10 October 2010
Last updated at 22:52 GMT
India's most expensive film is another Rajinikanth hit
By Sudha G Tilak
Delhi
Rajinikanth plays the roles of the nutty professor and his killer robot
India's most expensive
film ever is a Frankenstein tale of a scientist who makes a robot in his
own image, which turns into a monster and falls in love with his
maker's fiancee.
And it looks set to be another mega-hit for one of
Bollywood's most bankable stars, Rajinikanth, a balding 61-year-old
whose unstoppable box office staying power seems almost as incredible as
the film's plotline.
Made with a budget of 1.6bn rupees ($35m; 23m), Enthiran is a
story about a killer robot who multiplies into a million clones,
destroying Chennai (Madras), the capital of the southern state of Tamil
Nadu.
But this terrifying army of androids is dwarfed in real life
by the legions of fans of the movie's cult mega-star, Rajinikanth,
Bollywood's highest-paid actor.
In Enthiran (Robot), Rajinikanth plays the nutty professor and his creation, the humanoid robot, Chitti.
The lovey-dovey android serenades his creator's fiancee,
played by another Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, singing that he will
seek love in places "where Google searches can't reach".
James Bond 'snubbed'
She purrs and calls him her "toyfriend"; he sings that her
beauty has set him burning to temperatures that even the "Atlantic Ocean
cannot cool".
Smart lines, diabolical characters, high-voltage action and
impressive special effects make this a promising Indian popcorn movie.
Rajinikanth's fans have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters
Then there are the lush song sequences in exotic locations like Machu Picchu.
The film's spin machine claims that the Peruvian authorities
had "refused the shooting of a James Bond film, but allowed our
Rajinikanth to dance".
The critics may be cringing, and at nearly 180 minutes,
Endhiran is rather long, but the film has stormed the box office since
opening last weekend.
The movie is also the product of an industry which is fast becoming globalised, despite its unique brand of cinema.
The special effects are cooked up by a Hollywood FX shop that has worked on films like Jurassic Park and Terminator.
Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
If a tiger had sex with a tornado and
then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their
offspring would be Rajinikanth"
End Quote
Slate.com review
The action scenes were staged by
a Hong Kong choreographer who has worked with Jackie Chan and on the
film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The music is scored by the Oscar-winning AR Rahman - the
songs are a fusion of lilting Tamil numbers set to Malaysian rap and hip
hop, and bouncy electro-pop.
As so often, Rajinikanth steals the show.
"The two worthwhile creations of God are you and me", he tells the film's heroine.
At least half that statement would be heartily agreed with by
members of the more than 6,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs that have spawned
across India.
He is especially popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where film stars are venerated like gods.
In a recent article, slate.com rated Rajinikanth as the second-highest-paid actor in Asia, after Jackie Chan.
'Style King'
"If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado
baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be
Rajinikanth," says a review in slate.com.
Rajinikanth's eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the nickname "Style King"
In Japan, his film Muthu was dubbed in Japanese as The Dancing Maharaja and became a huge hit in 1995.
Rajinikanth's success is all the more remarkable considering
he has no obvious aptitude as a dancer - a talent so desirable for Tamil
musicals.
His eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the
nickname Style King. But he remains the most beloved star of the Tamils.
His fans thought nothing of queuing from the early hours outside cinemas on the day of the film's premiere.
Rajinikanth's followers have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters.
The success of Endhiran ensures that their worship of the Bollywood megastar will continue.
link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11498630
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