Bollywood thrilled by Endhiran

[Gunner_Mania]

I agree with cowboy & Yoda on the mosquito bit. Like I said on the thread, it was totally unnecessary. Kills the flow of the movie and a total time waste. Could have easily reduce the length of the movie. CBF - if this movie is an afrront to humanity..what do you then call this one below czt_Eroo_bs&feature=player_embedded

[thevortex]

Chief' date=' the average Joe on the Indian streets are not the typical sophisticated, suave folks like most of us here, with more degree in science in engineering than the number of hairs on our head. They’re the regular rickshaw wallahs, contruction workers and street vendors. Plus, the kids love that scene as well. This movie is for them as well you know.[/quote'] Marris - I know you are a Rajni fan, so dont take this personally. But dont you think that that is a big problem with most of our commerical movies? That they are a bit too diffuse? They are unwilling to focus on target markets? That they want to satisfy every consumer out there and end up failing in their goals precisely because their basic premise was an impossible one? Why should a movie cater to science graduates and rickshaw wallahs and school kids? Honestly is such a creation possible?

[Aaku]

What was that 'mohenjodaro' wala song :dontknow:

[Ram]

Marris - I know you are a Rajni fan, so dont take this personally. But dont you think that that is a big problem with most of our commerical movies? That they are a bit too diffuse? They are unwilling to focus on target markets? That they want to satisfy every consumer out there and end up failing in their goals precisely because their basic premise was an impossible one? Why should a movie cater to science graduates and rickshaw wallahs and school kids? Honestly is such a creation possible?

The ‘basic premise’ of a movie is not to satisfy one particular segment of the population per se, but to make money for the film-makers. If it can be done just by focusing on one segment, people would do it. If it is done by having something in it for everyone, of course they’re gonna follow that strategy. The things that we, as reasonably educated folks with an expanded worldview that has fed by the internet and all the mass media find boring, people belonging to the lower strata of the society, who form the bulk of the cinema going audience, find interesting. You think Shankar, as a director, cannot deliver high quality cinema? Trust me, if he had the freedom, he could possibly deliver some of the best class of Indian cinema you can ever hope to see made (We have seen evidence of that not just in some of his previous movies, but some of the films he has produced as well, like the Bharath starrer ‘Kadhal'). But these guys are not in it for cinema’s sake. They’re in it for the money’s sake and you cannot grudge them for that. If their films don’t make profits, then they wont have a producer to fund their next movie. It is as simple as that.

[Rajiv]

I agree with cowboy & Yoda on the mosquito bit. Like I said on the thread, it was totally unnecessary. Kills the flow of the movie and a total time waste. Could have easily reduce the length of the movie. CBF - if this movie is an afrront to humanity..what do you then call this one below czt_Eroo_bs&feature=player_embedded

Thats 90's crap isn't it, dude..u will find many such movies man.

[Rajiv]

Morris, you sound like a 70's producer who says "isme dance bhi hain, romance bhi hain, hero aata hain, heroine aaiti hain, song direction fantastic' This is the "Multiplex" gen and now people can risk off beat movies but yet we have conservative scripts BUT they now have some finesse, comparatively.

[yoda]

What was that 'mohenjodaro' wala song :dontknow:

I loved that song and the scene. Haven't heard the Hindi version, but the Tamil version rocked. :eyedance:

[thevortex]

The ‘basic premise’ of a movie is not to satisfy one particular segment of the population per se, but to make money for the film-makers. If it can be done just by focusing on one segment, people would do it. If it is done by having something in it for everyone, of course they’re gonna follow that strategy. The things that we, as reasonably educated folks with an expanded worldview that has fed by the internet and all the mass media find boring, people belonging to the lower strata of the society, who form the bulk of the cinema going audience, find interesting. You think Shankar, as a director, cannot deliver high quality cinema? Trust me, if he had the freedom, he could possibly deliver some of the best class of Indian cinema you can ever hope to see made (We have seen evidence of that not just in some of his previous movies, but some of the films he has produced as well, like the Bharath starrer ‘Kadhal'). But these guys are not in it for cinema’s sake. They’re in it for the money’s sake and you cannot grudge them for that. If their films don’t make profits, then they wont have a producer to fund their next movie. It is as simple as that.

Seriously Marris, I did not expect this. It is not our god-given duty to help the producers and the movie makers make a living! If they are in this to make money, then they better delight us! This is entertainment, not charity. I honestly dont have any answer when somebody goes to me 'See they have spent so much on Enthiran, we really have to go watch that!' Who cares how much is spent on a movie? If it is not good, then it is not good. Period. Remember what happened to that 'Poseidon..' movie which was touted to be even more expensive than Titanic? Shankar as a producer believes in giving us some good movies. But as a director he has not really shone. That is just fact. And as for direction and screenplay in Enthiran - honestly I would not go about discussing the work done in that movie. Simply for the fact that there is not much to be discussed....

[yoda]

And as for direction and screenplay in Enthiran - honestly I would not go about discussing the work done in that movie. Simply for the fact that there is not much to be discussed....

That is not true. I can list at least 10 good/great things about the movie related to direction and screenplay.

[thevortex]

That is not true. I can list at least 10 good/great things about the movie related to direction and screenplay.

Please do. I would be most interested to read them. Honestly.

[Aaku]

and jb chitti ko rajni ka mask pehnatey hai.. i just cudnt look at the screeen

[yoda]

Please do. I would be most interested to read them. Honestly.

Ok, let me list the ones that stand out for me, not in any particular sequence. Not the complete list, but a good one to start with.

1. Chitti the robot showing off his skills in the lab, showing some interesting fight moves, etc. First time I have seen a Robot do that in an Indian movie- GOOD 2. Danny making the Robo attempt to kill his own creator during the public demo where the knife stops right at the nick of time - GREAT 3. Kilimanjaro song scene - GREAT 4. Robot rescuing the girl and others from fire - GREAT CGI/GOOD overall 5. Robot helping with the baby delivery - GREAT, this I thought was the best scene of the movie 6. Robot version 2.0 (the bad one), trying to locate the black sheep - GREAT acting by Rajini 7. Arima song scene - GREAT CGI, GOOD direction 8. Climax - Robot Rajinis forming a ball to protect themselves - GOOD, but got boring later as they ended up repeating the same over several formations 9. Song where Rajini is with the Guitar - the scenary was outstanding - GOOD 10. Scientist breaks up his Robo after realizing that his project has become a wasted effort - GREAT CGI, excellent direction

[thevortex]

Ok, let me list the ones that stand out for me, not in any particular sequence. Not the complete list, but a good one to start with. 1. Chitti the robot showing off his skills in the lab, showing some interesting fight moves, etc. First time I have seen a Robot do that in an Indian movie- GOOD 2. Danny making the Robo attempt to kill his own creator during the public demo where the knife stops right at the nick of time - GREAT 3. Kilimanjaro song scene - GREAT 4. Robot rescuing the girl and others from fire - GREAT CGI/GOOD overall 5. Robot helping with the baby delivery - GREAT, this I thought was the best scene of the movie 6. Robot version 2.0 (the bad one), trying to locate the black sheep - GREAT acting by Rajini 7. Arima song scene - GREAT CGI, GOOD direction 8. Climax - Robot Rajinis forming a ball to protect themselves - GOOD, but got boring later as they ended up repeating the same over several formations 9. Song where Rajini is with the Guitar - the scenary was outstanding - GOOD 10. Scientist breaks up his Robo after realizing that his project has become a wasted effort - GREAT CGI, excellent direction

Do you really want me to point out which ones out of the above are not directly related to direction and screenplay? But in matters concerning human taste we all differ. What is good for you may not be so for me and vice versa. For me, there is nothing to "discuss" when it comes to screenplay or direction. If you want a Tamil movie where we can attempt to discuss screenplay and/or direction, you can look at 'Naan Kadavul' or 'Paruthiveeran' or even 'Aayirathil Oruvan'. There was something there. And I am only talking about relatively recent Tamil films. I am sure you get my point.

[thevortex]

Or if you want totally fun movies where direction and screenplay actually made sense, think of 'Panchathanthiram'. Or if you want Rajni movies that stood out, think of 'Thillu Mullu'. 'Chandramukhi' was a hundred times better than these more recent Rajni starrers. Admittedly Rajni did not have the main role and did not hog screen time. But if that is what the movie needs, then that is what it should get. And that was, in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons for the monumental commercial success of that movie.

[yoda]

Do you really want me to point out which ones out of the above are not directly related to direction and screenplay?

Of course, every scene, whether it is song sequences or specific scenes like the ones I have listed are what they are because of the director and ofc the director getting his actors to deliver. It is very easy to dismiss off movies saying there is nothing to discuss. It is grossly unfair to the director when the movie is anything but cr@p. Yes, some scenes could have been better, as always with most movies, but doesn't make the movie or the direction not even worth discussing. That is what I call hyperbole. PS: I am neither a Rajini fan(atic) nor a Shankar fan

[thevortex]

Also Yoda, your list is like a few notable points from the movie. How is a scene that probably appears for the first time in Indian cinema a credit to the direction or the screenplay skills involved? Tomorrow we could have an absolutely horrendous scene play out for the first time in an Indian movie. Should that be a credit to the director? How is Rajni's acting a plus for the director or the screenplay writer? How is CGI a credit to the same team? How are songs, camera work and picturization a credit to them? So on, so forth.

[thevortex]

Of course' date=' every scene, whether it is song sequences or specific scenes like the ones I have listed are what they are because of the director and ofc the director getting his actors to deliver[/quote'] Please see point 99. Of course, every scene in the movie is the director's creation and hence his responsibility. However, whether to credit or discredit him for those scenes is another matter. I hope you also read my review of the movie posted in the same thread. Some of the screenplay choices are not just bizarre but worse yet, convenient. That sort of thing does not speak about good direction.

[yoda]

^^There is a difference between "a movie could have been better directed" vs "there is nothing to discuss about the direction", cause in this movie it was all about direction, including use of CGI and song scenes. Avatar was a lot of CGI, you don't see people saying James Cameroon shouldn't get credit for that, do you?

[thevortex]

Of course, every scene, whether it is song sequences or specific scenes like the ones I have listed are what they are because of the director and ofc the director getting his actors to deliver. It is very easy to dismiss off movies saying there is nothing to discuss. It is grossly unfair to the director when the movie is anything but cr@p. Yes, some scenes could have been better, as always with most movies, but doesn't make the movie or the direction not even worth discussing. That is what I call hyperbole. PS: I am neither a Rajini fan(atic) nor a Shankar fan

Again, if you read my review, I did not completely dismiss the movie. Rather I ended up being disappointed with the end result. Rajni is a phenomenon. He cannot be discussed or at least made sense out of. The CGI had its moments but the overdose took out all the positive effects. The music is not out of the world. But it is not mediocre. The comedy track is best left alone. It is not even worth calling it 'comedy'. I will tell you what is hyperbole. The publicity effort that is going on and the amount of times people are told how good the movie really is - that is what hyperbole actually is. For the record I actually like Rajni as an actor. But that is only when he is made to act and not made out to be a mannequin for conveniently applying makeup touches, or as a male model (past his age) to don various costumes and looks. That his movies succeed still is due to the Rajni phenomenon. I am among the minority who feel that it would be fantastic if the praise and adulation came about as a result of the movie in and of itself as opposed to the simple fact of that man being a part of the cast.

[thevortex]

^^There is a difference between "a movie could have been better directed" vs "there is nothing to discuss about the direction", cause in this movie it was all about direction, including use of CGI and song scenes. Avatar was a lot of CGI, you don't see people saying James Cameroon shouldn't get credit for that, do you?

Exactly, Yoda! Avatar had CGI. But CGI alone did not give Cameron the credit that he got. He dealt with a subject - a multi layered one and actually came out entertaining the audience even as he dealt with moral issues. I am not saying that the direction was out of the world. But it was creditable. The same cannot be said about Enthiran. Even the simple scene in 'I, Robot' where the machine is powered off, is evocative. It appeals to our emotions. On the contrary, in Enthiran, how touching was the scene where Rajni the Robot dismantles himself part by part while he carries on in a soliloquy about man and morals?