Enthiran is a 2010 Indian Tamil science fiction film co-written and directed by Shankar. The film features Rajinikanth in dual roles, as a scientist and an andro humanoid robot, alongside Aishwarya Rai while Danny Denzongpa, Santhanam, Karunas, Kalabhavan Mani, Devadarshini, and Cochin Haneefa play supporting roles.[1] The film's story revolves around the scientist's struggle to control his creation, the android robot whose software was upgraded to give it the ability to comprehend and generate human emotions. The plan backfires as the robot falls in love with the scientist's fiancée and is further manipulated to bring destruction to the world when it lands in the hands of a rival scientist.
After nearly a decade of pre-production work, the film was shot over two years beginning in 2008. The film marked the Indian cinema-debut of Legacy Effects, which was responsible for the film's animatronics. The film's background score and soundtrack, which was composed by A. R. Rahman, became the best-selling world album on theiTunes Store in three countries within a few days of its digital release. The film released worldwide on 1 October 2010, along with its dubbed versions: Robo in Telugu and Robotin Hindi.[2] Produced by Kalanithi Maran, it is believed to be India's most expensive filmsince its release.[3] Upon release, it also made the largest worldwide opening for an Indian film.[4]
The film received positive critical acclaim and became a commercial success, collecting the largest opening weekend revenue of any Tamil film.[5] It was claimed to be the highest-grossing Indian film of all time,[6][7] although because official box office records are not kept in India, this cannot be independently verified. It also went on to receive appraisals from notable celebrities in India and across the globe. The following year, the film won a number of awards during many ceremonies, including that year's National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South, mainly for its art direction and special effects, which were handled by Sabu Cyril and V. Srinivas Mohan, respectively.
