Here is my review of the movie:
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Us Tamils, we are a curious bunch! Really. Once we have taken to somebody he is ours for life. No matter how old he gets or how his appearance changes. Once a hero always a hero. We have proved this time and again with M.G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan etc., etc. Obviously the biggest contemporary example for this effect would have to be none other than Rajnikanth. The man whom the entire state lovingly calls 'Superstar'.
On Friday I had this never-before opportunity of watching a Superstar movie on the first day of its release! And one cannot be a Tamil in Chennai and not be excited at the prospect of catching a Rajni movie on the first day of its release. Settled in the plush, soft (yet not completely comfortable) seats at the Express Avenue mall, I had no preset ideas in my mind about the movie. I had only seen the trailer a couple of times - which has to be some kind of record given the frequency with which it was shown on the various TV channels here!
'Enthiran' in Tamil literally means 'Machine man'. Its actually a nicely crafted title and is derived from the word 'Enthiram' which means 'Machine'. I thought the movie started off in great fashion. In a way trendsetting, even. Because it did not have any elaborate introduction scene for Rajnikanth! In fact the Superstar came on screen in the first minute of the movie. Working on a robot. That raised expectations in me. Could this be an anathema? Could this movie actually focus on the subject material, the script itself without unduly stagnating on the hero himself? More on that later.
I had taken a great liking to the rustic, even unadorned appearance of our hero in an earlier Tamil movie Chandramukhi. In 'Enthiran' Rajni in the scientist character ('Vaseegaran' in the movie) sports a similar appearance. Often bearded and unkempt there is something essentially human and therefore identifiable and lovable in that character. For reasons best known to only the producers and the director Shankar, Vaseegaran decides to create a humanoid robot as his mirror image. Featuring his face and even his mannerisms - right down to his trademark walk. But there is an essential difference between the two characters that Rajni adorns in this movie. As the Robot, our Superstar is slick, smart, fashionable, weighted down with makeup (including but not limited to lipstick). A polar opposite to Vaseegaran. No prizes for guessing which character got the most applause from the crowds!
There was a lot written in the press about the story behind this movie. At best it is a mish mash of Asimov novels and earlier Hollywood productions such as 'I, Robot' etc. There is no attempt to add on to whatever we Sci-fi fans know already as robot lore. Although I will also say that today it is hard to please the average movie-going adult in India. Especially with science-fiction subjects. The bar is set so high in this genre that Indian productions are surely at a disadvantage. But to be fair, the Indian movie industry has avoided flirting with the sci-fi genre for the most part. So, there is not too much collective experience with movies of this type. And it shows.
Moving on to on screen performances, Aishwarya takes on a glamorous role with aplomb. There are shots which are stunning and make her look desirable. And then there are also shots which show her age. You have to pick which shots you want to remember! Not much acting to be done as far as Aishwarya is concerned. The comedy track - if it can be called that - is eminently avoidable. Karunas and Santhanam regularly fall flat and their interludes with the robot - often attempting to put the entire project at risk - are not believable in the least. Especially when Vaseegaran repeatedly threatens to throw them out but never does that. As has recently been the trend, Rajni also portrays a negative role in this movie. And he easily out-performs his own Vaseegaran-character while essaying this role. Make-up, clothing and accessories also scream out loud when 'negative' Rajni is on screen.
The action on screen - including many of the dance sequences - is mostly computer animated. Now to me, the best and the most potent science fiction movies (or books) are ones that induce in you a sense of believability. Ever so faint, may it be. But nevertheless the possibility of such a thing happening must strike you. If not, we humans (ever the realists) tend to laugh it off. The special effects and over-the-top animations in 'Enthiran' never ever threaten to become believable. Now, this should, I think in a nutshell answer a question that was raised earlier in this review. Could this turn out to be a movie focused on the story itself rather than being fixated on the hero? No Sir. It does not risk that much.
What about the music? Lets just say that it has its moments. I am yet to figure out why it is that Rahman's tunes take quite a while before you start appreciating them while there never was that kind of an experience with Ilayaraja's stuff. I mean I understand if a song grows on you slowly. But certainly you dont go from absolutely hating a number to slowly start liking it. With Rahman though, it has almost become a given. Now I do not know enough about music to guess what that says about the composition. But I am sure there is something hidden there.
What about the direction and screenplay then, you ask? I can only say this much. The subtlety and insight shown in tackling the story and screenplay is one that can be expected from a teenager who has gotten hold of an idea about a robot becoming 'human-like'. Its a wildly careening ride - from research laboratories to independent evaluation bodies for robotics headed by corrupt professors in nexus with international terrorists to wild, chaotic, uncontrolled gun fights in the middle of the city. This wild ride could have been made a little bit more believable with judicious use of animation. But all semblance of believability was sacrificed. In the end, its a spectacle. I am not even sure that that is a criticism. In fact I am convinced that a spectacle is what the makers of this movie wanted to create. Perhaps it makes it easier to sell the movie...
At the end of it all, it leaves me bemused. Not just me, folks. On the first day of the movie, the theatre was vastly silent, with just a few yells and cheers when Rajnikanth first came on screen. It was shocking to even hear a few jeers and cat calls towards the end of the movie. No, Rajni has not become less popular. But if there is going to be yet another movie which attempts to piggy back on his charisma - perhaps he will. The subject was promising. It was a first for Tamil cinema. Perhaps for Indian cinema. In the end it just turned out to be a "Rajni movie". Nothing more but certainly nothing less. I was also curious about seeing how this movie could have fared in Telugu amd Hindi. From whatever I could see, I would venture to say the Hindi movie world is not going to take a liking to this. In Telugu, it would not surprise me to see this go on to be a hit.
As a movie-buff I ache for the multi-talented Rajnikanth to take on a substantial role and 'wow' us with his acting skills. I expect him to be something more than a vehicle for all manners of gaudy accessories and clothing and makeup. I know I am not alone in this. And I hope we are all not left aching...
And let me also pose this question in passing. What if this movie had anybody else other than Rajnikanth as the lead actor? Leave all the special effects and screenplay as they are. How would the movie be received? I think the answer to that would tell you the real merit of 'Enthiran' - the movie. And as always that answer has to be personal.
I am gonna D-load and watch it............ :lol:
hyeah:
