Rajnikanth Paid Off All His Income Tax

Even as Sun Pictures stepped in as the producer of his ‘Enthiran: The Robot’ a couple of years ago, superstar Rajnikanth had announced that he won’t be taking any payment as fee from the company till the film was completed. True to his stature and image, the superstar kept up his word and took his payment only recently, after the theatrical release of the film worldwide on 1st October.

Rajni, typical of a ‘perfect’ and law-abiding citizen, had reportedly paid off all his Income Tax and took the fee. Rajni is among the few actors in the country who pay their taxes promptly and in time. Sources close to the Sun network said that Rajni took his money in an ‘accountable’ manner (sans any ‘black money’) and paid his taxes promptly before taking the payment.

Rajni didn’t even demand the ‘distribution’ rights of some specific distribution areas as he had done earlier. Kalanithi Maran, who runs Sun Network, is said to have fulfilled Rajni’s wishes by deducting the taxes and paying them before paying the fee to Rajnikanth.

Hats off to Rajni!

Sultan The Warrior Is Re-Titled As Hara

The latest Buzz in Kollywood is Super Star Rajinikanth’s animated movie Sultan the Warrior is re-titled as Hara. Sultan the Warrior, right now Hara is a much an awaited 3D animated film directed by Rajinikanth’s second daughter Soundarya.

This project was started nearly 3 years before and the film has not been released yet due to some reasons. Sources revealed that, the film will be taken over by K.S.RaviKumar from now. The shoot for this will be in live action with Super Star Rajini. Animation part will be handled by Soundarya Ashwin.

A.R.Rahman has scored the music for this film. The film will have 5 tracks and is believed that the songs will be shot by K.S.RaviKumar.

Using some stereographic techniques from the movie Avatar, Hara film will be made. Hara is the first ever 3D animation feature film in India.

Rajinikanth’s Endhiran Entertainment Tax

Super Star Rajinikanth’s Endhiran has fetched almost Rs 3.38crore of Entertainment tax. Bengaluru state government revealed that no other movie has fetched such an Entertainment tax like Endhiran. Earlier Rs 1.3crore was obtained as Entertainment tax from Super Star’s SIvaji film.

In Bangaluru Endhiran was released in 30 theatres. This much awaited movie was also released in Mysore and Mandya. In Bengaluru the counter ticket for Endhiran were priced between Rs 750 – Rs 1500.

Joint Commissioner of Commercial tax of Karnataka in an interview said that, the news regarding the ride took place in Bengaluru theatres by Commercial tax department for selling Endhiran tickets with additional cost are not true.

Endhiran movie has fetched a satisfactory tax for Karnataka Government. In the first week itself the film has brought a entertainment tax of Rs 1.67crore and 80lakh in the second week. Government itself supported to sell the tickets with additional rates. So an amount of Rs 118 was fetched as an entertainment tax for each ticket.

Rajinikanth's Enthiran Box Office Records

Superstar Rajinikanth’s Enthiran has surpassed all earlier box office records in India! With this, Rajni has created history in the Indian box office.

According to sources, Enthiran (Hindi, Telugu and Hindi versions) has broken all records in India with a staggering Rs. 120 crores box office collections in its first week (domestic collections only).

And the Superstar’s magic still continues! In a recent poll conducted by a leading news channel, Rajni has beaten Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan to become India’s biggest superstar. A

ccording to the results, 86.41% of the people felt that Rajni is India’s biggest Superstar while 7.46% voted for Shahrukh Khan. The big B of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan received 3.69% of votes and 2.74% went to Salman Khan.

Truly a superstar!

Robot Special Effects Sequences In RA.One

An action sequence on a speeding train in Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero flick cis said to be identical to the one in the Rajnikanth blockbuster, Robot. A source says, “The two sequences have many special effects and boast of the hero’s never-before-seen stunts on top of a train.”

But the question is how did two films made in different cities by two separate teams of technicians end up with such striking similarities?

Says a source close to the project, “Shah Rukh has always been a big fan of celebrated chase sequences on top of speeding trains in films, like the one in Sholay. He wanted to mix that sense of thrill with special effects and stunts in RA.One. How was he to know that director Shankar had the same thing in mind for Rajnikanth?”

Efforts are on to re-edit the train sequence in RA.One so that not a single frame resembles the chase in Robot.

Resul Pookutty doesn’t deny the similarities either and says, “There are lavish train-top action sequences in both films. We are looking at how to keep it (RA.One) completely different from the earlier one (Robot).”

The buzz is that Shah Rukh doesn’t want his RA.One audience to call the scene a direct copy of the one in Robot . Neither does he want to do away with the sequence. By the way, the scene cost him close to Rs 3 crore!

Rajinikanth Met Sanjay Dutt In Airport

Superstar Rajinikanth recently met his good friend and Bollywood top star Sanjay Dutt. If sources are to be believed, the meeting took place at Bengaluru airport lounge a few days ago.

It is said that the top star of south India was at Bengaluru to check out the feedback to his recent venture ’Endhiran’ and Sanju for the promotions of ’Knock Out’.

"Both were pleasantly shocked to see each other. They guffawed and hugged more than once. And they exchanged pleasantries for a while much to the amuse of the other travellers", sources say.

Rajini and Sanjay share a very good rapport for decades now and the two actors had worked together in ’Khoon Ka Karz’ in the early 1990s. During that time, Rajini ensured that Sanju had breakfasts at his home, it is said.

Rajnikanth Discomfort At Being Called God

All other things apart, what Rajni can’t be, is God. Agreed, that his latest, Robot, has been a roaring success, that the actor has always been treated as a demigod in the South, that he has several temples in his name there. But humility surpasses it all. Rajni has expressed discomfort at being called `God’.

A simultaneous release last week that is doing good business at the box office is Khichdi. When Rajnikanth watched one of the promos of Khichdi on television, he told his assistant to question the producer of the film on why his name had been used in the promo. Rajni wanted to ensure that the promo wouldn’t call him ‘God’.

Confirming that he received this call, JD Majethia, the producer of Khichdi said, “I got the call on Monday. Apparently, Rajni sir had asked his assistant to find out the exact nature of the promo. The assistant told me that Rajni sir did not like to be referred as God. I told the assistant that we all have immense respect for Rajni sir and are huge fans of his.

It is both unfortunate and fortunate that our humble effort released with his film. It is unfortunate that we had to clash our film with his although it was never planned that way; the fortunate part is that in spite of such stiff competition with Robot and Anjaana Anjaani, our film stood its ground and has done very good business.”

Explaining that the remarks about Rajni in the promo were not derogatory, Majethia added, “The characters of the film are so stupid that they do not even recognise God when he comes in front of them. Since they have heard so much about the temples being made for Rajnikanth, they think that Rajnikanth is God. It is a sequence on Hansa and Praful. I would have removed the scene if Rajni sir had insisted on it but it’s fine now.”

Is it truly fine with Rajni sir too? God knows.

Rajinikanth Decides To Contest Elections

What will happen if Rajinikanth decides to contest elections? The answer is quite simple. The superstar whose fan following transcends all boundaries will undoubtedly win by many many votes. However, the ‘God’, as he is considered by his fans doesn’t have any plans of getting into politics.

On his recent visit to Mumbai, Rajni met the Shiv Sena supreme Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray and so the question was inevitable. When quizzed about his plans, Rajni plainly replied, “No Comments”. Reading between the words it can be observed that the interpretation of ‘No Comments’ is multidimensional!

Though Rajinikanth didn’t say a yes, he didn’t even completely rule out the possibility and therefore only time will tell if the megastar makes it to the political turf. But one is for sure, with the number of fans, friends and admirers Rajni is blessed with, making a successful political career will not be a tough for him.

Rajinikanth's Endhiran Vs Srk's Ra.One

The second highest paid Asian actor Rajinikanth’s Endhiran has made box-office Baadshah Shahrukh Khan to re-look at his upcoming film Ra.One. SRK’s home production film is also a sci-fi superhero film and the team feels that the success of Rajini’s film will lead the audience to compare both the films.

According to reports, King Khan, director Anubhav Sinha, sound engineer Resul Pookutty had a lengthy meeting at SRK’s house on last Sunday.

They had a brainstorming session discussing about the movie, especially about the quality of the film and its climax. It seems finally they decided to go with never-tried-before climax by having an interactive gaming session.

However, Endhiran The Robot is breaking all the previous box-office records of India and abroad. The movie has already grossed over 60 crores in four days.

Khaleja Face A Tough Battle From Robo

The most-anticipated Telugu movie of the year, Khaleja is all set to release this Friday amidst title controversy. The movie is said to face a tough battle from Robo, the dubbed version of Endhiran. Now, the real question is whether Khaleja will win this race. Will Mahesh Babu’s star power stand tall in front of superstar Rajinikanth?

Director Shankar’s Robo is roaring at the box-office across the globe. Even in Andhra Pradesh, the movie is running with packed-house. On the other hand, Mahesh Babu’s first movie in the 3 years has generated a huge expectations in Tollywood and Prince’s fans are keeping their fingers crossed.

Trade analysts are predicting a stiff battle among these two films. They reckon that Khaleja would get good opening, but surely the movie could not be released in many theatres as Rajini’s movie is doing good business. Trivikram’s movie may have to release with less prints.

The sci-fi movie Robo is big budget film ever made in India. Then again, Khaleja happens to be the highest ever budget film of Telugu. But the movies are of different genres and actors are of different calibres, so both the movies can become blockbuster movies of the year. What do you say? Comment below.

Rajinikanth To Act In Marathi Films

Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray at the latter’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai, and sought the Sena chief’s blessings.

The top actor, who was in the business capital of the country for a special screening of ‘Robot’, the Hindi version of his latest venture ‘Endhiran’, said, “Thackerayji is like God to me.” He also expressed his interest to act in Marathi films.

According to reports, the meeting between Rajinikanth and Thackeray lasted nearly 40 minutes. It is said that the two heavyweights discussed various issues, including films and the current political scenario.

Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray was also present during the meeting. He presented Rajinikanth with Maharashtra Desha, his pictorial book on important landmarks in the State.

Rajinikanth Has Taken Over Bollywood Fans

Move over Shah Rukh Khan; there’s a new king in tinsel town. He’s 61, a god in South India, and now, superstar Rajinikanth has taken over Bollywood fans, too. His latest film, Enthiran-TheRobot, has broken all opening weekend sales recorded by any Bollywood film, ever. With box office collection worth a whopping R56 crore on its first weekend, the film has overshot the record set by Salman Khan’s Dabangg, by 17 per cent.

Even in North India, where it’s mostly Bollywood films that have done well, the movie is a top grosser, beating Anjaani Anjaani, which released on the same day. “We didn’t expect such a great response in the North sector. We’re planning to increase the number of shows in Delhi this weekend — that’s how phenomenal the response has been,” says Shirish Handa of Fun Cinemas.

Enthiran“Rajinikanth is now the baadshah of the box office, and the numbers prove it,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “Robot has put him on an unmatchable level. His demand is growing both in North India and internationally.”

It’s not just multiplexes that are raking in the moolah. Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani theatre in Purnia, Bihar, insists that both the classes and the masses seem to love the actor in his latest avatar. “We’ve never witnessed something like this earlier. The shows remain full even on Mondays.”

Till three years ago, Rajinikanth’s films would only take South India by storm. The turning point was Sivaji – The Boss (2007). Even the Tamil version was a hit in Mumbai. Now, Robot is repeating the success story like never before. “It’s not Batman or Superman, no blonde-haired, white-skinned super hero saving the world… he is our very own Chitti — one we can all relate to,” says film critic Anupama Chopra.

Enthiran Domestic opening R56 crore, Worldwide opening R160 crore

Dabangg Domestic opening R48 crore, Worldwide opening R90 crore

3 idiots Domestic opening R38 crore, Worldwide opening R90 crore

My Name is Khan Domestic opening R30 crore, Worldwide opening R85 crore

Enthiran Has Created A New Record In Kerala

Even before its release Rajinikanth’s magnum opus Enthiran has created a new record in Kerala.

The film will release on October 1 in 128 screens in the state, the highest number of screens for any release in Kerala!

Seven Arts Vijayakumar, who is distributing Enthiran in Kerala said: “It is going to be a big bang release in the state. We are going for maximum saturation release, to absorb the hype and craze around the film.”

In Thiruvananthapuram the film is releasing in five screens, which means a capacity of approximately 4500 per show, while in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode it is releasing in three screens each, making it the biggest ever release.

Remember no Mohanlal or Mammootty film has released so wide in Kerala, though Shikar and Pokkiri Raja have released in 100 plus screens. It once again proves that Rajinikanth has a universal reach and fan base.

Enthiran Smashes All Box-Office Records

Rajinikanth’s Enthiran has taken a flying start in UK and US, ever since it opened to Thursday (September 30), paid previews.

Now the big question being asked in international trade circles is whether the film will feature in UK Top 10 and US Top 20?

If Enthiran smashes all exciting box-office records, it will auger well for other Tamil films in future. Noted trade analyst Taran Adarsh had tweeted- “UK Friday: Anjaana Anjaani £ 50,036 - 53 screens. Endhiran £ 50,424 - 40 screens.” This clearly proves Rajinikanth is ahead of Ranbir Kapoor, even though the superstar film is being screened in lesser number of screens!

Hats off to Rajinikanth! He has star power and charisma and may even make it to the highly competitive US Top 20.

The results from England and America will be known by tonight (Oct 4) in India. Let us hope our beloved Superstar creates a new world record and emerges triumphant.

Robo Box Office Collections Report

The collections of ’Robo’ crossed Rs 100 Cr on the day of release itself. That is an astounding figure. The collection is world wide gross and still the mania is on top gear.

The total budget incurred on the movie is around Rs 160 Cr and the expectations say that the overall collections go multiple folds looking at the craze surrounded the movie.

Almost all the centers are seeing a tough time to find tickets. The mania is on par with Indian film lovers even among the natives of Malaysians and Japanese.

Trade analysts say that ’Robo’ is on the way to set a big record ever known before. Rajni Kanth at the age 61, is shaking the nations with ’Robo’.

A Lot Of Negative Talk About Robo

The much hyped and most talked about movie of the season is ‘Robo’ without a doubt but before it hit the screens, a lot of negative talk was making rounds.

Many were convinced that this was going to be a hard hitting flop and it was almost registered until the film hit the screens and turned the tables. Some said that it is another ‘Puli’ much before its release.

It turned out to be getting an unusually good response so a question has risen to see if any mischief has happened.

Some of them are now revealing that this could be the work of NTR junior fans and Mahesh Babu fans since the films of both the heroes are now just a week away for the release.

Given the fact that ‘Robo’ has got its presence in nearly every prime theatre, the idea was to give it a negative touch so that it winds up its show and the movies of the stars didn’t have a problem.

Well, if they have done it then it looks like their plans have backfired as the negative publicity turned out to be the success mantra for ‘Robo’.

Telugu Robo Movie Review

It is…

Robo movie completely proves the fact that Shankar is the best among the indian directors.

Plot:

Robo is a typical science fiction movie in which Rajinikanth plays a dual role of a scientist and a robot. The scientist Dr. Vaseegaran creates a robot with artificial intelligence and names it as Chitti. The robot eventually falls in love with Sharmili, a character played by Aishwarya Rai. The robot starts writing romantic poems and behaves like a human being. Being aware of the extraordinary artificial intelligence of the robot, the villains try to get hold of the robot. The scientist then fights back to prevent the robot from falling prey to the enemies. The story then revolves around the battle between the scientist and the evil forces.

Review in Brief :

Dr.Vasi(Rajnikanth) creates a robot for 10 years to help the society in need.

Special Features of robot : A human who is not born, but is created. He can dance, sing, fight, is water and fire resistant. He can do all that a human can and more. He feeds on electricity. He takes instructions literally. Where a human can lie to save himself, this robot cannot lie.

Where he has a razor sharp memory and can memorize an entire telephone directory by just running through the pages, he cannot understand human emotions. Dr. Vasi upgrades Chitti’s processor and simulates human emotions without realizing the repercussions. Chitti gets transformed. He can now feel and the first feeling that he discovers is Love. Will this love come in the way of Dr. Vasi’s purpose of creating Chitti? Will Dr. Vasi’s own creation destroy him?

A title like ROBOT automatically puts tremendous responsibility and pressure on the director’s shoulders. And ROBOT is not merely a display of VFX, but it also has soul, a story to tell. At first, ROBOT comes across as a clash between the virtuous and wicked [Danny Denzongpa]. But ROBOT changes gears in its post-interval portions as the focus shifts to the creator [Rajnikant] and his creation [Rajnikant].

WHAT’S GOOD…

It’s a Rajnikant film and it would be incomplete if his loyal fans don’t get to watch his stylish actions and feats. Thankfully, ROBOT showcases it all. He can glide on the railway tracks, run horizontally on a moving train, transform into an Anaconda, can swallow helicopters and even fire at people with his fingers, without using a pistol. These are truly clap-trap moments!

Even otherwise, the screenplay is really well penned and absorbing. While the film is a super ride from start to end, it’s the penultimate 25 minutes that leaves you awe-struck and speechless. You can’t imagine a Hindi film having such an out of the world climax. There will be pandemonium inside theatres when the climax unfolds, I am sure. Let me confess, it’s the mother of all climaxes!

Only thing, Shankar could’ve controlled the length of the film. It could’ve been shorter by at least 10 to 15 minutes, which includes doing away with a song or two. Of course, like all Shankar movies, the songs are filmed most imaginatively on exotic locales, but what’s the point of having songs if they act as speed breakers?

That Shankar ranks amongst India’s best directors is well known by now and ROBOT only cements the fact. His vision and execution of the difficult subject deserves the highest praise, in fact distinction marks. He not only dreams big, but the outcome is incredible too. A.R. Rahman’s music doesn’t compliment the content of the film, but like I pointed out earlier, every song has been filmed exquisitely. The action and chase sequences are outstanding [Yuen Woo Ping, action choreographer in the MATRIX and KILL BILL sequels, was the stunt coordinator]. Visual effects are spectacular [Stan Winston Studio, the studio behind JURASSIC PARK, PREDATOR, TERMINATOR, IRON MAN, AVATAR, provided the animatronics technology]. Cinematography captures the grand production values with precision. The locations of Austria, Machu Picchu in Peru, U.S.A. and Brazil only enhance the visual appeal of the film. The sets are mind-blowing. Dubbing is near-perfect.

ROBOT is a Rajnikant show from start to end. And no other actor, not from Bollywood at least, would be able to do what he does with such amazing ease. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks stunning and acts most convincingly. Danny Denzongpa is efficient, as always. The remaining actors enact their parts well.

Verdict :

It’s the Big Daddy of all entertainers. Miss it at your own risk!

Indian Media Critics On Endhiran

Endhiran aka Robot is already getting positive feedback across the world. Not only the tamil version, the dubbed Telugu as well as Hindi version is also getting encouraging feedback from different parts. As a huge surprise, the usually strict North Indian media critics, this time went gaga over Robot (Hindi version of Endhiran). We mention it is a huge surprise because the North Indian media critics are well known for their bias against South Films and South Movie stars and probably this may be the first time they all praising a film made by Kollywood superstars. Enough said, here is the quick reviews from the movie critics.

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN

Thoroughly enjoyed Robot. Wish it were shorter, but greatly admire the imagination & ambition of Shankar. Shamelessly good fun. Rajni rocks

Anupam Chopra of NDTV

Robot is a riot. Nothing in Bollywood matches the visual of hundreds of Rajinikanths forming a snake. Full review tomorrow on NDTV.

Raja sen of Rediff.com

Robot: Spectacular visuals, Rajni in top form, marred somewhat by Aishwarya Rai setting a new, incredible benchmark for bad acting.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama

Watched ‘Robot’. Falling short of words to praise the film. Rajnikant is The BOSS. The real BAADSHAAH

Prithwish Ganguly of Times of India

just watch Robot for the pure thrill of entertainment. Don’t look for logic, don’t look for cinematic brilliance. just go in and enjoy!!!!

Times of India official review

Robot is the perfect getaway film, guaranteed to give you a high with its heady over-the-top Indian flavour. You might just OD (overdose) on the pungent masala fare. Have a blast.

Endhiran Will Be Ban In Karnataka

At a time when ‘Endhiran’ is getting ready for a global release on today Karnataka distributor of the Superstar Rajinikanth starrer, Mohan Kumar, is sulking over the restrictions on non-Kannada films by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC).

While the distributor demanded 24 screens in Bangalore, the KFCC has allotted only 10 screens. He has also sought 50 screens across Karnataka, saying that at least 60 theatre owners want to screen the film all over the State.

If reports are to be believed, Mohan Kumar purchased the distribution rights for a whopping Rs 10 crore and hence wants relaxation from rules, considering the interest evoked by the film. “The film has generated huge expectations here”, he said.

However, KFCC President Basanth Kumar Patil wants everyone to abide by rules. “If one distributor is given permission, others will also expect the same”, a source close to the KFCC leadership said.

According to KFCC rules, only 13 prints of non-Kannada films (10 in Bangalore) can be released the first week. The number can be increased in the following weeks.

The restriction was imposed more than a decade ago as Kannada producers and distributors could not find theatres to release their films.

Pasanga In China Film Festival

Pandiraj directed Sasikumar produced Pasanga has been selected for the ’19th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival’ to be held at Jiangyin City in China.

The festival will be from October 11 to 16. Both Pandiraj and Sasikumar who have been invited to participate in the festival will be leaving for China closer to the festival opening date.