Robot
wogma rating: Switch channels if it's on cable (?) - OR go to the theater, if you are going to watch it anyway
Nope. Not for me. Sure, slaughter me here in the virtual world for admitting that I'm not even remotely associated with the Rajni-cult. But, I CANNOT understand what those who belong there would like about this film. It's the Robot being a robot. Rajnikanth was nowhere in sight. I'm talking to my hand, I know. Never mind. You go enjoy whatever does it for you.
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I loved the last 30 minutes. There, I said it. I'll add finer details. The whole "formation" thingy was brilliant imagination and the execution mani-manifold better. I'd love to see that in 3-D. Did I mention, that it'd have to be in a much shorter film and the context would've to at least pretend to make sense? And there, I just threw away all the brownie points I was ever going to earn from a Rajni-fan. Damn!
I have a very serious question. Where was Rajni in Robot? The cool formations I was talking about, where was Rajnikanth sir? As I remember from the last Rajni-film I saw, the whole essence of the film was that Rajni, the human being Rajni, could do all these cool things. Like say, flip a cigarette in the air, catch it right at the corner of his lips, after it is done with three summersaults, which of course happened because 'The Man' flipped it in air in the first place. Here the superpowers were adorned to the character, the robot.
Let me elaborate further, see in Dabangg, Salman Khan played Salman Khan. So, even if I didn't like it, I could understand the high a Salman-fan would be at while watching him strut about. But here, I just don't get it. Why would a Rajni-fan want to see him do that as a Robot? Isn't that an insult to his very essence?
Shouldn't it be something like 'Rajnikanth adds the R to obot?'
Note that I'm not even complaining about the complete lack of logic or disregard to anything intelligent. Even the best special effect films need a thin boundary within which it needs to keep itself. I mean you create a robot to fight for the country and then have him talk to mosquitoes or cheat in exams or swim for a purse. How in the name of Rajnikanth is that cool?
I vow not to complain about the lousy action sequences in the rest of the film, the ridiculous choreography and even worse lyrics and music. Palm refused to budge from the face whenever a song presented itself.
Also note that I long dropped the wish to complain that for a while I thought Aishwarya Rai was the robot. How could I when the whole system was mechanized. At first, I got the feeling that the story was churned out by a machine. But I banished that thought as soon as I realized that the producer was abducted by a machine, which then took calls on how much money to pump in.
Anyway, looks like the producer, like me, will not complain about the torture endured at the hands of a machine. Just heard from a cousin in Bangalore that tickets for Robot were selling for Rs. 10,000 in the black market today. Even if, the exaggeration is sliced down to 10%, does the buyer even give himself the choice of not liking the film?
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Stefan S, A Nutshell Review : ... Clocking in at 170 minutes, there were a few redundant scenes here that could have been done away as it didn't move the narrative forward, like the scene involving Chetti communicating with mosquitoes... full review
Thumbs up, by Sanskriti Media, AOL INDIA : ...The movie directed by Shankar has a gripping plot and ensures that you are on the edge of your seat at all time. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Aparajita Ghosh, Apun Ka Choice : ...Even if you don’t swear by the mega star’s demi-god status, you’ll still be sitting on the edge of your seat.... full review
Thumbs up, by Githa Vanan, Bolly Spice : ...The penultimate 25 minute sequence depicted briefly in the trailers is a true testament to it. Visually captivating, the effort and money behind each scene is evident. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...this Robot is Superman + Spiderman + Terminator + Godzilla, all rolled into one... full review
Thumbs up, desi hits : ...A.R. Rahman is a musical genius who created yet another great soundtrack.... full review
Thumbs up, by Aniruddha Guha, DNA : ...The robot runs sideways on a train, talks to mosquitoes when he’s in ‘Mosquito mode’ [hilarious] and develops ‘feelings’.... full review
Thumbs up, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...We know that a person running faster than trains, making cars jump and fighting hundreds of people together can seem like a serious suspension of disbelief. But, that’s the idea and it’s fantastic... full review
Thumbs up, filmi cafe : ...Picking up the best technical talent across the globe that has worked on films such as Jurassic Park, I Robot and Avatar, Shankar has managed to deliver an Indian film that can stand on par technically with the best of Hollywood films in this genre.... full review
Thumbs up, by Pankaj Sabnani, Glamsham.com : ...If one Rajnikanth is good for you, this has 100s of him at one point. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Aakash Barvalia, Gomolo.in : ...Plus the exotic location covered in the entire movie, especially in all the outdoor songs, are very attractive, beautiful and pleasant.... full review
Thumbs up, by Mayank Shekhar, Hindustan Times : ...Each crore spent over every minute of this movie shows, if you watch it for the spectacle alone... full review
Thumbs up, by Kaveree Bamzai, india today : ...We know Rajni is the rational, thinking scientist, because he reads Freakonomics and Stephen Hawking... full review
Thumbs up, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...he almost creates a superhuman alter-ego in compelling contrast to the vulnerable scientist, like he did with the split-personality protagonist in Anniyan... full review
Thumbs up, by Komal Nahta, koimoi : ...The Tamil film-going audience would definitely not complain but the Hindi film-going public might find the track of the evil Chitti a bit too long and a little boring too.... full review
Thumbs up, by Sanjukta Sharma , Live Mint : ...His agility and the joy he exudes immersing himself in his trademark gimmicks are, to say the least, entertaining. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Aditya Morarka, MH-31 Fun Unlimited : ...The movie starts with the flashing words “SUPERSTAR RAJNI” and after the movie I was wondering that it should be changed to “GOD RAJNI”.... full review
Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...Shankar packs the film with all kinds of gags as well, as the robot has this entire dialogue with a mosquito... full review
Thumbs up, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...A R Rahman’s music is singularly unmemorable. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Satyen K. Bordoloi, Now Running.com : ...The allegedly 'poorer' cousin of Bollywood, the south Indian film industry, has been growing leaps and bounds in the special effects department.... full review
Thumbs up, by Viju, Passion for Cinema : ...The other hero of the movie is cameraman Ratnavelu. In capturing the wonderful locales of Machu Pichu in Kilimanjaro and in the locales that come in ‘Kadhal Anukkal’ song, he’s done a really stunning job.... full review
Thumbs up, by Sethumadhavan, Passion for Cinema : ...Santhanam and Karunas do not really add any value and their attempts at comedy fall flat.... full review
Thumbs up, by Krishnakumar Padmanabhan, Rediff : ...they may not be Avatar good, but they will definitely hold their own when compared with regular Hollywood action movies.... full review
Thumbs up, by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Reuters : ...critic-proof film... full review
Thumbs up, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, Seeds and Deeds : ... The dialogues (Hindi) have been done well and they manage to keep the comic element alive, wherever necessary... full review
Thumbs up, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...As far as the performances are concerned, Aishwarya plays her reel character brilliantly . Her chemistry with Rajni is well known. ... full review
Thumbs up, by Jayadev Calamur, StarBoxOffice : ...Rahman’s score is impressive, but he’s known to do better than that. The Hindi lyrics in some of the songs are funny. ... full review
Thumbs up, by K K Rai, STARDUST : ...Rajnikanth pairing with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (remember Rajni is in his sixties) does not look odd and they carry off romantic sequences very well in the film. ... full review
Thumbs up, The Friday Freak : ...Another aspect that irritates you is the typical insinuation that artificial technology gets everything done by speed.... full review
Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...an unadulterated tribute to the charisma of Indian cinema's ageless superstar, Rajnikanth.... full review
Thumbs up, by Spicezee Bureau, Zee News : ...for once, his conception as a robot gives Rajni the logic, to lack logic. ... full review
So-So, by Beth, Beth Loves Bollywood : ...It's a long way from my favorite Rahman soundtrack, even though each song had interesting and creative elements, if not to my particular taste, and the songs looked really good.... full review
So-So, by Bollyfan, Cinemaa Online : ...The icing on the cake was the spontaneous humor in the film.... full review
So-So, by Deepa Garimella, fullhyd.com : ... Robot slowly spirals into meaningless tripe, when Chitti turns bad goaded by the evil scientist Bohra... full review
So-So, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...The love interest, for example, conveniently beautiful, air-headed, and in constant need of rescue, can’t even sit for an exam without his help. She also exclaims “cheee” every time the word sex is mentioned in any context. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Deosthalee, Film Impressions : ...A perfectly sensible thought that seems lost on a film that has dubiously macho aspirations seeped in repulsive patriarchal values. ... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Rajnikanth makes a robot to save the country but ends up in a situation where he doesn't know how to save himself from the robot. So, not Rajni, no?
What Worked
Uhhh...will work that one out as soon as palm lets go of my forehead.
What did not
Actually, let me pass this one. I've done enough damage for a day. But, just tell me what was that whole one-day boyfriend thing all about?
o-kay, o-kay sorry. Over and out.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Loads, I mean loads.
- Language: More or less clean.
- Nudity & Sexual content: References to how a machine cannot do what a man can.
- Concept: That of science having its limitations.
- General Look and Feel: Sci-fi
![[Facebook page of Robot]](/static/images/icons/facebook_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Twitter account of Robot]](/static/images/icons/twitter_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Wikipedia page of Robot]](/static/images/icons/wiki_small.png){kind=icon}
![[IMDB Page of Robot]](/static/images/icons/imdb_small.png){kind=icon}
Comments (26)
Ah Ha! At last, Wogma and me do not agree about a movie! That's a first guys!
Meetu : Dismissing a film completely just because you don't subscribe to the genre (yes...Rajni's antics are a genre in themselves) seems a bit unfair to me.
Even if one were to discount the Rajni factor, there was much more inthe film worth appreciating. I quite agree with what AJ has to say about the effects and the music. Plus, I also liked the understated humour in the film...uncharacteristic for a south Indian film. However, I have my own bones to pick with it...more from the script perspective. Have elaborated in my review. :)
@Roy ye to hona hi tha
@AJ sorry, my bad. I guess I should've mentioned some of that in the quick review. Between getting the 3 quick reviews out and publicised and some household stuff, that skipped my mind. No excuses, only apologies. Set right now in the full review. BUT, music i stand by. It was sheer torture.
@Bollyfan oh come on, you've been around here for long enough to know that's not true. First things first, i bow to the Rajni genre. I don't subscibe to that or the Salman genre but I try my best to give them all a fair shot. And I still don't like them. Music - na-aa-ah, didnt work for me at all.
The music should be ignored in any scifi movie. It's like asking for good art direction in a scifi movie. Also, one should keep in mind that this is a 'dubbed' movie. So, there is no way that the Hindi lyrics will sync with the Tamil ones to the music.
Baaki sab theek hein, some people will like it and some people will not.
Meetu : I'd say that this review is a result of mismatched sensibilities more than anything else. Or maybe that you saw it after two hard-to-endure tortures. Waise if you found Dabangg enjoyable, I really can't fathom why you didn't find this one so.
Preeti : If hype were to influence the public thus, you would have seen very different fortunes for the likes of Kites, Raavan etc. and even Rajni's own Baba. Hype is actually quite counterproductive to bad films in reality.
Roy : Why can't one expect good music from a sci-fi film? Didn't we have some sterling BGM in 2001 : A Space Odyssey? Or for that matter, Star Wars is the baap of all science fiction soundtracks. And art direction is extremely crucial to a science fiction film, otherwise Jurassic Park would have ended up looking like Zoo-rassic Park. Though I'll agree with you on the bit about the tamil-hindi factor in the lyrics. But the compositions are pretty much the best Rahman has dished out post SDM. I vehemently disagree with Meetu on that part.
Meetu : I'm sure you'd have hated I, Robot (the Will Smith starrer) too. ;)
I didnt say that it is not possible to have good music with scifi movies, I just said that one shouldn't expect good ones.
Once again, we are going on the oft trailed road of Hollywood Bollywood comparison - of which I am an ardent supporter.
But if you are comparing it anyway, you should compare this one to the first movie of the Terminator series, or the first part of Universal Soldier, etc.
Sci Fi movies in India are just fledgling, and I would not be surprised if the film maker just didn't know what to portray even with the big dollar budget!
As for the music, I found the lyrics very confusing and rastafarian... just like how the magic goes out with transliteration and agree with Meetu on the sound and song part.
Roy : I did misconstrue your comment then. :)
As much as I'd have wanted to avoid the holly-bolly comparison here, I just couldn't because as you say, sci-fi is still a fledgeling genre in India. The idea was not to compare Robot with some other film but to assert that sci-fi films do have good music.
I would still stand by my contention that this has been Rahman's best score in recent years and that, IMO, should have been given due credit.
@Raj you will not believe how touched I am with your concern. I must admit though, "psychological upbringing" gave me the biggest LOLs in recent times.
Infact, @all The comments for Dabangg and now here, are really overwhelming. You guys really want me to enjoy and appreciate more types of films. Broaden my horizons, so to speak. I'm thrilled by these interactions.
HAVING SAID THAT, I can attempt to like more films, but to judge whether 'public' will enjoy it, is not something I want to get into.
@Desibhai cool! I'm glad it was good weekend out desi-style for your family.
@Pragya "Adamant" nahi baba, "incapable" is the word. I certainly want to make money from wogma, and it certainly is not a non-profit venture. I do say, " Switch channels if it's on cable - OR go to the theater, if you are going to watch it anyway" I'm sorry, but I cannot change my taste just because what I write is public. And dude, you think sitting here taking heat is so that I can be in my comfort zone? I'm not here to make controversy either. I just give my opinion, justify and hope the readers get the why and make their decisions based on their sensibilities.
@Pragya...@Lost in LaMancha's reaction is the thing i'm talking about. that's how i'd like my reviews to be used...
@Lost in LaMancha that's the spirit! as long as you use wogma to reach that conclusion, i've succeeded.
What's psychological upbringing?
@Roy DSilva i haven't a clue, but it sounds fun.
@Meetu. Maybe that conspiracy theory about the theatres running Karan Johar movies infusing a thin chemical that used to mind manage people into making them ermm.. metrosexuals... is true, and maybe that's where psychological upbringing comes from!!!!
I is scared.. I is very scared! I watched We are Family!!!
@Roy now that's a sci-fi film waiting to be made! No pun intended...
@aam janta that was one long line. dude, only person whose judgement i can talk about is me. and i've always been like that. From the days of Jeetendra adn Sreedevi I've had an issue with 8 costumes in a song, with logic-defiance outside the realm of defined illogical situation.
Didn't like many "classics" and "hits" from the 80s-90s too. From Maine Pyaar Kiya to Hum Aapke Hai Kaun. From Shehenshah to Avtar (Rajesh Khanna) I can watch Amar Akbar Anthony any number of times but i still squirm in the blood donation scene.
And let me pre-empt you before you say something about non-indian roots without complete data. While I was fed on Amitabh and Rajesh Khanna films through out my school and college days, I hadn't seen more than 10 English films (let alone world cinema) till i was 23. And that list included Gandhi, Home Alone, Honey I shrunk the kids, etc.
Anyway, i cannot vouch for your taste, aam janta, i just cannot.
@Movie Fan Thank you! Finally someone who is even bothered to understand what I'm trying to say. I find your 'evolution' theory neat too. Just fingers crossed that that happens.
P.S. That has been my main complaint agains Robot, it had nothing to do with Rajni style, it was Bad Robot being cool.
Does anyone even want to look at the fact that Rajnikanth was made to look like a fool throughout the film and this was the Robot's film. Even if you wan to say the Robot was played by Rajni thus it was cool, i would snicker at the 'fan'-aticism - you mean Rajni needs superpowers to be cool? Blasphemy!!
@Raj what Pun? I'm not that intelligent after all, am i?
@Raj why do i get a feeling that that's not a compliment :P
@Suman come again? i didn't like it because...?
Really 0.5 rating ? I would have given zero. Whats irks me most is that it was a blockbuster. Shows our indian taste in things all cinema
-Kay
[link deleted because we are against piracy]
@tamilfan never mind.
@kay ha ha ha. finally someone who isn't abusing me for not liking this film *phew* of relief
Heh heh.
Some bits were brilliant, some bits were not-so-brilliant, and some downright ludicrous. But all said and done, it is a Rajini film, and we all watch Rajini movies with our Rajini masks on.
Rajini whipping gangsta-butt with a volleyball? Oh yeaaaah!
Rajini flying through time and space to rescue the heroine? Bring it onnnn!
Rajini coercing a mosquito to apologize? Errm, well, err...hell, it's a Rajini movie, so YEA BABY YEAAAA!
Masks off, and we'd usually dismiss such fare as crap not worth a second try. But here is where the movie scores: it really is science-fiction, and not just an effects-driven extravaganza. This article goes to show the homework that's gone into the script.
These little details may not be crowd-pullers (a friend had overheard a bunch of die-hard Rajini fans from a rural locality; they weren't impressed, and felt Rajini was given a raw deal), but all that made "Endhiran/Robo" worth a watch, for me. :)
Oh, and watching it in Tamil, with everybody in the moviehall going berserk, is an experience in itself. Nothing but a Rajini movie can give you that. :)
Take out the graphics and what u find is a meaningless and logicless crap with a stupid plot which is not even worth watching 4 free. Just watch 4 the graphics and JUST bcoz everyone is watching if u hav nothing else 2 do. this movie is boooooooooooooooooooeing
A little too much was shown in the movie. Giving thinking power to a robot? I think that does not make any sense.Another thing was that Aishwariya has lost her charm.
Location - Chennai 2010 Mission - creating a andro-humanoid robot - Chitti Purpose - to help the society Development time - 10 years Configurations - speed one terra Hz, memory one zeta byte, processor Pentium ultra core millennia V2, FHP 450 motor from Hirata, Japan. Special Features - 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 andro-humanoid robot Chitti cannot lie. Trouble shooting - 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?
Mirchiplex.com
Saravana, that's sad. i know how you feel.
@TimELiebe Goodness no!
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