Enthiran - The Spectacle and the Disappointment !!!

Disclaimer : I am a devotee of Rajni (thats one step above a fan but one step below a fanatic) I have watched all Rajni movies several times and will end up watching this one (Enthiran) several times. I am also a movie buff and this review is written from the perspective of the buff.

Its admirable that Shankar has attempted something much bigger than whats ever been attempted in Indian Cinema and the output of this attempt is definitely a movie worth watching.

But ....... A problem I see with many who attempt something big is that they get tired before crossing the final mile, in the case of Endhiran , Shankars failing to cross the final mile lets the movie fail on so many grounds.

Let me start with the casting - Aishwarya Rai is only in the movie for eye candy and to help increase sales in north India. Asin would have been a much better fit for two reasons - She looks much more pretty and she can act. Lets face it Aishwarya has always been an horrible actress and when it comes to looks she is getting old.

Then the music department, except for in a couple of movies in all other movies that I can think of ARRs BGM scores are never as good as the songs.In Endhiran the BGM is simply noise at some parts. The songs are way below mark too. The movie could have done without a couple of them e.g. Khilimanjaro

Its safe to say Santhanam's role in the movie has nothing to do with comedy, not many comedy scenes in the movie and none of them really standout.

The editor slept at work and it clearly shows the movie is a big drag at 3 hrs and many of the scenes are totally unnecessary (Spoiler : Why the hell does Rajni have to talk with the Mosquitoes)

Finally the graphics , this is one place where Shankar absolutely failed to run the last mile. Some of the scenes are absolutely amazing. As good as Matrix or Terminator. But some of them are very childish. Spoiler : The Scene ROBO Rajni plays with the kid, the scene with the helicopters etc look so unrealistic that one wonders why Shankar even tries.

Rajni is as always amazing, Chitti the ROBO is wonderful and just because of Thailavar Sun pictures will make all the money they have invested. The graphics and the different story line make the movie a spectacle but frankly I miss Rajnis punch lines, the grand hero introduction , even if its a different movie we are Rajni fans and we expect him to be deified(or may be thats just me).

I am going to watch the movie again tomorrow and the day after but frankly I am very disappointed. May be only because my expectations were very high or may be because Shankars obsession with experiment something big and different prevents him from telling a compelling story.

--Badri--

P.S: In the movies defense , I watched the movie in UP with two north Indian friends who dint realize that Rajni is God, so the electrifying atmosphere in Chennai theatres that make Rajni movies an exhilarating experience was missing, In fact the crowd was so boring, that only 2-3(including me) people in the entire hall whistled during the movie.