There is nothing that Rajni Can't

[Guest guest]

There is nothing that Rajni Can't

The first thing that strikes you, as you watch Rajnikant's recent release

ROBOT, is that Rajni looks so youthful, fit and full of vitality. You almost

cannot believe that here is a senior citizen fighting a balding pate.

Rajni is Vashikaran (a name you can only find in South Indian movies) the

maverick professor, who has invented a Robot, who does everything. Besides

super speed calculations and intricate dance moves, this Robot, called

Chitti, can also handle hundreds of guns at the same time as well as

demolish an army. The Robot's only regret is that he doesn't have human

emotions (except this regret, of course), which is rapidly remedied by

Vashi. Consequently, now besides his superhuman prowess, he also falls in

love with Vashi's girlfriend, the gorgeous Sana (Aishwarya). Thus begins the

confrontation of the age old man versus robot dilemma.

There are special effects galore in the unfolding of the story, but this

movie would be nothing if not for Rajnikant. Danny Dengzompa, as the jealous

teacher, is just adequate, but the main spot light is on the hero Rajnikant

versus the villain Rajnikant.

It is Aishwarya's job to look gorgeous, which she does with aplomb,

especially in the dance at Machu Pichu. The rest of the cast is full of dark

strangers from the lower latitudes.

It is my personal take that Rajnikant excels more as a villain than as a

hero. So when the evil Danny adds an evil chip (conveniently coloured red,

for all of us dumbos) to the already overloaded circuitry of Chitti, it is

time for director Shankar to unleash some over the top computer gimmickry

and a change in the Robot's outlook and manner , including a sniggering

laugh. There is nothing that this Rajni can't do. You have him lifting cars

and bikes with just a gesture. You have a Rajnikant overturning two gas

cylinder laden trucks onto the pursuing policemen. If you think that this is

preposterous try an army of Rajnikants, which rapidly transforms into

various objects like a ball or an anaconda.

AR Rehman churns out some nice tunes, which you can't remember, because they

are loaded with awkward lyrics, which only a South Indian film can have.

There is a song which mentions Kilimanjaro and Mohenjo Daro in the same

breath, but for the life of me, I can't remember why, because I was watching

the pelvic undulations of Aishwarya dressed as a Himachali tribal in Machu

Pichu. Why can't these Southern guys hire a decent Hindi-belter like Gulzar

to do a satisfactory job?

So, is this movie worth a dekko? If you are a Rajnikant fan, you must have

already seen it and loved it. Sadly missing here are his acrobatics with a

cigarette. For once, you wish the government had not implemented the ciggie

ban so harshly. But if you are not a Rajni fan, you can still enjoy the

movie. It whirls you round and round like a merry go round, leaving you

little time to ponder on the logical inconsistencies or the paucity of

deeper meaning. You get off the turnstile just a little bit dizzy and

dazzled by all the Fx. But a major chunk of your admiration goes to the

spunky Rajnikant, who pulls of the most implausible situations with dash and

verve.

Kishore Shah 1974

[Guest guest]

Wow! Thanks for the quick review. Sounds good. Just the sort of movie that

doesn't overload your brain or your emotions for that matter. Lets see when

I get the chance to see it.

I get to see movies when one of my daughters brings a dvd :-D

Ravin '82

There is nothing that Rajni Can't

The first thing that strikes you, as you watch Rajnikant's recent release

ROBOT, is that Rajni looks so youthful, fit and full of vitality. You almost

cannot believe that here is a senior citizen fighting a balding pate.

Rajni is Vashikaran (a name you can only find in South Indian movies) the

maverick professor, who has invented a Robot, who does everything. Besides

super speed calculations and intricate dance moves, this Robot, called

Chitti, can also handle hundreds of guns at the same time as well as

demolish an army. The Robot's only regret is that he doesn't have human

emotions (except this regret, of course), which is rapidly remedied by

Vashi. Consequently, now besides his superhuman prowess, he also falls in

love with Vashi's girlfriend, the gorgeous Sana (Aishwarya). Thus begins the

confrontation of the age old man versus robot dilemma.

There are special effects galore in the unfolding of the story, but this

movie would be nothing if not for Rajnikant. Danny Dengzompa, as the jealous

teacher, is just adequate, but the main spot light is on the hero Rajnikant

versus the villain Rajnikant.

It is Aishwarya's job to look gorgeous, which she does with aplomb,

especially in the dance at Machu Pichu. The rest of the cast is full of dark

strangers from the lower latitudes.

It is my personal take that Rajnikant excels more as a villain than as a

hero. So when the evil Danny adds an evil chip (conveniently coloured red,

for all of us dumbos) to the already overloaded circuitry of Chitti, it is

time for director Shankar to unleash some over the top computer gimmickry

and a change in the Robot's outlook and manner , including a sniggering

laugh. There is nothing that this Rajni can't do. You have him lifting cars

and bikes with just a gesture. You have a Rajnikant overturning two gas

cylinder laden trucks onto the pursuing policemen. If you think that this is

preposterous try an army of Rajnikants, which rapidly transforms into

various objects like a ball or an anaconda.

AR Rehman churns out some nice tunes, which you can't remember, because they

are loaded with awkward lyrics, which only a South Indian film can have.

There is a song which mentions Kilimanjaro and Mohenjo Daro in the same

breath, but for the life of me, I can't remember why, because I was watching

the pelvic undulations of Aishwarya dressed as a Himachali tribal in Machu

Pichu. Why can't these Southern guys hire a decent Hindi-belter like Gulzar

to do a satisfactory job?

So, is this movie worth a dekko? If you are a Rajnikant fan, you must have

already seen it and loved it. Sadly missing here are his acrobatics with a

cigarette. For once, you wish the government had not implemented the ciggie

ban so harshly. But if you are not a Rajni fan, you can still enjoy the

movie. It whirls you round and round like a merry go round, leaving you

little time to ponder on the logical inconsistencies or the paucity of

deeper meaning. You get off the turnstile just a little bit dizzy and

dazzled by all the Fx. But a major chunk of your admiration goes to the

spunky Rajnikant, who pulls of the most implausible situations with dash and

verve.

Kishore Shah 1974