Ra One Movie Action Sequence Copied form Robot

Ra One Movie Action Sequence Copied form Robot

An action sequence on a speeding train in Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero flick RA.One is said to be identical to the one in the Rajnikanth blockbuster, Robot. A source says, “The two sequences have many special effects and boast of the hero’s never-before-seen stunts on top of a train.”

But the question is how did two films made in different cities by two separate teams of technicians end up with such striking similarities?

Says a source close to the project, “Shah Rukh has always been a big fan of celebrated chase sequences on top of speeding trains in films, like the one in Sholay. He wanted to mix that sense of thrill with special effects and stunts in RA.One. How was he to know that director Shankar had the same thing in mind for Rajnikanth?”

Efforts are on to re-edit the train sequence in RA.One so that not a single frame resembles the chase in
Robot.

Resul Pookutty doesn’t deny the similarities either and says, “There are lavish train-top action sequences in both films. We are looking at how to keep it (RA.One) completely different from the earlier one (Robot).”

The buzz is that Shah Rukh doesn’t want his RA.One audience to call the scene a direct copy of the one in Robot . Neither does he want to do away with the sequence. By the way, the scene cost him close to Rs 3 crore.

Robot Endhiran Box Office Collection sets for record, 950 million

Robot Endhiran Box Office Collection sets for record, 950 million

Name: Chitti. Speed: 1 terahertz. Memory: One zeta byte. Processor: Pentium. Inventor: Dr Vasi. Access: September 2010. Box-office collections: around Rs 50 crore in first three days.

Indian cinema's most expensive movie "Endhiran" (Robot), starring former bus conductor Rajinikanth, had a record opening weekend at the box office, Bollywood analysts said.

"In the opening weekend, all the three versions of Robot have together collected 950 million rupees (21 million dollars), the highest-ever in India," said Komal Nahta, a Bollywood trade analyst.

The sci-fi fantasy adventure, made in three languages, opened in India last Friday, with sales twice that of the previous record opener -- Bollywood star Salman Khan's recent hit "Dabaang" -- Nahta said. He expects Endhiran -- which cost 35 million dollars to make -- to collect a further 28 million dollars from ticket sales, as reviews have been encouraging.

A month ago, Dabaang (Fearless) grossed 10.8 million dollars during its opening weekend, surpassing Aamir Khan's mega-hit "3 Idiots" record of nine million dollars.

Accurate box office figures are hard to come by in India. An independent industry website, boxofficeindia.com, said "Endhiran" had taken in 12.4 million dollars over the weekend -- a far lower estimate, but still a record. India's previous costliest film was "Kites" which starred Hrithik Roshan and was said to have been made for 27 million dollars..

Theatres are running shows of Endhiran as early as 4:00am in Rajinikanth's stronghold southern city of Chennai, where fans have been seen queuing up for tickets.

The 60-year-old superstar Rajinikanth plays a double role, of a scientist and an android, which he has created.

In Chennai, a 61-foot-poster was created close to a theatre where the movie was released. Some fans washed the poster with milk -- as offered to Hindu Gods -- a sign of purity also fans are celebrated the release by bursting crackers, beating drums and showering the movie screen with flowers. In Bollywood's hometown Mumbai, fans offered prayers at a local theatre and the reel of the movie was offered in worship at a nearby temple, after which it was made available for public viewing.

"Endhiran is writing box office history," Nahta told AFP, despite steep ticket prices of up to 1,500 rupees (32 dollars) at some multiplexes.

Movie critic Nikhat Kazmi said "Endhiran" typified a mainstream Indian cinema movie and that the last 30 minutes of the film were "the 'baap' (grandmaster) of all make-believe."