It's easy to get carried away, even for the ones who do the extra bit of introspection to bring in that elusive, nice-sounding thing called objectivity, with a Rajnikanth film on Mojo overdose. Easier when it's Endhiran -- The Robot, Shankar's audacious, go-for-broke shot at home-spun Sci-Fi that seems to have nudged the staunchest among non-believers into a herd of converts flocking to the cinemas. I got, but only just.But out of the spell that Rajnikanth's performance -- when did you last catch the actor in nerdy, all-flawed humanness shifting to detached, robotic cheek and then, to deliciously OTT badass? -- and Legacy Effects' path-breaking (by Indian standards, at least) graphic-work created in Endhiran, I also returned to the film's core man-machine debate, its endearing, cleverly spun-in Indianness and stray bits of engaging writing.
The debate is cursory and understated but it doesn't, thankfully, reflect the preachy angst that Shankar has patented through his anti-establishment vigilante films. Chitti (Rajnikanth), the lovable humanoid Dr Vaseegaran (Rajnikanth) creates, also serves as a pointer to human incongruities. When Vasee reprimands Chitti for eyeing his girl Sana (a seriously dishy Aishwarya Rai), all Chitti can offer in response is a bemused "I too love her", as if he doesn't Get this whole fuss over ownership when it's about love. For Chitti, life is worthier than the 'shame' of having been stranded naked in a crowd. The logic that powers him doesn't help him realise why a girl should adjust her mundhaani when he, a 'male' humanoid, is around either.
A good share of these establishing shots also comes as montages in a racy first half where the writing (Shankar, Madhan Karky and the eminent Tamil writer, late Sujatha) deftly captures Chitti as a Tragic Hero, a misfit in a world that wouldn't flinch before it lies, cheats and moves on. Sana, who calls Chitti her best friend, disowns him even when he's trying to help her clear a tough paper in college. Vasee -- Chitti calls him his God -- doesn't hesitate to terminate him after realising that his creation could be a competitor in love and a pointless research investment.
The sources of inspiration are across the range: from Star Wars to Bicentennial Man to The Matrix films. For a film built around the concepts of Artificial Intelligence and dealing with Neural Schema and such, Endhiran is also formidably desi. Shankar goes spoofy with a segment set around a temple festival where the Robot, flashing an assortment of weapons, sends a bunch of yellow-clad women into spiritual delirium. It feeds off its in-the-face Indianness, tapping on to all cliches from the masala genre. Here, A R Rahman's songs (the refrain from Arima Arima loosely translates to 'When his name's uttered, when his fame's mentioned, the oceans applaud') and BGM (check out the zingy electronica theme as the rogue Chitti unleashes havoc on Chennai roads) are vehicles to celebrate The Rajnikanth.
Endhiran lines up a top crew (cinematography: R Ratnavelu, editing: Anthony, art: Sabu Cyril, sound design: Resul Pookkutty and stunts: Peter Hein/Woo ping-Yuen) and the film, for most of its runtime, looks stylised-rich. But the budget-triggered compulsion to play desi also punctures the narrative in the second half, where the songs (though shot with spunk and ambition) cram it up. There's a dreadfully executed sequence that leads up to the gorgeously shot Kilimanjaro and a random bit about talking mosquitos (solid fun, but a bit stretched). In its run-up to the climactic segment, the film keeps drifting between jaded camp and drop-jaw spectacular.
The final 40 minutes hit a new rush, thanks to Rajni's smashing return to bad-boy mode (there's a nod here to the stylised, crowd-pleasing Alex Pandian from Moondru Mugam) and stunning VFX formations and stunts that, rightfully, cap this mad joyride of a film. The post-climactic segment is a fine footnote that winds down with a suitably profound teaser of a line. The sub-texts are worth biting into but Endhiran, in spirit, is make-believe entertainment that showcases its iconic lead player in his absolute elements. Respect. And Whoa.
