Endhiran (Robot) to hit screens on October 1

The much awaited science fiction Tamil film Endhiran (along with its dubbed versions Robot in Hindi and Robo in Telugu), which was scheduled for release on September 24, has again been postponed for release on 1 October 2010, in view of the expected verdict of the Allahabad High Court on the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid issue. Yet another mega-budget movie Anjaane Anjaani, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, was also scheduled for September 24 release but now postponed for release on October 1 for the same reason.

The Tamil Sci-fi movie Enthiran, directed by S. Shankar and produced by Kalanidhi Maran and Hansraj Saxena starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles, has its soundtrack and background score by the Oscar-winning composer and music director A. R. Rahman. Though the initially planned production budget of Endhiran was Indian Rupees 150 crore (US$ 32.55 million), now it has been reported that the final budget of the film is Rs 190 crore, making it the most expensive Asian film ever made. The film is also slated to make the largest worldwide opening for an Indian film.

The release event of the Telugu version, Robo, was held in Hyderabad on 6 August 2010. The event was attended by Chiranjeevi, D. Ramanaidu, Mohan Babu, Srinu Vaitla, Kajal Aggarwal, Kamna Jethmalani and many other celebrities. The Hindi version, Robot, released in Mumbai on 14 August 2010 was attended by guests such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and many other celebs of Bollywood, apart from the film's sound mixing engineer and Oscar winner Resul Pookutty and Danny Denzongpa, who is also featured in the film.

Meanwhile there are reports of the fans of superstar Rajinikanth praying to make Endhiran a huge success, while Rajinikanth himself is planning to go for his usual pilgrimage to the Himalayas, a usual practice of Rajinikant before any of his films hit the screens.

The final stage of the sound mixing of Endhiran was completed on September 20, and A. R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty and the film's director Shankar and the technical team of Enthiran were present for the stage.

The film's soundtrack was released on 31 July 2010, coinciding with a promotional event held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Co-hosted by Vivek and "Punnagai Poo" Geetha, the event was attended by Kalanithi Maran, S. Shankar, Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, A. R. Rahman, Santhanam, Karunas, Vairamuthu, R. Rathnavelu, Anthony, Sabu Cyril, and Yogi B, as well as invited guests including Dayanidhi Maran, Radha Ravi, Vadivelu, Shriya Saran, Jayam Ravi, Ramya Krishnan, S. A. Chandrasekhar, Aishwarya and Soundarya Rajinikanth, Krish, and Sangeetha Arvind, while Silambarasan Rajendar, Vijayalakshmi Agathiyan, and Poorna made stage performances.

After the second day of release of Endhiran's soundtrack album, it became #1 on the Top 10 World Albums chart on iTunes in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, a first for an Indian album to reach the top spot.

Bollywood legends salute Rajinikanth - Enthiran

This short video report from NDTV says the entire Bollywood's biggest and brightest stars and legends flocked to catch the Robot special screening in Mumbai. Rajinikanth himself invited them and he was personally present. The celebrities and legends included the entire Bachchan clan, veteran film maker and legendary actor Dev Anand, and many others.

Now, as director Shankar is being hailed as ‘India's James Cameron’, the flick has sent some strong shockwaves up the spines of some producers and superstars of Bollywood. Meanwhile there are reports that ‘Robotmania’ has gripped the whole range of big-budget filmmakers of Bollywood and most of them are now seriously considering incorporating Robotronics and animatronics in their future productions and even in films under production.

While Shah Rukh Khan is reported to introduce the latest technologies on special effects in his films, reports say Krrish 2 has been delayed, and Hrithik Roshan told a scribe, “Krrish 2 is definitely not shelved,” while Papa Roshan told the media, "I might start work on 'Krrish', wait for the announcement."

On the box office front Enthiran has re-written history by overtaking the first week collections of Bollywood's highest first-week grosser 'Dabangg' (Rs 82 crore), by netting a first week collection of Rs 117 crore.

Enthiran (Robot) Exclusive HD Movie Trailer

The city of Chennai is getting ready, like the rest of the country and various other centers in the world where the fans of Rajnikant films are waiting for the release of the science fiction movie Enthiran (Robot). The tickets have been sold out within minutes of opening booking and fans are scrambling for tickets.

The film is full of special effects, animation and the latest technologies in Sci-Fi film production technology. Excepting a few scenes of dance and songs, the entire film has plenty of special effects. The producer Shankar has opted for 'Light Stage', a technique adopted in filming Hollywood blockbuster “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in which 80 lights were used to capture a series of shots. Additionally, “Animatronics”, a kind of mechanical puppetry, a never before attempted 3D animation is used in the climax of 'Enthiran', said Director Shankar to the media.

Written ten years ago by Shankar, and the production started three years ago after many hurdles and postponements in the production of the film, the mere thought of the scope of such a highly technical film stunned the Indian industry, especially in view of the huge production costs, about Rs 190 crores, according to the latest reports.

The film will not fall into the usual genres of a Shankar film as it is quite different for the Indian film audience, technicians, and the director Shankar himself. Shankar says, "It is a film which will have a linear narration, with plenty of action, and far fewer dialogues… Go watch the film without expectations, and you will be stunned. Go with expectations and you will enjoy the film."

Sci-Fi: Endhiran and Terminator Salvation

This seems to be a case of BLATANT COPYCAT act! But who is copying whom? The answer is obvious!

The Indian Sci-Fi film Enthiran co-written and directed by S. Shankar, and featuring Superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles, is going to be released worldwide on 1 October 2010 along with its dubbed versions: Robot in Hindi and Robo in Telugu.

But the American Sci-Fi film “Terminator Salvation” directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington (The fourth installment in the Terminator series), was released on May 21, 2009 in the United States and Canada, followed by early June releases in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

So, obviously Enthiran did not exist when Terminator Salvation was produced or released!

This is not the only picture that looks similar in appearance in both the films. You can find many more on the internet, especially on photo-sharing sites like Flickr.com

Rajinikanth fans in Mumbai celebrate Enthiran release

In this video Rajinikanth fans celebrate the release of Robot (Endhiran) in Mumbai and say that he is like God. Watch it for yourself. Similar reports have come in from almost all major centers in India and abroad, including Malaysia, where the film had a phenomenal opening. The box office in UK and USA recorded the highest opening for an Indian film ever.