AND THE CREDIT GOES TO....



AND THE CREDIT GOES TO....
Endhiran, which was released a fortnight before has brought life to an age-old debate. No! We are not going to discuss about Endhiran. The debate is actually on a larger perspective. A scale which is larger than that of Endhiran's! What is it that actually makes a movie work? We all know that the making of a movie is no less than weaving a magic spell on the audience. But it is also a collective effort, a combined effort of hundreds of individuals.

So who takes the larger share of the pie here? Everyone involved in the movie has the right to claim that the movie's success is theirs. The director, producer, cinematographer, musician, lyricist… everyone has an equal part to play in a movie. The phenomenal success of Endhiran has added a new dimension to the topic. Is a big-budget movie a recipe for success? Analysts will argue that a small budget movie like Kalavani was also a huge success. OK!

There have been so many instances in the past where big budget movies have fallen and small timers have tasted huge success. A very obvious example is that of Pasanga. A movie which featured school children and was targeted mostly at children was a huge success. It reaped rich harvests across the world with so many awards in International film festivals and four national



awards. So, are story and direction keys to success? In that case, movies like Anbe Sivam and Virumandi should never have been flops. Actor Vijay tasted huge success with a string of hits movies like Gilli, Sivakasi, Tirupachi and Pokkiri. So, is star value the focal point to the movies success? Think about Vijay's movies of the recent past and we can say it is not.

Music has played a very important role in Indian movies, Kollywood in particular. There have been movies in the past that have become hits only because of songs and romantic numbers. Is music instrumental in the movie's success? Well, directors of late have opted to choose scripts which take a detour from the normal. Kamal Hassan starrer Unnaipol Oruvan succeeded without a single romantic number. Same goes with other departments which have equal contribution in the making of movie. So what is it that makes a movie click?

If we take a look at this year's hit movies, we can possibly have an idea (not a conclusion) of what it takes to strike gold. We have star value in Sura, Singam and Asal, musical hits like Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya and Paiyaa, experiments like Ayirathil Oruvan and Raavanan, comedy in movies like Boss Engira Baskiran and one movie which had all, Endhiran. This has made the situation hazier than before. We can only infer that success of a movie is about street smart direction. The difference here is between having food at home and in a restaurant. It is about cooking the recipe with all the required ingredients.

Endhiran has only emphasized this very fact. It has the required star value, peppy songs, great locations, the required computer graphics and the right script which can make the audience think about the movie after leaving the movie hall. Such a budget was required because the script required it. We may again be proved wrong if a movie of such extravagance fails in the future. For now, the credit goes to ... the smarter brain!

SOHA ALI KHAN ON RAJINI


Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan, daughter of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, has said that she loves Rajinikanth. The actress, who has not seen Endhiran yet, says that her friends rave about the film and she wants to watch it as the trailers and reviews are impressive too.

When quizzed about her desire to act in Kollywood film, Soha has said that she prefers to focus in Bollywood for the time being.

Her next project in the pipeline is Chemistry with Shreyas Talpade.

BANGALORE'S WELCOME TO RAJNI!



Endhiran


Regards

Krishna Prabhu
krishtonin@gmail.com

Endhiran to speak English, in 3D


Endhiran will be released in a 3D English version for the international market. Says Sun TV CEO Hansraj Saxena, “We have been under pressure to complete and release Endhiran in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. But now, considering how well it has been received in the South and North, we are looking at an English version for the international market.”

Seven minutes of footage is already in 3D, and will be added to the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions later. The film will be released in Japan in a dubbed version too. “But first, we’d like to take Endhiran to film festivals,” says Saxena.

Rajnikant magic...Eros International collects Rs610mn for Endhiran


This film has been released by Ayngaran International, which is a 51% subsidiary of Eros International and is the pioneer in Tamil film distribution in theatrical and home video formats in the international market.

Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International), the largest studio in India, is proud to announce the spectacular opening for the Tamil and Telegu versions of the film ‘Endhiran’ which has recorded a gross overseas box office collection of Rs. 610mn . This film has been released by Ayngaran International, which is a 51% subsidiary of Eros International and is the pioneer in Tamil film distribution in theatrical and home video formats in the international market.


Endhiran stars the Tamil film industry’s most popular superstar Rajnikanth and is directed by the immensely talented Shanker. This is one of the most magnificent films to be made in Indian cinema. The Tamil and Telugu versions of Endhiran have received enormous success overseas with the film grossing Rs. 200mn in the United States of America, Rs. 80mn in the United Kingdom (Including Europe), Rs. 70mn in the Middle East, Rs. 210mn in South East Asia (including Malaysia and Singapore) and Rs. 50mn in the rest of the world. The film has received a stupendous response and has seen a manifold success compared to the Rajnikanth starrer ‘Sivaji’


With Ayngaran International, Eros International continues to establish its strong regional presence and penetrate into new market segments, audiences, acquisition and exploitation of regional film content. The latest success of Endhiran has also contributed towards consolidating this strategy.


Commenting on the success of Enthiran, K Karunamoorthy, CEO of Ayngaran International commented, “We are pleased to announce the exceptional response to the Tamil and Telegu versions of the film-Endhiran, not just in India but across the world. The magnificent trio – Rajnikanth, Shankar and A.R. Rehman have hit the jackpot once again. We were very confident about the film breaking all box office records. The combined distribution strength of Ayngaran International and Eros International has enabled us to integrate the Tamil film industry by producing and releasing films very successfully on the global platform.”


Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said, “It gives me immense pride to announce the exceptional response received for the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film-Endhiran, which has been distributed through our own subsidiary Company, Ayngaran International. We are elated with the box office collections of the film across the globe and wish to contribute the success to the very talented team of Endhiran. We believe the extensive distribution power of Ayngaran International and Eros International has given us a competitive advantage and we will continue to strive to create greater success stories in the future.”

The similarity between Ra One and The Robot


Apart from the fact that both the film Ra One and Endhiran are India’s first sci-fi thrillers, there turns to be yet another connection between these flicks. All the comparison started after the release of superstar Rajnikanth’s The Robot. Soon after watching the film Robot (Hindi version of Endhiran), it was reported that SRK called for a SOS meeting with his technicians to make some changes to the script of Ra One. He wanted to add more emotional quotients to this sci-fi thriller.

Buzz up!
Academy award winner Resul Pookutty is yet another commonality and he has already gained the laurels for his best sound in Rajnikanth’s film. Resul has been trying hard to bring the best sound with Ra One.


Recently in an interview, he uncovered a striking similarity between these films. Both of them have a mind-boggling train chasing sequence. However, SRK has decided to re edit the shots and add flavors to it so that audiences don’t term it as a ‘copycat’. The sources reveal that the action sequence has been shot at a cost of Rs. 3 crores.

Huge money, new ideas and themes and realms of Superstars – wow! That’s about launching Indian films in international standards.

What do you think ? Will Ra One earn praises for itself or will it be called as a copy cat of The Robot? Do leave you opinion in the comment box below.

Robot+Rajini=Rs 300 cr


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.

Trivia

The Maths Of Magic

Budget RS 200 crore,including Rs 45 crore to Rajinikanth, Rs 50 crore on promotion and Rs 6 crore to Aishwarya Total revenue in first two weeks Rs 300 crore, including Rs 88 crore from Tamil theatrical, Rs 50 crore from overseas rights, Rs 23 crore from Hindi rights, Rs 27 crore from Telugu rights, Rs 25 crore from satellite rights, Rs 17 crore from home video, Rs 10 crore from audio rights Total number of prints 2,250 across 3,000 screens

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.

Rajini Rage

He doesn't care for wigs offscreen, doesn't sell films but presents them to the nation, and is not even a native of Tamil Nadu. But his rise from his first film in 1975, K. Balachanders Apoorva Raagangal, is the stuff of legend.

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.

The Legend of Rajiniman

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.

RAJINI REJUVENATES


Supersonic Superstar Rajinikanth, after the release and the success of Endhiran is off to a distant location to rejuvenate himself. The actor, who usually travels to the Himalayas to find peace and serenity, was supposed to visit Haridwar before Endhiran's release. His plans got delayed, as incessant rains lashed Haridwar and travel was truncated for days in the place. Now, Rajini, with his friend, is in the foothills of the Himalayas spending spiritual time. He is seen with the public without any airs and doing things (like having tea in a teashop) which are impossible for him otherwise. We wish the Superstar energizes himself and comes back with more energy and enthusiasm.

Rajinikanth Son in Law Dhanush Watched Enthiran Second Time

Rajinikanth Son in Law Dhanush Watched Enthiran Second Time
Dhanush had already watched Enthiran but that did not deter him from watching the film for the second time. The actor said that he wanted to gauge the audiences’ reaction and hence wanted to see the film in a theatre with the public. It may be recalled that Dhanush had seen Enthiran along with several other stars and film personalities soon after the film’s release. Dhanush has said that it is not just the Rajini fans that went gaga over the film but others too. He added that Rajini’s dedication at this age shows his love for cinema.

RAJINIKANTH AT IMAYAMALAI - IMAGES

52 640x480  சமீபத்திய இமயமலை ஆன்மீக பயணத்தில்  சிவாஜி ராவ்; விஷேஷ புகைப்படங்கள்!!

91 640x480  சமீபத்திய இமயமலை ஆன்மீக பயணத்தில்  சிவாஜி ராவ்; விஷேஷ புகைப்படங்கள்!!


32 640x480  சமீபத்திய இமயமலை ஆன்மீக பயணத்தில்  சிவாஜி ராவ்; விஷேஷ புகைப்படங்கள்!!


121 640x480  சமீபத்திய இமயமலை ஆன்மீக பயணத்தில்  சிவாஜி ராவ்; விஷேஷ புகைப்படங்கள்!!

141 640x480  சமீபத்திய இமயமலை ஆன்மீக பயணத்தில்  சிவாஜி ராவ்; விஷேஷ புகைப்படங்கள்!!Sivaji Rao Gaekwad in Himalayas (October 2010) – Complete Gallery

END

"KAMALHAASAN SENT ME FLOWERS" - SHANKAR

Shankar's letter on success of Robot

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.

Regards
Shankar







Endhiran makes 300 Crores in two weeks - India today's Exclusive..

India today - October'2010 Edition.

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?

The Maths Of Magic

Budget RS 200 crore,including Rs 45 crore to Rajinikanth, Rs 50 crore on promotion and Rs 6 crore to Aishwarya

Total revenue in first two weeks Rs 300 crore, including Rs 88 crore from Tamil theatrical, Rs 50 crore from overseas rights, Rs 23 crore from Hindi rights, Rs 27 crore from Telugu rights, Rs 25 crore from satellite rights, Rs 17 crore from home video, Rs 10 crore from audio rights

Total number of prints 2,250 across 3,000 screens

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.

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.

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 Vaasanth

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.


Rajini Rage

He doesn't care for wigs offscreen, doesn't sell films but presents them to the nation, and is not even a native of Tamil Nadu. But his rise from his first film in 1975, K. Balachanders Apoorva Raagangal, is the stuff of legend.

Badsha


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

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

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


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


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.



Public
Public tonsuring, praying, bathing his cutouts with milk, Rajinikanth movies are events.

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.


The Legend of Rajiniman

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.

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.

The last 40 minutes, which make it count for the fans, are worth Rs 50 crore. Rajinikanth's make-up alone cost rs 3 crore.

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.


-Sriram, USA.

Malaysia Boxoffice Reports for Endhiran

Can "Endhiran" make RM20 million?

By Sivarasa Sothivadivel

4 Oct
– The weekend box office belonged to revered actor Rajnikanth as his Tamil blockbuster "Endhiran" (variants: "Enthiran", "Robot", "Robo") grossed in excess of RM3 million across more than 100 Malaysian screens for the weekend just gone, while Facebook movie "The Social Network" topped the U.S. charts with an estimated gross of US$ 23 million. The latter opens in Malaysia this 11 November.

Sources within Lotus Five Star AV have confirmed that they are expecting a 100-day run and a total gross of RM20 million if Rajnikanth fans throw their support behind the Kollywood giant.

Many cinemagoers have been bombarding the cinema chains on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter with pre-sales enquiries prior to the opening day. Fortunately, there was no repeat of the "Sivaji" fiasco two years ago where problems with the digital download of the movie resulted in delayed or cancelled shows and a horde of angry patrons, which in turn resulted in public mayhem involving police intervention.

Cinema showtimes for "Endhiran" were also the most viewed on Cinema Online's website, with more than 50,000 unique page views by the opening day. Leading chain GSC also reported a spectacular spike in their Facebook activity notification, mostly attributed to anxious fans who were waiting for reservations to open for the monster title.


Two Rajnikanth fans Maheshan, 24, and Hariharan, 19, made their way from Rawang to TGV CapSquare when they couldn't get tickets to Pawagam Sun in Rawang on the opening day

Lotus Five Star State PJ registered sold out halls for almost every show over the weekend for "Endhiran". No untoward incidents were reported.

Patrons came to GSC MidValley as early as 9am before the cinema opened on a Saturday morning to try for better tickets

Local rapper Yogi B came with singer Reshmonu and was led up onstage to comment on the Rajnikanth movie

Filmmakers Farid Kamil & Pierre Andre came to watch "Endhiran"

"Endhiran" was the generally the fastest selling movie across all cinemas playing it

At the TGV CapSquare premiere of "Endhiran" last Thursday night, a host of local filmmakers showed up to witness the undeniable box office phenomenon, including David Teo, Yusof Haslam, Afdlin Shauki, Farid Kamil and Pierre Andre. The proceedings were officiated by Chief Minister of Perlis Datuk Seri Md Isa Sabu and also Lotus Five Star strongmen Dato' Doraisingam and Garuna Murthee.

http://www.cinema.com.my/news/news.aspx?search=2010.n_101004wbo_4289


"Endhiran" mania continues

By Lai Swee Wei


Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai in "Endhiran".


11 Oct – The robo mania has yet to die down as Rajnikanth's fans continue to flood cinemas nationwide over the weekend just gone (7-10 Oct) to catch sci-fi action "Endhiran" (aka "Robot" in Hindi) with Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai. Meanwhile, director Ahmad Idham's comedy sequel "Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak 2" managed to hit RM1.5 million in its opening weekend, according to actress Lisa Surihani's Facebook shout out.

http://www.cinema.com.my/news/news.aspx?search=2010.n_101011wbo_4306


Boxoffice Mojo site Reports for Malaysia :
http://boxofficemojo.com/intl/malaysia/?yr=2010&wk=41&p=.htm
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