Deepavali has begun in this southern city, with Thalaivar (the leader) Rajnikanth, emerging in his new avatar, Enthiran (Robot).
A Rs150-crore flick — by far the costliest ever film in Asia — Enthiran was opened to a global release on Friday.
The film has many firsts. This is for the first time that Rajnikanth has paired with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sun TV chief Kalanidhi Maran has produced a film.
So far, the grand-nephew of Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi and elder brother of Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, Kalanidhi, has been buying and distributing films.
Enthiran dubbed in Telugu and Hindi too, was released at 3,000 screens across the world, making it the first Indian film to have been launched globally on such a scale, said Cable Shankaran, a cable TV operator, director and trade analyst.
Theatres witnessed fans queuing up for first-day-first-show tickets from 5 o’clock in the morning. An Enthiran ticket fetched between Rs2,500-Rs 3,000, which normally costs between Rs80- Rs120.
Shankar, who has just released a book on the film industry, Cinema Vyaparam in Tamil, said, “Widespread release of a film is the new format for success as the days of films running for 100 days and more are over.”
{{/usCountry}}Shankar, who has just released a book on the film industry, Cinema Vyaparam in Tamil, said, “Widespread release of a film is the new format for success as the days of films running for 100 days and more are over.”
{{/usCountry}}One of the die-hard fans of Rajnikanth, film director S. Stanley, who assisted Mani Ratnam in Ravan, said, “Enthiran is the first science fiction that matches Hollywood films in technique and cinematography.” He said Enthiran was better as it blended Indian film emotions with Hollywood technology.