Ace Tamil film director is as simple as they come. Despite having made super hit films like Gentleman, Nayak: The Real Hero, Sivaji – The Boss, and now Endhiran – Robot, the director has a calm exterior and a humble demeanor. Speaking to Koimoi.com, Shankar accepts that making conceptualizing and making Endhiran was a difficult journey, one nevertheless made interesting because of his excellent cast and crew. Here’s a sneak peek into the director’s mind…
Rajni’s make up
You see, everything changes is different when a human and a robot interact. The script was the most challenging aspect of the film. Then came the makeup. Rajnikant spent 4-6 hours every day on it. Rajni looks very young on screen! I have shaved Rajni’s famous moustache for the character because the robot can’t grow a beard.
The idea of Robot
Ten years ago, I wanted to make a film with a non-living object. When I developed the idea, my first choice was Kamal Hassan but things did not work out. After I made Sivaji with Rajnikant, I decided to work on Robot with him.
Technically sound
Endhiran (Robot) was a difficult movie (to make). Shooting for most scenes took a lot of time due to the heavy visual effects involved. In fact, there are only 2-3 normal scenes. The majority of the budget went into animatronics and other technical requirements. We had people from all over the world working on the film. It’s also the first time we have used animatronics in any Indian film.
Common man’s science fiction
I am fully satisfied with the outcome. It’s not similar to any Hollywood film. Endhiran is an Indian common man’s science fiction movie. There are a lot of messages in the movie but it is basically about human relations.