06 October 2010

Endhiran(2010): Mengapa Rajnikanth Seorang Dewa di India



Semalam, aku menonton filem terbaru "superstar" Tamil ini di Colliseum (untuk mengambil feel), harga tiket berhara RM15 untuk Kelas Khas, dengan leteran awek aku kerana menontonnya dekat maghrib.

Aku perlu katakan sesuatu tentang fenomena Rajnikanth dan filem Tamil. Pertamanya, bahasanya. Ada sesuatu dalam bahasa Tamil, yang kita tidak akan dapat memahaminya. Dalam semasa aku menonton filem ini, ada beberapa dialog yang menyebabkan penonton Hindu tempatan boleh menepuk tangan dan ketawa. Aku tergaman. Dan Rajnikanth, ada beberapa babak, lebih-lebih lagi babak "mengembek"nya telah menyebabkan orang ramai bersorak, tepuk tangan dan ketawa. Aku rasa, aku takkan faham dengan tradisi-fenomena ini (secara diam-diam, aku masih mengkagumi Kamal Hassan yang bagi aku, merupakan seorang seniman yang layak dipromosi oleh India sebagai duta mereka).

Aku juga sedari (walaupun bukan semua teks sains diterjemah, malah dipaparkan dalam filem ini, orang India belajar sains menggunakan bahasa Inggeris!) bagaimana betapa gah dan tanpa malunya orang Tamil membesar-besarkan bahasa mereka. Dalam satu babak awal, semasa "endhiran", "robo" atau robot ciptaan Dr. Rajnikanth dicipta, ia bercakap bahawa "bahasa Tamil merupakan bahasa primer saya" dengan bangga (dan secara pelik, selepas itu dipinta ajar sebutan vokal). Aku tergamam bagaimana bangga dan kuatnya jati diri orang Tamil ini terhadap bahasa mereka, yang aku sedari tidak berlaku dengan dunia hiburan segelintir kita.

Cukup untuk itu aku membebel. Maka berbaloikah filem ini? Ya, mungkin jika anda merupakan penyembah Rajnikanth. Kepada yang skeptik seperti aku, atau penonton "luar", ada beberapa hal yang kami persoalkan, dan kami bukan mempersoalkan "kebesaran" hakiki Rajni, tidak, tetapi filemnya dan apa yang ia bawa.

Sebenarnya Endhiran (robot, mesin dalam terjemahan Tamil?) memberi suatu ruang para pembikinnya untuk membikin sebuah filem fiksyen sains yang menghiburkan, menyatakan dengan telus dan keanak-anakan, apa jadi jika sebuah robot diberikan "hati" lantas boleh bercinta (rujuk Tin Man dalam Wizard of OZ). Persoalan stereotaip tetapi menarik ini telah memberi ruang kepada Hollywood dalam pelbagai bentuk permainan kepintaran buatan, antara yang terbaik merupakan A.I. dan Blade Runner dalam hal ini, tetapi Bicentennial Man, I. Robot dan Heartbeeps bolehlah dijadikan rujukan biasa.

Premis yang digunakan dalam filem ini terpecah kepada dua, iaitu "penemuan" berkenaan robot yang dipanggil Chitty (lakonan mencuit Rajnikanth), yang mana, kita diberikan peranan dan fungsi robot/Rajnikanth yang "adikuasa" melakukan segala hal yang manusia biasa tidak boleh lakukan (ini menimbulkan rasa fantasi dan fairy tale). Kemudian, kita diberikan satu plot yang melangkau masuk ke fasa "ganas", yang mana strata cerita Rama (Rajnikanth)-Sita (Aishawara Rai)-Ravana (Chitty lakonan Rajnikanth) diulang dengan pengkhususan kepada analogi King Kong "the beauty killed the beast". Secara penyusunan, tidak ada unsur yang menyebabkan, sebenarnya filem ini sebuah filem yang boleh melangkau intelektual kita (filem fiksyen sains, perlu melangkau intelektual dan viskeral kita) malah filem ini dipersembahkan dengan mudah dan lewah sekali. Kita tidak temui persoalan manusia dan sains yang "besar", hanya hal dasar tentang sebuah robot yang diberi peluang untuk menjadi "manusia". Pendek kata, separuh skrip filem ini sebenarnya merupakan tipikal buku kanak-kanak sai-fai yang diterbitkan DBP pada 80-an. Malah "kartun" boleh menyamakan kandungan dan perasaan sebenarnya.

Ini dinyatakan kerana sebenar-benarnya filem ini merupakan "mesin jana" pelestarian bintangnya, Rajnikanth. Ini dipaparkan tanpa selindung, dalam satu babak tarinyanyi di mana tanpa segan silu, Rajni (sang robot) dan Aishawara dinyatakan: "Si Tuhan dan Si Ratu Dunia, sama padan sama menawan menggegar dunia". Atau sekurang-kurangnya begitulah liriknya. Bukti satu lagi, sewaktu awal-awal robot itu dicipta, kita ditunjukkan, robot ini di asas programkan dengan "menari" dan "seni pertaruhan", dua esensi utama yang rasa perlu mungkin dalam jati diri orang India (atau si bintang besar Rajnikanth). Ini membawa maksud yang menarik, adakah Rajnikanth mensatirakan dirinya sendiri, menyatakan "sang dewa" dalam dunia hiburaan Kollywood (atau boleh juga Bollywood) merupakan "robot" dan "hamba" kepada massa? Ini menarik jika kita lihat segala "pengorbanan" yang dibuat oleh robot Rajni terhadap "tuannya" Aishawara, secara tidak langsung menghiburkan para penonton (kita). Ini ditambah lagi dalam satu babak, dengan sengaja, Dr. Rajnikanth "mencipta" sebuah robot yang "menyerupainya" (dan tidak boleh robot rupa lain!). Kita faham analogi ini dalam ajaran Kristian, Tuhan mencipta manusia mengikuti "imej"Nya. Malah Dr. itu sendiri menyatakan, Chitty si robot merupakan "avatar"nya (mengikut pemahaman Hindu, suatu makhluk kelahiran semula Vishnu yang menyelamat manusia mengikut zamannya). Di satu babak, Chitty sendiri yang melengkap dan menarik besi dan senjata orang jahat ke badannya, membentuk secara sengaja dirinya sebagai Dewa Hindu(!) lantas orang kampung terus menyembahnya (aku teringat penjelmaan Bodhhistava dalam ajaran Buddha-Sino). Kemudian, kita dinyatakan dalam satu babak secara jelas, si Chitty "mengaku" adanya Tuhan kerana dia DICIPTA oleh Dr. Rajnikanth, seorang manusia!!! Ini memenuhi transformasi pemahaman filem ini, bukan dari segi plot lagi (si Dr. bermain kuasa sebagai Tuhan) tetapi memenuhi ego bintangnya, bahawa dia memang "dewa" yang menghiburkan dan tidak ada tolok bandingnya.

Keadaan penyembahan kendiri dan penampakan ego ini buat aku tipikal jika anda memang Rajnikanth. Aku tidak ada masalah dalam hal itu, malah aku mengingati filem-filem lakonannya yang mana, beliau memang seorang "hero" terhadap golongan marhaen, khusus Tamil. Tetapi kaedah yang dilakukan yang aku persoalkan, persembahannya, turutannya dan cara diselesaikan.

Memang, ia amat memeranjatkan untuk melihat bagaimana orang India suka membesar-besarkan sesuatu. Malah, maaf cakap, aku masih ingat (dan sudah jarang digunakan kerana istilah berlandaskan perkaumannya) bagaimana orang Melayu selalu menyatakan, "cerita keling" terhadap "cerita yang diperbesar-besarkan", begitulah yang aku jumpa berselerak di dalam filem ini! Babak contoh seperti bagaimana Chitty si robot boleh menyusun berpuluh senanapang yang tersusun seperti kipas lantas memicu senapang yang berderet panjang itu. Ini belum lagi apabila Chitty dan klonnya membentuk "naga" (hal ini melengkapi rujukan aku terhadap filem ini dengan King Kong).

Aku tidak ada masalah lagi dengan unsur sebegitu oleh sebab ini memang filem TAMIL dan seharusnya, hal-hal "besar-besaran" itu (oleh sebab itu aku suka filem Kamal Hassan, walaupun ada unsur sebegini, tetapi diberikan motif dan alasan logik serta struktur yang berkesan) perlu wujud dalam filem Rajnikanth yang berhubung dengan "hiburan". Malah beberapa babak seperti si perempuan bogel yang dibawa keluar untuk diselamatkan dari kebakaran, si Dr. yang membentuk robot menyerupainya, pergaduhan stereo sehingga dipecahkan, merupakan hal-hal "besar-besar" yang remeh mungkin dalam budaya hidup orang India, yang penuh semangat dan rasa membuak-buak.

Tetapi aku tidak boleh memaafkan beberapa hal yang amat mencacatkan filem ini, seperti bagaimana Chitty bercakap dengan nyamuk! (plot ini untuk memaparkan betapa romantisnya Chitty, hal yang mana hanya penonton India sahaja yang mampu menelannya) Bagaimana Dr. Rajnikanth membuang si robot di sampah awam tanpa berfikir untuk menyimpannya ataupun menghancurkannya habis-habis atau menyimpan cip otak robotnya (adakah kerana emosional begitu orang India?) sehingga menyebabkan si robot "hidup semula" dan diambil oleh musuh Dr. Rajnikanth untuk dipasang semula, bagaimana darah Rajnikanth yang beberapa minit tidak kering dan bagaimana si dua pembelot yang bekerja dengan Dr. Rajnikanth pada akhir plot, boleh BEKERJA kembali dengan Dr. Rajnikanth di makmalnya??? Inilah hal yang menyebabkan kita persoal filem ini yang dikatakan sebagai blokbuster paling besar, paling agung yang pernah dibikin di India sebagai sebuah filem yang terhebat. Maaf, ada seratus lagi filem agung Tamil yang boleh menandingi filem ini, walaupun lakonan Rajnikanth dan Aishawara Rai dalam filem ini baik, dengan susunan lagu A Rahman yang mendayu (dan amat mencuba untuk berinovasi).

Akhir kata, untuk menambahkan poyo filem ini, dalam satu lirik, si Chitty menyanyi, "Data kau susah mahu dicari walau di Google sekalipun!" Aku tak bohong!

ps: Sekurang-kurangnya, ianya amat menyeronokkan untuk melihat Aishawara kembali ke lidah ibundanya setelah berlakon entah berapa Hindi.

56 comments:

the awesome four said...

finally! ada review tentang lakonan rajnikanth.

saya tak mampu nak bagi komen seperti saudara. tapi saya peminat besar dia :D

fadz said...

"Singanture" Rajnikanth dlm filem ni takde, tapi diberi "tanda tangan" baharu: "dot dot"..

aku cuba meneliti filemnya, lebih daripada lakonan wataknya, hehehe..

sekarang aku faham mengapa Shah Rukh Khan tolak berlakon filem ni.

Encik Jep said...

nasib jugak ada sub english dlm film ni. dpt jugak aku layan sekali. kalau tak,tunggu dvd je. hehe~

Anonymous said...

alpakan segala ikatan anda di ruang terang dan kelam yang anda lalui saban hari untuk menikmati sari pati Rajni.. Rajni Gods!

ikhlas
Penchinta Ruang Gelap.

Anonymous said...

Komen saudara ini dibayangi kebencian dan negativity dari awal tulisan rencana ini.Anda tidak menulis dengan jujur.

Sebagai seorang Islam kita sepatutnya menilai sesuatu dengan nilai murni dan keadilan. Anda hanya mengutuk dari awal artikel ini tanpa memberikan sebarang ulasan yang betul.

Anda langsung tidak menulis tentang keistimewaan filem Enthiran. Tentang bagai mana tahap special effects yang melampaui kebanyakan filem inggeris. Tentang bagaimana Filem yangh menelan belanja RM 196 Juta ini menonjolkan persengketaan antara manusia dan robot ngan bijaksana. Tentang macam mana jalan ceritanya yang original, tak pernah difikirkan oleh Hollywood pun.

Filem ini menerima ulasan yang mengkagumkan diseluruh dunia. Malah rencana yang keluar semalam mengatakan filem ini mengaut untung acerage yang paling banyak banyak di Amerika Utara merangkumi US, Mexico dan Canada ( endhiran ditayangkan di 139 pawagam di US )

Malah akbar utama England, The Independent, memberikan ulasan yang baik untuk movie ini. Saya dah tengok dua kali dan setuju penuh dengan ulasan itu.

Janganlah keran sifat kebongkkak kan dan kecemburuan kita,mengaibkan satu ciptaan Asia yang bagus macam Enthiran. Tak salah memuji sekali sekala.

Abdul Rauf
Kuala Lumpur

fadz said...

soalan kepada ruang gelap: adakah mmg semua filem2 Rajni satu eskapisme?

aku takde masalah dgn hal itu, hanya cara penyampaiannya..

aku pernah tonton filem rajni yg lebih baik daripad yg ini

fadz said...

rauf, maaf, kalau awak nampak saya tak jujur, itu keinginan awak.. saya tk boleh ubah, kalau saya bongkak, ya, terpulang.. tapi saya takkan TERPENGARUH hanya kerana 165(?) tayangan yg dibuat di US (benarkah hal ini?? Siapa yg menonton?? tak masuk top 10 pun?!) atau The Independence dari England memberi ulasan baik.. (kalau Roger egbert sekalipun suka, saya punya hak saya sendiri utk kata kenapa saya tak suka dgn filem ini)

ini blog saya dan saya ada hak utk tulis apa yg saya rasa bukan?

Hollywood tak dapat tangkap? huh? ini hal yg paling saya tidak setuju. Seperti yg saya dah nyatakan dalam ulasan saya, Hollywood sudah pergi jauh dalam hal mencipta robot yg mempunyai jiwa, atau paling senang, bercinta (di sini dgn manusia)... tonton Blade Runner sudah cukup menyatakan hal ini. Tonton Bicentinial Man yg dilakonkan Robin William yg bercinta dgn manusia juga sudah melakukannya, jauh lebih mendalam dan lebih "manusiawi"..

pernah tonton animasi Jepun Metropolis.. filem itu juga menunjukkan robot yg berjiwa..

oh ya, jgn lupa Wall-E!!

CGInya masih kurang berkuasa. Rujuk babak bayi yg dilambung dan si ibu melihat anaknya dilambung di beranda. Tampak KARTUNnya (saya menerima filem ini sebagai KARTUN, jadi hal ini saya tidak bantai pun!) Rujuk babak "serius" sewaktu bayi ingin dilahirkan dengan CGI kartun si bayi (dikatakan, Chitty memaparkan si bayi dalam keadaan "benar")... apa semua tu?

saya tak rasa kerana SEMUA ORG SUKA dgn filem ni dan kerana saya tak suka, SAYA TAK JUJUR.. itu bagi saya "foolish" (ini tipikal syarahan org melayu nak matikan ucapan org lain) sepertimana Avatar, adakah kerana 10 org yahudi di New York tak suka filem tu, mereka "tak jujur" apabila 1 dunia menyukainya???

saya jenis yg tak terus telan filem org.. ya, saya terhibur, tapi saya juga mahu terhibur intelek saya, dan filem sai-fai merupakan antara filem kegemaran peribadi saya.. awak bolehlah memanggil saya "crude" atau "stuck up" seperti watak pengkritik makanan dalam ratatouille, saya terima hakiki itu, tapi yg penting, saya perlu memegang integriti itu, jika saya tka suka, saya tak suka, so there..

fadz said...

hal persengketaan manusia dan robot yg original?

i really beg to differ...

senang macam ni lah...

Astro Boy, saya kirakan juga sebuah ciptaan ASIA, daripada kepala tokoh Osamu Tezuka, tetapi ceritanya jauh lebih ORIGINAL dan penuh nilai manusia lawan/sayang robot daripada Enthiran..

btw, saya ada juga nyatakan beberapa pujian, LAKONAN, RUNUT BUNYI.. cukuplah tu.

Anonymous said...

Apa yang tuan tulis memang ada kebenarannya. tetapi masih banyak lagi bingkai-bingkai kebenaran lain yang jarang atau tidak sempat diintai.

Kerana waktu dan ruang menonton kita yang berbeza, maka kita akan dapat kepuasan yang berbeza. Jika tuan menonton pada hari ahad jam 12pm, maka tuan memahami apakah yang saya nukil itu. Dimana 'pengguna ruang gelap' adalah imigran, warga tempatan yang memahami lidah emak rajni. Saya yakin apabila mereka keluar dari panggung, mereka tidak akan memperkatakan apa yang tuan tulis itu. Dari wajah yang saya lihat, kilasnya semua bergembira. Terbawa dan terkesan dari yang berputar selama 170min-+ itu.

mereka yang berhimpun untuk masuk ke dalam itu juga, seperti tidak sabar dan seolah-olah bahawa itulah filem terakhir yang akan mereka tonton di muka bumi ini.

ikhlas
Penchinta Ruang Gelap

PS-aku syak ini abdul rauf adalah sudara mara kepada pengedar filem ini di malaysia. Gaya nukilnya juga macam marah pada ulasan-ulasan filem tuan sebelum ini.

PS2-Ada pengguna-pengguna yang menjerit untuk mengingatkan Rajni apabila dia didalam bahaya.

fadz said...

salam penchinta,

ya, saya faham tentang keasyikan para penonton meraikan Super Rajni, kerana malam saya menonton juga, para penontonnya begitu.. tetapi seperti yg saya nyatakan, saya tidak mahu "terikat" dengan pengaruh penonton walau sebaik mana pun filem itu. Malah, saya menyatakan sendiri "self reference" yang dibikin oleh Shankar terhadap Rajni dalam banyak bahagian (saya tidak melihat hal ini sebagai negatif, seperti yg dinyatakan oleh Rauf) filem ini. Kekuasaan imej dan manipulasi imej dan gerakan aksi terhadap Rajni inilah yg ingin dimainkan. Kita juga perlu memahami cara orang Hindu meraikan atau menjalankan upacara penyembahan. Betapa "passionate"nya mereka terhadap satu-satu upacara, jadi saya faham dengan "idol gloryfying" yang berlaku dalam filem ini, sudah tentu, seperti tuan nyatakan "seakan-akan menonton filem terakhir di muka bumi ini" (lihat dgn jelas, seperti kita orang Islam BERSOLAT seakan-akan hari terakhir di muka bumi ini, ini yg sepatutnya bukan?) ..

Saya percaya, "sebaik-baik" Rajni dan Shankar, mesti ada juga dua tiga pengkritik India yg melihat plot-plot lubang atau kesamaran yg ada dalam Enthiran. Seperti seorang pembikin pernah mengatakan, tidak pernah dalam satu dunia ini filemnya sempurna dan memuaskan, kerana yg sempurna hanya alam (nature) ciptaan Tuhan.

Anonymous said...

Namanya Ramu. Dia bekerja 12 jam sehari di kedai makan. Dengan pendapatan 600 sebulan dia menghantar apa yang diperolehinya kepada keluarganya di India Selatan. Dia menunjukkan gambar dua anak perempuannya kepadaku, comel persis sang Isteri terchinta. Aku tahu harga tiket yang dibayar untuk dirinya upaya mengenyangkan kedua puterinya dan sang Isteri terchinta untuk lebih dari dua hari.

Kenapa dia menjadi Pengguna Ruang Gelap? Tanpa memberikan jawapan aku sudah tahu dan kenal.

Satu cita-citanya diantara puluhan cita-cita yang dipunyai, dia ingin sekali membawa kedua puteri dan isteri terchinta untuk sama meraikan ruang gelap ini. Tetapi jarak dan keadaan itu memisahkan mereka. Aku berdoa satu hari nanti cita-citanya dan cita-citanya yang lain itu akan termakbul.

ikhlas
Penchinta Ruang Gelap.

Anonymous said...

Honestly a perfectly idiotic review simply because you dont even undertsand the language the film played on. Obviously 'anda tidak ketawa terbahak-bahak' in the cinema...because the great 'anda' does not undertand the tamil language what more the fine nuances of it. Drill it into your mentality melayu-bodoh head that in order to comprehend the comedic aspects of the movie, one has to undertand the language used by the characters. This wasnt a Charlie Chaplin comedy scene remember.

'Chitti menarik senapang' or whatever and the temple devotees think he's a Dewa is another comedic aspect you moron. Thats probably because Hindus like many other broad minded religions' followers out in the world are able to laugh at themselves and see the lighter side of things. Unlike Islam of course. Try to see the humorous side of this religion and wham bam thank you mam, your head is blown to smithereens.

Another point, when Chitti said Dr.Vaseegaran is God as he is the one who created him, the point being made was that the robot uses logic to answer & not emotions.
Mr. X: Does God exist?
Chitty: What is God?
Mr. X: The entity/person who created us all.
Chitty: Dr. Vaseegaran created me. Therefore God exists.

You have got to understand the tamil language in order to grasp this, comprehend??

My point is do not criticize something/someone if you do not even fully comprehend what it/they are fully about. This film certainly has its plus and minuses ..BUT i do think you need some standing to review it, lol. Certainly not the likes of you. And lets all bear in mind that if we were to start talking about filem Melayu .... hmmm yawn...obviously nothing to talk about la..

fadz said...

btw, of coz i know that thing about "creator" and "creation" (that hall scene).. im looking towards the ideal of filmmaking where the director is "god" (auteur), this is a typical concept in film discussion.. but in certain movies, esp with great superstars, these actors are god(!) (look here, im not even trying to make fun of Rajni in this sense, im trying to analyze the star machine thats being played here!) the best reference i have seen is OM Shanti Om, Cinema Paradiso, and of coz, in this one! So im looking at the film context of it, beyond just looking at it as a film.. u should be proud becoz that form of genius is what im trying to realized was exceptionally manipulized here.

BTW, pls dont give me that stupid "u dont understand tamil" attitude.. ive seen tamil movies without subtitles and still i can enjoy them.. the true language of the movie is the moving picture, NOT THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE.. hence that is the strentgh of any film i see.. Davasatharam, Hey Ram!, Hindustan, Jeans, and even most of Rajni's has it.. just becoz im against the popular mainstream, doesnt mean "i dont understand" it!!

D'zunnur said...

x sabar mahu menonton yg jd 'perdebatan' hebat nih...

Anonymous said...

Good review bro..but wish u tak menyimpang sangat and focused more on the movie..

And u made many' generalizations' and assumptions which is wrong esp when u relate it with religion..memang takde kaitan...its difficult to explain to you...the cultural difference..To tell you truth, i cant never connect to a Malay movie like senario/baik punya cilok/rempit/the horror movies(this is reference to your line "bagaimana orang Melayu selalu menyatakan, "cerita keling" terhadap "cerita yang diperbesar-besarkan",....Even non malays make fun of the malay movies that u guys enjoy...WHY?the cultural difference my friend

And certain things u have to know the language to enjoy..understanding a scene and enjoying a scene are two different things..you can connect better if u know the language...

The movie is at no 12 US box office..no16 Canadian bo
http://www.tribute.ca/boxoffice/

MAry Vogt(hollywood costume designer who designed for Rajni) talks abt rajnikanth
"He had this incredible presence."
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/06/slide-show-1-interview-with-mary-vogt.htm


From a critic in India
"We of the Bollywood habit, not blessed as often by this man’s screen-conquering presence, roll our eyes and laugh and make Chuck Norris jokes. Yet a film from this man, a smirk, a swagger, a line of ridiculously contrived dialogue, come as opiate to millions of people. We routinely celebrate escapism in our cinema, but Rajni stands higher up on this peak than any man in Hindi cinema. Is he then India’s biggest star? Please. He’s too big for competition. Even with a heroine who can’t act, he’s delivering the country’s biggest hit, the mediocrity simply bouncing off his bulletproof grin. Smashing.

Oh, and like the very best superheroes, he doesn’t wear a cape.""

This kinda sums up why everyone loves him

Anonymous said...

ooh that naga thingy..nothing to do with king kong etc
its inspired from the israel military robot snake.Chitti was installed with military stuffs, hence the idea

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525657,00.html

And the vfx was decent..only a few tacky ones..what u expect bro?budget USD35mil only..Iron man/matrix semua >USD100mil..So with the given budget, the vfx was quite good

Ok im done here..i appreciate your honest points..hope you take my comments with an open mind..i was just countering some of ur points which i felt were not true

hats off to you for watching a tamil film..

fadz said...

Salam Anon,

ok, i get it about the CGI.. if that is ur reason.

about the naga thing (and the magnectic ball, and the tower, and the giant hand) still resembles the King Kong theme (the center theme of King Kong: The beauty killed the beast), but this is not a "low point" for Endhiran, just to point out "nothing is original these days".. this is called intertextualism, unconscious text or symbols that are carried out (created) from old/previous text (just like Raajnikaanth is adapted from Mahabrata).. Watch Phantom of the Opera, Bram Stoker: Dracula, Mary Shelly: Frankenstein, these movies acquires the same "the beauty killed the beast" theme (the theme from King Kong is also merely original, such fantastic stories are coded in many form of old folklores of Jinn or monsters succumbed by beauty..

to tell u the truth, i LOVE tamil movies, and Kollywood kick ass better than Bollywood, even most of the theme in Tamil films are "Daring" and even breaks many form of convention.

Tetapi biasalah, budaya dan sikap, serta kesukaan membezakan penonton. Saya mungkin penonton yang "di luar".. seperti mana saya amat2 mengkagumi Hey Ram! yang buat saya antara filem teragung India yang "misunderstood" oleh penonton tempatannya sendiri, ramai kalangan kawan India saya "membencinya" atas babak-babak "seksual" dan "symbolism referencing" yang terlalu buat mereka.. sednag saya melihat keseluruhan filem itu sebagai satu perjalanan "gelap" ke "terang" yang sungguh indah dan terjaga.. itulah kekuatan yang swaya cari dalam filem, filem2 yg dapat bercakap secara visceral kepada kita, membentuk sinematik yang melangkau bahasa (dialog) dan warna.

fadz said...

Salam Anon 1..

ahh, i see, well first of all, sorry, i think u got too "emotional" on the "cerita keling" which is, i know, a bit "negative".. but it is an ancient phrase, lebih tua dari saya (semua hal ini ada sejarah dan ceritanya, tapi eloklah kita bergerak ke pemahaman ttg filem ini)..

ya, saya mengaku, saya merupakan penonton "luar", seperti Penchinta Gelap sendiri kata, sudah tentu ada simbol agama/budaya yg tidak akan dapat saya "tangkap", jauh daripada memahami "wit" bahasa Tamil (tetapi secara pelik, wit Tamil/Telegu(?) dalam Devasatharam berjaya sampai ke penonton luar Tamil, saya boleh ketawa mendengar dialognya).. tapi untuk "put things straight" saya terhibur menonton filem ini, dan ya, saya ketawa untuk banyak babak2 filem ini.

tetapi saya tidak melihat filem ini sebuah filem sai-fai yang intelektual (seperti 2001, ataupun paling baharu, Moon).. itu saja..

tetapi sudah tentu, ini BUKAN MASALAHnya, seperti yang Pechinta Gelap sudah katakan: mereka menonton untuk berhibur.. so be it.. theres nothing wrong with that..

fadz said...

jadi saya mmg tidak akan salahkan orang bila melihat saya "menyimpang" daripada melihat filem ini secara struktural (film as film) tetapi membaca kod-kod yang memberi "pengistilahan semula" secara simbol berbeza buat saya..

itu hak saya bukan?

Kerana itu yang saya jumpa tertanam "indah" dalam filem ini (rujuk betul2 bagaimana watak Dr. dan Chitty dipecahkan, bagaimana ia membahagi masa Aishawara untuk dicuit Chitty, dan bagaimana dicuit Dr.Vasegaran awak akan sedar, dalam babak tarinyanyi yg kita faham merupakan 'fantasi' watak kedua2 Rajni ini, kesemua babak tarinyanyi Chitty berlaku dalam "interior" iaitu di dalam fikiran Chitty, sedangkan Dr. Vase di "exterior" (padang pasir, Amerika Selatan) yg mana kita memahami Asihawara turut berkongsi "fantasi" dengan Rajni).. babak sebegini sudah memberi "petanda" apa akan berlaku terhadap Chitty-Aishawara (kerana fantasi Chitty tidak dikongsi Aishawara)..

fadz said...

berkenaan dengan "idol devotion" pula, ia mungkin tidak jelas dan mungkin sesuatu yg berdosa untuk dirujuk oleh orang India.. (lagi2 ini Rajnikanth!) tetapi untuk seseorang yg melihat secara subjektif dan tidak terikat dgn konteks budayanya, malah memahami bagaimana orang India melihat seseorang pelakon itu sebagai dewa (rujuk babak golongan marhaen mencintai Amitabh Bachan dalam Slumdog Millionaire), sudah tentu hal ini yg mahu dicungkil, kerana SETIAP SYOT itu penting dalam pembawaan seorang ikon/pelakon.. Inilah pemahaman membaca sinema yg tidak tertakluk dalam ruang strukturnya sahaja (aku tidak mahu terperangkap dalam penggayaan klise orang menonton filem)..

Maka sebab itu, kalian perlu merasa bangga kerana aku dapati, filem ini berjaya mentauliahkan kenapa Rajni akan senantiasa "dipuja" sehingga akhir zaman (ingat ideal bintang mana2 dalam dunia, mereka tidak akan mati, kerana filem senantiasa diputar, inilah jawapan pada babak terakhir filem ini apabila Chitty dalam balang, menjawab dengan "benar" bahawa CINTAnya melangkau cinta Dr. Vesa pun!) ..sepertimana judul entri ini..

Kena faham bahawa filem ini "melangkau kebiasaan" Rajnikanth (lari daripada stereotaipnya) maka Rajni perlu menyatakan perkara yg boleh menyatakan pendiriannya yg melangkau kebiasaan (omnipresent).. maka itu, kita sedari, wujud babak demi babak, dan imej demi imej yang bagi aku, sudah "berjaya" beliau tanamkan sebagai "superstar" yang melangkau kebiasaannya.. (dan ini memberi kalian kepuasan bukan?)

Aku tetap bernostalgik dengan imej Rajni, berserta golongan marhaen yg lain menarik Dewa Durga dengan keringatnya di jalan kelikir yang panjang.. bagi aku, itu masih imej Rajni yang aku ingat sampai bila2.

Gayu said...

This may not be the best and most desirable reviews I've read but it was definitely interesting and fun! To begin with, I can't thank you enough for even contemplating of posting a review on a Tamil film in your blog. It's refreshing and humbling to note that a non-Tamilian is/was even interested in watching, let alone writing a review about a Tamil film. Kudos to you:)

There are however a few points in your review which I tend to disagree.

Quote: "Aku rasa, aku takkan faham dengan tradisi-fenomena ini"
In my humble opinion, untuk memahami fenomena ini yakni bagaimana seseorang boleh meminati dan suka cita dengan adegan-adegan yang anda nyatakan tersebut, anda seharusnya memahami fenomena bernama Rajinikanth. The film wouldn't have been able to stand tall without him. Yes, the scenes you've enacted is not a laughing riot material, nevertheless it worked solely because of him. The thing about Rajinikanth is that he has a magnetic pull over the audience even without trying hard. To sense this, you need to have grown up watching his film from late 70's til today. I know many art-film lovers find it hard to digest this movie, which they deem to be unrealistic and superfluous. Nevertheless there is a part of Indian cinema which are catered merely for entertainment purposes. Logic and realism goes out of the window and people pay huge bucks only to be entertained for the 2-3 hours. Rajinikanth’s films falls under that category. For decades, he has entertained his audiences with his styles, why even a mere wink of his eye is enough to bring the house down. Such is his magnetism, and that is why people wouldn’t mind paying huge bucks for his film. Truly, you have to understand the force he has towards his audience and fans before understanding why his movies work.

Gayu said...

Quote: Kemudian, kita dinyatakan dalam satu babak secara jelas, si Chitty "mengaku" adanya Tuhan kerana dia DICIPTA oleh Dr. Rajnikanth, seorang manusia!!! Ini memenuhi transformasi pemahaman filem ini, bukan dari segi plot lagi (si Dr. bermain kuasa sebagai Tuhan) tetapi memenuhi ego bintangnya, bahawa dia memang "dewa" yang menghiburkan dan tidak ada tolok bandingnya.
The above is a statement which I have to totally disagree with. If that was the understanding you received, then I must place the blame on the weak subtitles for the misconception. You see, there’s a age-old question rising in the minds of Indians i.e. whether God exists or not. The question was even imposed in Dasavatharam (a Kamal starrer), perhaps you’ve noticed it there. In Enthiran, the makers were simply trying to educate the viewers on the existence of God. When Chitty was asked whether God exists, he retorts by asking, “who is God?” Hence, comes a reply, “God is the One who creates us”. And Chitty replies, “The one who created me is Dr. Vasee, so yes, God do exists,”. This is not to say that Rajinikanth is regarded as God. It’s merely to say that when a robot can understand the mere meaning of the existence of God, why do we people keep questioning the same? Ironically, Rajinikanth is a staunch believer in God in his real life himself, thus he has time and again tried to impose his beliefs via his films, just as how Kamal Haasan, an atheist by nature, tried to impose his. But yes, I must admit that among his avid fans, Rajinikanth is regarded as a demi-God, to say the least. Blame it on the public’s mentality. Your quote of SdM summarizes the phenomenon or craze to an extent. Amitabh is loved by all. But as far as Rajinikanth is concerned, the adoration or maybe even obsession is always a notch higher. Nevertheless, he himself had never projected himself as a God in any of his films. The fact that he’s ever so humble and down to earth in his real life is a solid proof to this. I’m not kidding, I’ve met him in real life and contrary to how public perceive him to be, the man is an epitome of humbleness I must say.
I would love to go on more about this, nevertheless I believe that I’ve hijacked your blog to a great extent as it is. Sorry for the long post though. I just couldn’t resist writing my views.

Gayu said...

Quote: Kemudian, kita dinyatakan dalam satu babak secara jelas, si Chitty "mengaku" adanya Tuhan kerana dia DICIPTA oleh Dr. Rajnikanth, seorang manusia!!! Ini memenuhi transformasi pemahaman filem ini, bukan dari segi plot lagi (si Dr. bermain kuasa sebagai Tuhan) tetapi memenuhi ego bintangnya, bahawa dia memang "dewa" yang menghiburkan dan tidak ada tolok bandingnya.
The above is a statement which I have to totally disagree with. If that was the understanding you received, then I must place the blame on the weak subtitles for the misconception. You see, there’s a age-old question rising in the minds of Indians i.e. whether God exists or not. The question was even imposed in Dasavatharam (a Kamal starrer), perhaps you’ve noticed it there. In Enthiran, the makers were simply trying to educate the viewers on the existence of God. When Chitty was asked whether God exists, he retorts by asking, “who is God?” Hence, comes a reply, “God is the One who creates us”. And Chitty replies, “The one who created me is Dr. Vasee, so yes, God do exists,”. This is not to say that Rajinikanth is regarded as God. It’s merely to say that when a robot can understand the mere meaning of the existence of God, why do we people keep questioning the same? Ironically, Rajinikanth is a staunch believer in God in his real life himself, thus he has time and again tried to impose his beliefs via his films, just as how Kamal Haasan, an atheist by nature, tried to impose his. But yes, I must admit that among his avid fans, Rajinikanth is regarded as a demi-God, to say the least. Blame it on the public’s mentality. Your quote of SdM summarizes the phenomenon or craze to an extent. Amitabh is loved by all. But as far as Rajinikanth is concerned, the adoration or maybe even obsession is always a notch higher. Nevertheless, he himself had never projected himself as a God in any of his films. The fact that he’s ever so humble and down to earth in his real life is a solid proof to this. I’m not kidding, I’ve met him in real life and contrary to how public perceive him to be, the man is an epitome of humbleness I must say.
I would love to go on more about this, nevertheless I believe that I’ve hijacked your blog to a great extent as it is. Sorry for the long post though. I just couldn’t resist writing my views.

Gayu said...

Quote: Kemudian, kita dinyatakan dalam satu babak secara jelas, si Chitty "mengaku" adanya Tuhan kerana dia DICIPTA oleh Dr. Rajnikanth, seorang manusia!!! Ini memenuhi transformasi pemahaman filem ini, bukan dari segi plot lagi (si Dr. bermain kuasa sebagai Tuhan) tetapi memenuhi ego bintangnya, bahawa dia memang "dewa" yang menghiburkan dan tidak ada tolok bandingnya.
The above is a statement which I have to totally disagree with. If that was the understanding you received, then I must place the blame on the weak subtitles for the misconception. You see, there’s a age-old question rising in the minds of Indians i.e. whether God exists or not. The question was even imposed in Dasavatharam (a Kamal starrer), perhaps you’ve noticed it there. In Enthiran, the makers were simply trying to educate the viewers on the existence of God. When Chitty was asked whether God exists, he retorts by asking, “who is God?” Hence, comes a reply, “God is the One who creates us”. And Chitty replies, “The one who created me is Dr. Vasee, so yes, God do exists,”. This is not to say that Rajinikanth is regarded as God. It’s merely to say that when a robot can understand the mere meaning of the existence of God, why do we people keep questioning the same? Ironically, Rajinikanth is a staunch believer in God in his real life himself, thus he has time and again tried to impose his beliefs via his films, just as how Kamal Haasan, an atheist by nature, tried to impose his. But yes, I must admit that among his avid fans, Rajinikanth is regarded as a demi-God, to say the least. Blame it on the public’s mentality. Your quote of SdM summarizes the phenomenon or craze to an extent. Amitabh is loved by all. But as far as Rajinikanth is concerned, the adoration or maybe even obsession is always a notch higher. Nevertheless, he himself had never projected himself as a God in any of his films. The fact that he’s ever so humble and down to earth in his real life is a solid proof to this. I’m not kidding, I’ve met him in real life and contrary to how public perceive him to be, the man is an epitome of humbleness I must say.
I would love to go on more about this, nevertheless I believe that I’ve hijacked your blog to a great extent as it is. Sorry for the long post though. I just couldn’t resist writing my views.

Sheeta said...

fadz is actually right, this movie is wholly for people who knows and love Rajni, but not really sci-fi worthy, this imdb comment sums it all:

Caught the first show here in bangalore. First of all, hats off to the director for pulling off something this big in Indian cinema. The so called story revolves only around Rajini the scientist, robo and rai. Even the villain does not have a big part to play. Rajinikanth as we know is missing, this is Shankar's "Rajini". The first 30 min are pure fun, then the story comes in and from then on it depends weather the individual is a rajini fan or not to enjoy the film!! Sci-fi takes a serious hit. But when it comes to Rajinikanth sci-fi,logic,physics,math everything should take a hit. So if that does not concern you and if you are a major Rajini fan like me, this movie is for you, to see hundreds of rajini at the same time and rai romancing rajini, it happens only once and this is your chance !! Sci-fi fans may rate the movie 1/10, but who cares when you have rajini on the screen.

7/10.

Anonymous said...

Korang ni tak apa apa ntah.. Fadz ni kira baik dan seimbang (walaupun dia tak suka lirik lagu filem ni yang dia panggil poyo) jika saya baca, sebab dia guna "akal" dia tonton filem Rajni (ni silap dia, tonton filem Rajni tak perlu guna otak, sebab filem-filemnya pure entertainment), saya jumpa pengkritik luar yang lagi pedas dari Fadz:

"This is “Endhiran,” just short of three hours of Bollywood style battiness, a melodramatic kitschy Indian musical about a robot built for national defense but who discovers his human side. It is ever so silly, a combination of new digital big screen technology and old fashioned slow-mo and sped-up fast motion gags, pratfalls, romance and melodrama. Hey, when you’ve got 175 minutes to tell your story, you can squeeze a lot in."
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2010/10/movie-review-endhiran.html

fadz said...

Rosalina, akhirnya sebuah nama!

Nama, MELAYUnya.. ingatkan Ramu, atau Barvarti, atau Kavita.. i love those indian names..

well, i accept ur points, very interesting.. tapi sayang, itulah yg saya nyatakan sekali lagi, saya bila menonton, saya tidak melihat atau membaca filem secara "struktural" seperti yg anda sudah lakukan tetapi mencari simbolisme yg lebih menarik, i go beyond the text. kalau tak, bosanlah dunia ni semua org Malaysia, takut2 jawab soalan SPM, asyik ikut jawapan SKEMA (harap2nya tak begitulah anak muda kita!) maka A, A lah, B, B lah, aduhh.. inilah kenapa kita belajar di universiti sayang, utk ambil pelbagai ilmu dan aplikasikannya dalam teks, dan berbanggalah Endhiran ini saya pilih pada satu mlm untuk tonton dan "cerita" sedikit, bukans eperti filem Hollywood yg saya tonton dan malas nak cakap pun.. Kalau beginilah peminat Rajni atau peminat filem Tamil, bagaimana mereka mahu menyerahkan hasil filem mereka (yg menunggu seperti harta karun utk dianalisa!) untuk dianalisa oleh cerdik pandai filem (dan saya bukannya cerdik pun!).. bayangkan, dalam 20thn, kemungkinan seorang akademik mahu meneliti Endhiran dalam kuasanya "menyerlahkan citra" Rajnikanth contohnya.. Itu yg awak perlu lihat dan sedar dan bukan hanya menegakkan apa yang AWAK sahaja yang tahu sayang..

fadz said...

Sheta, trimas.. aku tak mungkin bagi tahap sai-fai filem ni 1, mungkin 4-5 utk effortnya, walaupun pernah diulang temanya.

Anon, urkk, tirmas, tapi Roger Moore tu silap, ni bukan Bollywood, tapi saya sokong dengan istilah "klitch"nya.. wah, dia lagi hebat kena bantai siot!! Tapi aku sokong juga, babak kereta api tu memang antara yang menyeronokkan.

fadz said...

hah, terbukti juga kan kenapa Rajnikanth dianggap sebagai Dewa, jadi tak salah jugalah aku!:
"But yes, I must admit that among his avid fans, Rajinikanth is regarded as a demi-God, to say the least. Blame it on the public’s mentality."

Err, why cant u write in bahasa Melayu sayang, but its fine here, this is a democratic country and this is a democratic blog, haha..

baguslah sekumpulan pembibkin mahu kembalikan rasa keagamaan (adanya Tuhan) kepada golongan India, itu kira baguslah (apakah masalahnya sampai mereka tidak menerima Tuhan lagi?) sebab aku masih ingat, dalam 50-60an, filem2 tamil, banyaknya pada awal kreditnya dipaparkan dewa mereka waktu nama produser syarikat dipapar, yg secara tidak langsung menekapkan semangat keagamaan dalam jiwa penonton mereka.. jadi tak tahu kenapa skrg dah kurang..

utk makluman fasal agama antara Dr. tu dan Chitty, yeap, seperti yg aku dah maklum, aku faham tujuan dialog tu, tapi aku mahu pergi "jauh" dari itu secara konteks "bayangan" dan "imej" Rajni dalam filem ini yg "diidola"kan. Rujuk akar nama "idola" dan anda akan faham (teliti bagaimana imej Rajnikanth dipaparkan, secara banyak kali, dan rujuk kenapa pentingnya imej hero dipaparkan di atas tengah, atau di tengah dengan wajah yg dipaparkan jelas, serta imej2 yg biasa dalam filem Rajnikanth, ini semua dibikin dgn teliti untuk meningkatkan "tandatangan ulangan" dan "pengidolaan"..

oleh sebab itu aku masih suka babak Rajnikanth sama2 dengan orang ramai tarik patung dewa di tengah org ramai dengan keringatnya, kerana kita dapat lihat "demi-god" ini betul2 di "tanah" (syot bawah tanah ke atas mana dewa tu menyelubunginya) bersama golongan marhaen.. itulah imej indah Rajnikanth buat aku.

ulasbuku said...

Hanya sekali pernah aku tengok watak Rajinikanth mati dalam filem, iaitu Aatank Hi Aatank.

Anonymous said...

Kalau tak tahu menghargai diri sendiri apahal orang lain...? belajar menghargai kayangan orang kenamaan.. Kalau nak setakat kutuk-kutuk.. Semua orang tak berotak pun boleh.. Kalau mahu Bikin gambar sendiri dan layangkan di pawangan.. Confirm tak keluar mana-mana..!!! Nak bet..!!!

Anonymous said...

Kalau tak tahu menghargai diri sendiri apahal orang lain...? belajar menghargai kayangan orang kenamaan.. Kalau nak setakat kutuk-kutuk.. Semua orang tak berotak pun boleh.. Kalau mahu Bikin gambar sendiri dan layangkan di pawangan.. Confirm tak keluar mana-mana..!!! Nak bet..!!!

fadz said...

"belajar menghargai kayangan orang kenamaan"

WTF?

Anonymous said...

dear Fadz,
1. Regarding the snake part - rajni has belief that if there is a snake in the movie, the film will do well. I don't know if your watched chandramukhi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijVcCtxjASY (der geistejager-cult german hit) - in this movie, which i feel is better than endhiran, a big snake comes for no reason. Try to watch his fims carefully - most big hits wil have snake - example 'padayappa', muthu - which was a hit in japan as dancing maharaja (start 0:30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXk7UIXth7Q&feature=related) japan website: rajni.jp

2. The mosquitoe scene shows that the robot can communicate with insects - which i agree took some artistic liberty - that part should have been cut.

3. You must remember this outlandish multiple villains being destroyed by 1 hero was also done by stephen chow in kung fu hustle - he also runs like cartoon in that movie!- the villain becomes a frog.

4, rajni the actor - watch the 70's movies. 'Thalapathy' by the great mani ratnam was a rajni film you'll like.

5. Rajni has acted in english film - 'bloodstone'
6. He spent his youth quite a bit in malaysia-riding around in motorbike with kamal hassan during the frequent shoots here and singapore.
7. To the guy who says 'melayu bodoh' - we are in year 2010, let's get out of the cina duit-melayu bodoh-cerita keling mentality or risk being left behind by vietnam-china-india in the world stage...
8. Keep up your tamil movie review - most uk/us/indian reviews are hyping up the film..example: http://www.slate.com/id/2267820/ and: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/meet-indias-biggest-film-star-2096273.html?action=Popup

fadz said...

Dear Anon,

those are VERY INTERESTING facts.. ill check out Thalapathy, but WHERE can i get it (if u could, with subtitles) becoz ive walk around Masjid India and they do not have a complete title.. I heard Brickfields is the place to go, but which shop? The only chance ill ever have is to wait for Deepavali tv spree or checkout the Tamil channel on Astro, which i regret coz those great black/white pics are usually w/o subtitles.

2. The SNAKE part is very interesting. I feel that this has smtg to do with "nagas" too.. is there any connection between the snake and what Rajni worships?

3. That scene (in the train) is definitely one of the highlight of the movie, and i like it! yes, Kung Fu HUstler is also a "cartoonish" movie. Egbert himself called it as "real life toons" but in a positive way.

4. Whats the next great filem from Kollywood do u think i should wait for?

Anonymous said...

i can try to help u if u r interested in tamil films - good gems are out there - but seek and you shall find..(my e mail: velvetborzoi@yahoo.com)
Thalapathy (in english: 'the general') is inspired by mahabaratha - a narrative that has entwined itself within south east asia - indonesia.
One of my favorite movies - kamal hassan's 'anbe sivam' - loosely translated as 'love is god'...

Do u like the following movies:
oldboy
red beard
rashomon
ben hur
dark night - mass movie but good..

Upcoming movies - i haven't seen any new ones except endhiran.

'paruthiveeran' - a village love story by muslim director ameer - village story with strong flavor and acting - not knowing tamil will be a big handicap. Simple story but very strong acting, deep characters - no unnecessary gimmicks- it hits u in the face.

Otherwise - unexplicably i like 'apocalypse now' and scenario, ali setan.

Anonymous said...

In the spirit of anti-rascism, I apologize and retract my statement on 'melayu bodoh'. Was completely uncalled for, irrational and emotional.

Some Rajini movies/ Tamil movies you might appreciate:

Rajini
Thalapathy (as mentioned and i still feel that was his best to date)

Mullum Malarum (brilliant acting but not compromising on the typical Rajini style & charisma)

Dharma Durai

Baasha

Others
Kannathil Muthamittal by Mani Rathnam

Mozhi (story of a deaf-dumb woman)

As for the subtitles, you could try downloading from tamil torrents if im not mistaken, sometimes they do come with subtitles.
This link might be useful
http://subscene.com/search.aspx

fadz said...

Anon 1:
man, where can i find this Talapathy and Anbe Sivam, grrr, if only i know the places to go!

most of the movies u list down, yeap, i like it all, including Dark Night, once i even showed Rashomon to my students, though they could not comprehend the aesthetic value of it.

So Paruthiveeran is the next movie to wait ya, owait!!

fadz said...

Anon2:
no hal on that one, sorry to for using it.

wahhh, okeh, that Mani Ratnam one seems interesting, but since u and the other Anon1 stated Talapathy, this must be a very very good Rajni movie.. i must have this one!!!

hopefully becoz of the popularity of Endhiran is gaining, Rajni's previous classics should be sold at any stores.. i wonder if they have it in Mydin..

Anonymous said...

bro,
cita paruthiveeran dah lama keluar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paruthiveeran

cita ni pun bes - rajni dan kamal cinta girl yang sama, rajni 'bunuh' kamal - untuk membalas dendam, sri dei kahwin dengan bapa rajni dan menjadi emak tirinya! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moondru_Mudichu

Cita hong kong pun i suka -my favorite is 'infernal affairs'

Otherwise are you a movie maker? maybe we should create something together :):) - malaysia has dried up after yasmin left...

fadz said...

Anon, me a movie maker? heheheheh... :)

oh btw thx for the info, now its dvd hunting time!!

Anonymous said...

Try looking out for dvd's distributed by Ayngaran International, they usually come with subtitles.

I usually get dvd's from this shop which is a few doors away from Grand City restaurant. Its somewhere near University Malaya..University Malaya hospital area. Sorry my sense of direction is atrocious ..hope someone else can help out with the drections here :)

Hope you are successfull in your endeavor :) Sorry I cant be more help, Ive been away from m'sia for sometime now & have lost track of the current hotspots for movie hunting.

-Anon 2

Anonymous said...

Fadz, saya minat movie Rajnikanth, belum tengok movie dia yg ni. Nak tanya.. saya tengah nak cari movie yg dilakunkan oleh Rajnikanth( tak reti cari by genre, title lagi la) cuma yg saya ingat kisah seorang wanita dirasuk oleh penari yg pernah duduk di istana tersebut.

tq in advance

fadz said...

Univ Malaya hospital area is at Universiti Hospital, is dat right? someone help me!!! btw, thx anon-2..

Anon, i think the movie that u are referring to is Chandramukhi, unless im wrong on this.. saya pun x tahu mana nak cari filem2nya di kl tu..

Anonymous said...

Thalapathy is Rajini's all time best and directed by Mani Ratnam

Baasha , Padayappa and Shivaji also are few of Rajini's entertaining films

Other good watch from the tamil cinema world would be Nadodigal ( Awesome ) , Madrasapatinam and Autograph ( Classic )

Anonymous said...

nadodigal - interesting twist
autograph - a man looking at his past

The movie 'penari di rasuk hantu' was originally made in a regional laguage, then remade by rajini when his popularity dropped, hence more story based than star based- his bet paid off - ran for up to 800 days: this film is called 'chandramugi' oor 'chandramukhi'.....

Rajini has survived 30 years where others, even jacky chan fell, because he is a master strategist:
1st decision:
to not act together with kamal - to avoid diluting his star power
decision 2:
to remake many of amitabh's hindi hits in the 80's - thus easily getting hits
3rd decision:
to tease the audience that he is entering politics in the 90's - this made fans excited - movies ran well
4th decision:
giving image of spiritual person - going to himalayas every year, then sending photos to media of him meditating - why a sincere spiritual seeker would sned pictures to media?- marketing himself to old people and ladies this way...(unlike kamal who chased actress simran and spoilt his reputation with ladies) http://www.southdreamz.com/2010/10/superstar-rajinikanth-in-himalaya-photos-2010.html
5th decision:
after apologizing to all big politicians, turned around and caught the trend of IT savvy teen indians - started acting in costly modern posh movies - like 'sivaji', and 'endhiran' which vibes with the new generation of fans - thus rajini has grown - when many brands like 'disney', 'atari', 'microsoft' are past their glory days
Don't think of him as just a bus conductor turned star- he is a master tactician - you could write a thesis on him...

His most latest updates are at: onlysuperstar.com : but mostly in tamil
PS: HAPPY DIWALI FOLKS...///////

Anonymous said...

doomlight technology in endhiran


http://rajinifans.com/latest_news_detail.html?rId=1523

[ a D D y ] said...

gile ramai komen..

wa xpat tgk cite ni kat kluang aritu sebab wa betiga ngan membe wa kul 12.30 tu..

diorang xnak bukak wayang tu..
siot..

Arun Prakash said...

Oh my goodness! I have never seen any review and comments/arguments as long as this one; not even in Tamil.

I'm a Tamilian, living in Tamil Nadu, India. I read your blog and got fascinated that you, Indonesian also watch a Tamil movie.

I don't understand Bahasa Indonesia. So I read the google translated review.

I like to say, what I think about this movie and your review.

I think there shouldn't be this much long review for a mass entertainment movie focussed only on the fans of Rajini. One shouldn't see logic or reasons on it's story.

I love and watch world movies. So, when considering with world movies, I feel this is a real crap movie. Even many people in India do think this is a junk movie.

But if you want to enjoy this movie, you have to keep your brain off.

Being Tamilian and having watched many Rajini's movies, I'm think this is a good entertainment movie - may be because I'm attracted by A.R.Rahman music; Shankar's movie; best graphiced Indian movie; last but not the least - charisma of Rajinikanth.

fadz said...

addy, ko kena tgk... hahaha

Arun, thx for the comment.. but im not Indonesian, Im a Malaysia and I write in Malay. Hope dats clear.

Anonymous said...

im an indian n i would proudly declare dt endhiran wasn't as expecxted..KAMAL HIDUP

Anonymous said...

Really great article with very interesting information. You might want to follow up to this topic!?! 2011

Anonymous said...

membaca seluruh blog, cukup bagus

Anonymous said...

hi bro fadz... itz gud 2 hear tht u do watch indian movie... same as some of my malay frens, who enjoyed watching indian movie...like me, since those days, i enjoyed watching malay movies directed by yusoff haslam, but lately,sre thr any reason releases ? endhiram movie is basically an ambitious movie of shangkar... as wht he said, itz his 10 year ambition to do a movie with big budget... bein a top movie maker in india, he also in return expect a huge return/profits, therefore he need to create a movie that viewers these days deired the most...basically, wht would u think happen 2 movies, if :
1. no sexy actress
2. no catchy musics
3. no mega stars

i think u got my point bro...
do enjoy d new movie soon to release Saguni, vettai, purely for entertainment.

Unknown said...

Encik Abdul Rauf, saya amat terharu membaca komen Encik. Saya berbangsa India. Saya amat suka menonton filem filem India seperti filem Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam. Selepas menonton filem, saya akan Google untuk membaca komen komen daripada orang. Dalam semua komen yang saya pernah membaca, komen beliaulah yang paling saya suka 😃 Beliau seorang yang sangat optimis. Kekal seperti itu Encik 😉

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.