Endhiran. The mother of all movies, at least we can say so because of the budget. Made at close to US$45 million, Endhiran is a spectacle from the grand director of Kollywood, Shankar, combining with the most celebrated actor of them all- Rajinikanth, and also the living legend of a music composer AR Rahman.

But I’m not here just to write down a review for Endhiran- The Robot. Why was Endhiran made at such a budget? One has to note that Endhiran needs a worldwide audience participation if the team were to see profit after such a humungous budget. A regular 200-day run in the theatres in India itself won’t prove to be enough to see profit- most, maybe only to break even, given its production, marketing, and distribution budget, which, least to say- is astronomical.

Endhiran is a loud shout to the rest of the world that Tamil cinema has the ambition to be on par with other globalized industries. What Endhiran wants is that moviegoers of other races all over the world should come in and watch because it can be as good as any movie. Praises were splattered by the likes of Vairamuthu and what nots that the movie is Hollywood in quality. So, I took with me a Chinese friend to watch Endhiran.

I have the right to give my review of the film, because I contributed, as a Tamil cinema lover, for Endhiran to have that extra viewer that they were looking for. I watched the movie from my friend’s perspective- if this were the very first film I have watched in Tamil, what would my impression of the whole industry be, so on and so on. So here begins.

Firstly- to say Endhiran is Hollywood is far-fetched yet irrelevant in terms of argument. It’s the best India has ever produced in terms of technical brilliance, but that’s not what Hollywood is all about- and to begin with- I never liked the perception that Hollywood is a benchmark. There is no need for comparison, so all those who go on the Hollywood rant can just calm down and view Endhiran just as a well-made Tamil movie.

This is Rajini’s show all the way. It’s refreshing to have seen him come out and act his heart out- probably realizing he has been given the chance to be part of an important film in the history of the industry, he grabbed it with both hands. So, young directors should note this. Rajini can, and is willing, to act. He is not obsessed with punch dialogues (I don’t think he has any here) or opening songs, or grand entries. It’s refreshing to see his entry be so simple and straight-to-the-point in this film.

Shankar, elsewhere, unleashes his imagination- the robot turns into a python, a giant, a drill, can roller-skate on railway tracks, can fly at consummate ease, can talk to mosquitoes. But at the core of this is detailed description of everything. As if Shankar had studied robotics- terms such as reverse mapping, explanations such as the magnetic field that helps the Robot fly up, what it uses to charge itself, how to deliver a baby by negating the hip- he has the details right, he has done his research.

Now that is a point we should highlight- because 90 per cent of Tamil directors assume that their audiences are so intellectually starved that their so-called theories is all based on assumptions in contrast of proper research.

But having said all these, we are not there yet. Endhiran is not a masterpiece. We are not at a global standard, yet. I’m just delivering my verdict for those who believe Endhiran could be the first Indian film that is world-class. I rather believe while Endhiran is not world-class, we already had world-class movies. Examples would be underrated gems such as Iruvar and Hey Ram.

Why, many may ask? While Shankar has got his foundations right- he is still inclined to the Indian commercial stereotypes and this is a major handicap for the movie, and my friend found the very same reason why the movie fell quite short from being perfect.

Femme fatale?

It is not secret that in Tamil films female characters are almost never given the proper scope or importance. It is true that Endhiran is one of those films where the female character is at the centre stage of the story and is given proper screen space- but it is all fake.

The love story between Vasi and Sana has no connection at all. Chitti falls in love with Sana at the weave of a kiss. There is hardly any development of feelings. Ash at all times only needed to look pretty in the film. It’s almost as if Vasi and Chitti were in love just because of her beauty. There is no depth of characterization- so often the case in Shankar’s films.

Sana looks grossly out of place in her home environment- she is supposed to be staying in a shelter home with many others, but she wears flashy dresses even while she is sleeping. Not in one scene did she look natural, cute, or anything that indicates a trait of a character. The only thing she does is to look pretty.

Even the dialogues provided to her are more often said for the sake of it. The dialogues have no emotional underscore in them, do not strike, move or affect you- especially the scene where she is supposed to console Vasi after he dismantled Chitti- the scene is forced, and is converted into a comedy scene rather than a genuine scene that could have portrayed how much they love each other.

These elements are important if our film-makers look to make a step into perfection. Constant shallow views of female portrayals are a hindrance and not a cultural trait- although it tends to be mistaken for the latter. The story could be much more emotional with someone way less ‘pretty’ than Ash, but with someone who can fit the character, act it out, and make you fall in love with the character.

Ash is stunningly pretty is Endhiran, but that’s where it ends. You don’t fall in love with Sana, but with Ash. And that’s wrong to feel so in a film.

The sad part is Ash is a proven actress as well, and she had demonstrated her capacities to act, but she is nothing more than a doll that Shankar uses to centre his story around.

Fighting the fights

When will we let go of flying cars and Tata Sumo explosions? My friend found the fight scenes dragged beyond necessity, and so did I. Why the need of that train fight scene when we already know the robot can fight well? Why drag the fight scene after Chitti turns bad to ridiculous extent with too many explosions when it doesn’t move the story anywhere?

The crescendo appears near the climax when the robot turns into a giant, looking at Vasi, Sana and the host of police officers. One step forward, and it could kill everyone. Yet somehow, Vasi asks Sana to get into the van, and they drive off, and the robots are chasing them from behind.

This scene looked so out-of-place in a film that doesn’t insult intelligence, and what commercial aspect that actually triggered Shankar to commit this screenplay blunder? An extra fight scene- of course.

It is really uncalled for and these too need to go.

Songs

Same old, same old. Songs break the speed and momentum of a movie sometimes, when will our film-makers understand this fact? Arima Arima and Kilimanjaro both have no place in a intensely-plotted second half, yet Shankar squeezes them. Just after announcing that the story will move fast ahead, Irumbile Oru Idhayam provides another speed-break.

The only reprieve is that the songs are good, Ash looked particularly good, Rajini looked fresh, and the production values were great for the songs. But still, it’s not wrong to compromise them sometimes.

Robot?

There are very intelligent scenes in the movie where Shankar had infused dialogues that describe the Robot’s capabilities very early in the film. But the entire first half seems more like a Robot exhibition- carving out scenes just to boast to us what a Robot can do and cannot do. It is a technical era and most audiences know the capacities of a Robot, and it’s also reinforced early in this movie.

But the following scenes seem to show the Robot’s capacities beyond requirement, just infusing funny scenes here and there. But till the interval, the story just jerks a little forward, but never actually gets going.

It’s a disappointment, because the movie starts straight-to-the-point and that pace could have been maintained.

Though Robot is a good movie, the movie could and should have been trimmed by more than 30 minutes. The 3-hour running time is a drag since the story at many places stays static.

AR Rahman’s background score and music is wonderful- he provides a buffet with a variety of music, but the Puthiya Manidha background score is fabulous, and adds an extra atmosphere for the film.

All in all, for those who were asking if this is Hollywood standard- I would say not there yet due to the Indian elements that had held back this film from being a perfect entertainer.

But it does look like Japanese movie to me. And that’s not bad considering the Japanese industry is fairly a step ahead and more global. Endhiran is a step in the right direction, but as a fan with concerns and with ideas, I have outlined here the difference between ‘going there’ and ‘being there’.

Let’s be there someday.

« »