Shankar with Hollywood Traces

‘Endhiran/Robo/Robot’ is a technological extravaganza gulping about 40Mil USD with the highest paid actor Rajini and the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai. Its first part was an intelligent entertainment and the second part was a lavish display of the technology one can only dream of. The movie that makes the viewers feel 20 years younger is an out and out entertainer. It sure makes the entire Indian film fraternity proud and a new genius is born in the form of Shankar, the Director of the movie.

Now, giving a break to Rajini’s usual style oriented approach, ‘Endhiran/Robo/Robot’ totally concentrates on capturing the imagination of the director and also the technicians with experience in Hollywood movies. Everyone has reported that it’s a mix of ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Spider Man’ and certain movies in that genre. No doubt they are expressing their personal experience which even a child will express after watching the film.

The unexpected moves and shapes the Robots take in the climax, still being of the shape of Robots are first of its kind and worth the money paid for. If Shankar advices others not to address the budget of the project and just see what the money poured in has churned out, yes, better to respect his feelings.

Director Shankar, who is being compared with James Cameroon, has now learnt the tricks of using the Hollywood technicians to provide something similar in caliber to the ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Terminator’ and ‘Avataar’. Stan Winston Studios in the US has its contribution with its latest technologies and instruments in providing SFX support but for which the movie would have been just yet another masala one.

Rajinikanth’s craze fan following had its effect where there are reports of ardent fans spending to a tune of Rs 1500/- per ticket to watch this film. But if any credit has to go to anyone in the film, it is the director Shankar who steals it by leaps and bounds. Shankar in this profession appears to be not settling for anything less than the box office hits. If we are to go through his record so far like ‘Gentleman’ in 1993, followed by ‘Kadhalan’, ‘Indian’, ‘Jeans’, ‘Mudhalvan’, ‘Nayagan’, ‘Boys’, ‘Anniyan’, ‘Shivaji’ and now ‘Endhiran/Robo/Robot’. He is in the industry since 17 years but settled for only 10 films and they are hits. What else can one look for from a director when they pour money like a bottomless pit?

Now in the case of ‘Endhiran/Robo/Robot’, the movie was conceptualized by Shankar about a decade ago and was ultimately planned for production about 5 years back. Kamal Hassan was to be the hero with the then much wanted Preity Zinta. But money was the problem, and then entered Shahrukh Khan whose association also did not firm up. Finally it was Rajini’s daughter Soundarya’s interest that brought the movie on track and it needed the tonic from Sun Pictures who will not now repent with the movie raking in more than expected and the expectation is not less than Rs 500 crores.

This time the entire India is looking at it as an Indian film rather than a Tamil film. When it comes to Shankar’s tastes, there is no one in the industry to match his abilities to give a feast to eyes. It was in 1998, he went on a world tour to capture all the wonders for his film ‘Jeans’. And there are many heritage sites and picturesque locations, where it was Shankar who set his foot first before anyone in the industry even came to know of it. So Claudia Bruckmann, a historic place at Machu Picchu in Peru and an exotic, dazzling place, known as Lencois Maranhenses in Brazil (where desert of clear and fine sand filled by oasis with lagoons of blue and crystalline water) is being introduced this time in ‘Endhiran/Robo/Robot’ by him.

Like AR Rahman has brought laurels for the entire Indians in world level, now yet another person from same soil, Shankar has just begun his journey. Talent unlimited!!!

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