after 10 years of labour, during which he has hardly has any time for his parents or girlfriend Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ). Attempting to plant emotions into the robot backfires as the robot takes a liking for Sana, at which point the good doctor decides to destroy it. In steps the evil scientist Dr Bhora (Danny Denzongpa) who not only resurrects Chitti but also turns him into a killing machine.
The film's first set piece takes some time coming, but is well worth the wait. From then on it is relentless action, culminating in a climax that will be hard to better for some time to come.
It is so much of a Rajni show that even regular characters that usually get some screen space like parents (we see them in two scenes), friends (Karunas and Santanam are completely overshadowed by Rajni even in the comedy scenes), heroine (every director in the past decade has tried in vain to pair Rajni and Ash, but she still does not have much to do) and villain (a powerful actor like Danny hardly registers his presence) are marginalised.
Dr Vaseegaran (Rajni) creates a humanoid robot, Chitti, (also Rajni) after 10 years of labour, during which he has hardly has any time for his parents or girlfriend Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ). Attempting to plant emotions into the robot backfires as the robot takes a liking for Sana, at which point the good doctor decides to destroy it. In steps the evil scientist Dr Bhora (Danny Denzongpa) who not only resurrects Chitti but also turns him into a killing machine.
The film's first set piece takes some time coming, but is well worth the wait. From then on it is relentless action, culminating in a climax that will be hard to better for some time to come.
It is so much of a Rajni show that even regular characters that usually get some screen space like parents (we see them in two scenes), friends (Karunas and Santanam are completely overshadowed by Rajni even in the comedy scenes), heroine (every director in the past decade has tried in vain to pair Rajni and Ash, but she still does not have much to do) and villain (a powerful actor like Danny hardly registers his presence) are marginalised.
But in what little screen time they get together, what these two stars share is an easy camaraderie more than any great chemistry. It works in this case.
In retrospect, it is hard to imagine who else could have done this movie, and -- forget doing it so well -- merely even pulled it off. There are things in this movie that Rajni the villain does to Rajni the hero, which had any other actor done, would have seen theatres going up in flames.
In the end, this movie is as much about special effects as it is about Rajni. Overall, they may not be Avatar good, but they will definitely hold their own when compared with regular Hollywood action movies. And remember, while a Matrix cost $200 million, this was made for $30 million. But the effects are by a distance the best we have seen in Indian cinema.
On the flip side, there are enough bloopers for the movie to deserve its own section in our series. It is a tad too long, and the music is not exactly A R Rahman's best work. But these things seem to have been deliberately overlooked. The intent is clear from the beginning: To make a Rajni showcase like no other. By pitting him versus himself, Shankar has found just the right way to make Rajni just that much more larger than life.
In retrospect, it is hard to imagine who else could have done this movie, and -- forget doing it so well -- merely even pulled it off. There are things in this movie that Rajni the villain does to Rajni the hero, which had any other actor done, would have seen theatres going up in flames.
In the end, this movie is as much about special effects as it is about Rajni. Overall, they may not be Avatar good, but they will definitely hold their own when compared with regular Hollywood action movies. And remember, while a Matrix cost $200 million, this was made for $30 million. But the effects are by a distance the best we have seen in Indian cinema.
On the flip side, there are enough bloopers for the movie to deserve its own section in our series. It is a tad too long, and the music is not exactly A R Rahman's best work. But these things seem to have been deliberately overlooked. The intent is clear from the beginning: To make a Rajni showcase like no other. By pitting him versus himself, Shankar has found just the right way to make Rajni just that much more larger than life.
While it is a given that we all like good vs evil, there is a visceral pleasure when both look the same -- like Rajni. There are places you root for the deviant robot to triumph over its creator. As he lusts after Sana and bays for his creator's blood, Rajni channelises some of his best badass acts from the past, chiefly Alex Pandian in Moondru Mugam.
So, if there is just one Rajni movie you will ever watch, this is it, this is it, this is it.
If Robot the film was a person, it would be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Parts of the film are superbly entertaining - the scale is spectacular, the story is ambitious and the special effects are impressive. But parts, especially in the second half, are so needlessly stretched and cacophonous, that you're just waiting for it to end.
Still, I strongly recommend that you see Robot, to partake in writer-director Shankar's prodigious imagination and to revel in the sheer force of nature that is Rajinikanth.
When you buy a ticket to a Rajinikanth film, you enter into a pact with the actor. The only rule in a Rajinikanth movie is that there are no rules. Rajinikanth, whose contract reportedly specifies that he be credited as superstar, reigns supreme.
In Robot, he plays a double role - Dr Vasi, who creates an andro-humanoid robot named Chitti, also played by Rajnikanth. As pure machine, Chitti functions well enough but trouble starts when Dr. Vasi imbues human emotions into him.
Chitti falls in love with his creator's girlfriend, Sana played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, creating a singularly unique love triangle. When Chitti's feelings aren't reciprocated - Sana thinks of him as a 'toy-friend' instead of a boyfriend -- all hell breaks loose.
Robot's most compelling feature is the character of Chitti. Deriving from sources ranging from Blade Runner to Frankenstein, Shankar uses Chitti to make a comment on the human condition.
Like us, Chitti wants to live, he wants to love but like us, he is also tragically flawed, capable of blinding hubris and horrific destruction. Of course these sub-texts are buried under masala so extravagant that your jaws drop.
There are several gorgeously shot songs, including one in Machu Picchu, that has several llamas in the frame with a swaying Aishwarya. Sadly however, A R Rahman's music is singularly unmemorable.
As is the character of Sana who is essentially a Barbie doll required to look either gorgeous or afraid. Let me also warn you that it takes some time to get used to the film's supremely over-the- top sensibility.
Robot doesn't have an under-stated moment in its three-hour running time.
At one point, Chitti has an extended conversation with mosquitoes. And it took me a good ten minutes just to get past the wig that Rajinikanth wears as Dr Vasi.
But once you're in the flow of things, the plot gives you no time for pause.
Of course the scale moves to another level with the special effects that have been done by some of the same technicians who worked on Jurassic Park.
In the climax, an army of Chittis transforms itself into a snake and gorges on the enemy. But through all these fantastical, futuristic images, Shankar keeps the flavor strictly home- grown. The robot is given his name by Dr. Vasi's mother and even though Chitti menacingly abducts Sana, it never gets too risqué.
Robot rides on Rajinikanth's shoulders and he never stoops under the burden. Aided by snazzy clothes, make-up and special effects, he makes Chitti endearing.
Robot is exhausting. You won't have much energy left when it's done. But this roller-coaster ride should be experienced.
(Three and a half stars out of Five)
Parts of the film are superbly entertaining - the scale is spectacular, the story is ambitious and the special effects are impressive. But parts, especially in the second half, are so needlessly stretched and cacophonous, that you're just waiting for it to end.
Still, I strongly recommend that you see Robot, to partake in writer-director Shankar's prodigious imagination and to revel in the sheer force of nature that is Rajinikanth.
When you buy a ticket to a Rajinikanth film, you enter into a pact with the actor. The only rule in a Rajinikanth movie is that there are no rules. Rajinikanth, whose contract reportedly specifies that he be credited as superstar, reigns supreme.
In Robot, he plays a double role - Dr Vasi, who creates an andro-humanoid robot named Chitti, also played by Rajnikanth. As pure machine, Chitti functions well enough but trouble starts when Dr. Vasi imbues human emotions into him.
Chitti falls in love with his creator's girlfriend, Sana played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, creating a singularly unique love triangle. When Chitti's feelings aren't reciprocated - Sana thinks of him as a 'toy-friend' instead of a boyfriend -- all hell breaks loose.
Robot's most compelling feature is the character of Chitti. Deriving from sources ranging from Blade Runner to Frankenstein, Shankar uses Chitti to make a comment on the human condition.
Like us, Chitti wants to live, he wants to love but like us, he is also tragically flawed, capable of blinding hubris and horrific destruction. Of course these sub-texts are buried under masala so extravagant that your jaws drop.
There are several gorgeously shot songs, including one in Machu Picchu, that has several llamas in the frame with a swaying Aishwarya. Sadly however, A R Rahman's music is singularly unmemorable.
As is the character of Sana who is essentially a Barbie doll required to look either gorgeous or afraid. Let me also warn you that it takes some time to get used to the film's supremely over-the- top sensibility.
Robot doesn't have an under-stated moment in its three-hour running time.
At one point, Chitti has an extended conversation with mosquitoes. And it took me a good ten minutes just to get past the wig that Rajinikanth wears as Dr Vasi.
But once you're in the flow of things, the plot gives you no time for pause.
Of course the scale moves to another level with the special effects that have been done by some of the same technicians who worked on Jurassic Park.
In the climax, an army of Chittis transforms itself into a snake and gorges on the enemy. But through all these fantastical, futuristic images, Shankar keeps the flavor strictly home- grown. The robot is given his name by Dr. Vasi's mother and even though Chitti menacingly abducts Sana, it never gets too risqué.
Robot rides on Rajinikanth's shoulders and he never stoops under the burden. Aided by snazzy clothes, make-up and special effects, he makes Chitti endearing.
Robot is exhausting. You won't have much energy left when it's done. But this roller-coaster ride should be experienced.
(Three and a half stars out of Five)
Finally, we are just a day away from the release of India's biggest budget film Endhiran – The Robot. After waiting for three years, fans are excited to watch superstar Rajinikanth on-screen.
According to reports, Tamil version will be releasing in 1450 theatres with 1000 plus prints movie tickets in Tamil Nadu has been sold for a week. It includes PVR, Sathyam Cinemas, Inox etc. In Chennai alone the movie is releasing in over 30 theatres.
In Andhra Pradesh, Thota Kannarao has the rights for Telugu version of the film Robo. In some regions the movie will be released in both Tamil and Telugu version. In Hyderabad and many big cities, tickets for three days have been sold out.
In Karnataka, it is a different case, as the distributor and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) is yet to settle the dispute regarding prints. It has allowed to screen the film in 35 theatres from three versions. According to the rules of the KFCC, a non-Kannada movie can be screened in only 24 theatres. But the distributors are demanding 60 theatres.
The Hindi version of Endhiran has also grabbed attention among North Indian fans. Sources say that the movie has generated huge-hype in Mumbai.
In US and Europe, ticket booking started 10 days ago and were sold out in few hours. The movie is also releasing in Colosseum Kino, the largest cinema hall in Oslo (Norway).
The three versions of the film is releasing in over 3000 screens (2250 prints) worldwide on Friday, October 1.
The following is an article by sify dated 27 October, 2007 on fizzle between Shah Rukh Khan and Shankar.
It’s official. The much talked about Shankar directing Shah Rukh Khan in Robot produced by the actors Red Chillies productions has turned out to be a non-starter.
The bone of contention is the script of the film. Shankar had given only a one-line script of the film, and SRK found too many loopholes in it and is said to have remarked that it is “half baked”. Shankar is said to have remarked- “a star of Rajnikanth’s stature, had worked with me without interfering in the script!”
Suddenly, both realized that their working style do not match, and has agreed to shake hands, and call of the project. The basic problem with SRK and Shankar was that they are as different as chalk and cheese.
The SRK kind of Hindi commercial cinema, is script driven and there is always something new in it (Chak De), for the multiplex and overseas audiences who form the bulk of the viewers. The Shankar kind of commercial entertainment has its roots in the 70 & 80’s crass fantasy pills of an ordinary good guy turning into a vigilante and fighting the system and the hero’s larger-than-life image is used to make the film work.
The current crop of Bollywood heroes in private make fun of southern heroes and their outlandish dressing and wigs. Ask Anil Kapoor, who will regale you with many Shankar jokes, during the making of Nayak (Mudhalvan, Hindi version), which he says was a frame to frame remake of the original, and it bombed big time!
In hindsight SRK, backed out and plumped for good friend Karan Johar and his new film My name is Khan, a film on how westerners view with suspicion anybody with a Muslim surname, after the 9/11 attacks in US. In a television interview, Shah Rukh said, he is “kicked about Karan’s film, especially after my personal experiences as a Muslim traveler abroad”. In private SRK is said to have said that Robot is nothing but a futuristic vigilante tale!
Two thousand prints, around 10,000 shows, international technicians and makeup artists, award winning sound engineering and music - as the extravagant 200-crore saga unfolds this weekend - it will also shatter the myths of ‘small market, small budget’. The notions of ‘Tamil cinema being a small market and hence there are restrictions with regard to budget’ will be flushed down the drain as Endhiran releases to a whopping number of 600 screens in Chennai city alone.
The built-up thrill reaches its pinnacle with the ticket booking closing within minutes of opening all over the world. The biggest release of this year has broken all box-office booking records even before it release. Not only in India but it is also reported that the advance ticket booking has been phenomenal all over the world. For instance, at Jacksons Heights, New York, the tickets for the first week were sold out within 10 minutes.
This ambitious project, taken over by SUN TV, was abandoned by Ayngaran International and Eros during the economic recession that rocked the global financial markets. It underwent numerous title changes including Iyanthiran and Iyanthira. When, in September 2008, the official title Enthiran was finalized, Ayngaran / Eros cited financial pressures and decided to walk out on the movie. However, SUN provided wings to Shankar’s sci-fi dreams after Ayngaran sold the project in late 2008.
With a working budget of Rs. 150 Crores, Shankar has made sure that he had the best of both worlds working for Endhiran starting with Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. Enthiran is loosely based on Sujatha’s novel ‘En Iniya Iyanthira’. Sujatha’s passing away would definitely have been a setback in the proceedings but Shankar has also roped in Vairamuthu’s son Karky Vairamuthu. Endhiran also boasts of double Oscar and Grammy winner Rahman’s music, Rathnavelu’s cinematography, Resul Pookutty’s sound engineering, world class computer graphics and makeup artists.
The audio rights alone were sold for a few crores to Think Music and Enthiran became the first Tamil movie to have its songs featured in the i-Tunes top 10 list.
Thanks to the strategies of the think-tank at SUN pictures, Enthiran has already started minting money for the production banner. There has been a few events (audio release, trailer release and trailer screening) that were telecast in SUN TV earning the producers advertisement revenue. The movie’s first week tickets have been sold out ensuring sure-shot returns for the theatre owners and distributors in the first week itself. This is only the case in Tamil Nadu and the other states (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the North Indian states where the Hindi version is being released) are expected to bring in as much revenue.
As if the never- seen-before publicity is not enough, there is news that Shankar has plans to fly down Chitti (the Robot of Enthiran) to India for promotional activities. The rent will run into crores but that isn’t making the producers flinch. Chitti, which is in the Stan Winston Studio in California, will be brought to India and Shankar has confirmed the news himself.
So Enthiran is essentially a Diwali before Diwali. It’s all over the place. Pardon the cliché: love it or hate it, but it’s just impossible to ignore it. Enthiran has too many ‘firsts’ up it sleeves: for starters, it’s the most expensive Asian film ever made and the first Indian movie to take the largest worldwide opening.
Notwithstanding all this, do you even need reasons to watch a Rajini film, since the last you saw him lit up the screens was way back in 2007? We don’t think so.
With a working budget of Rs. 150 Crores, Shankar has made sure that he had the best of both worlds working for Endhiran starting with Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. Enthiran is loosely based on Sujatha’s novel ‘En Iniya Iyanthira’. Sujatha’s passing away would definitely have been a setback in the proceedings but Shankar has also roped in Vairamuthu’s son Karky Vairamuthu. Endhiran also boasts of double Oscar and Grammy winner Rahman’s music, Rathnavelu’s cinematography, Resul Pookutty’s sound engineering, world class computer graphics and makeup artists.
The audio rights alone were sold for a few crores to Think Music and Enthiran became the first Tamil movie to have its songs featured in the i-Tunes top 10 list.
Thanks to the strategies of the think-tank at SUN pictures, Enthiran has already started minting money for the production banner. There has been a few events (audio release, trailer release and trailer screening) that were telecast in SUN TV earning the producers advertisement revenue. The movie’s first week tickets have been sold out ensuring sure-shot returns for the theatre owners and distributors in the first week itself. This is only the case in Tamil Nadu and the other states (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and the North Indian states where the Hindi version is being released) are expected to bring in as much revenue.
As if the never- seen-before publicity is not enough, there is news that Shankar has plans to fly down Chitti (the Robot of Enthiran) to India for promotional activities. The rent will run into crores but that isn’t making the producers flinch. Chitti, which is in the Stan Winston Studio in California, will be brought to India and Shankar has confirmed the news himself.
So Enthiran is essentially a Diwali before Diwali. It’s all over the place. Pardon the cliché: love it or hate it, but it’s just impossible to ignore it. Enthiran has too many ‘firsts’ up it sleeves: for starters, it’s the most expensive Asian film ever made and the first Indian movie to take the largest worldwide opening.
Notwithstanding all this, do you even need reasons to watch a Rajini film, since the last you saw him lit up the screens was way back in 2007? We don’t think so.
Endhiran Theatrical Trailer:
