Entertainment - Sun Pictures to snap up India's costliest flick Robot

Chandra Ranganathan

CHENNAI: This buyout has a filmy touch to it. Buoyed by its initial success in movie production, Marans-owned Sun Pictures has bought out the
production rights for the costliest Indian movie to date Robot- starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai.

The sci -fi movie, to be directed by Shankar and with a whopping Rs 100 crore + budget, was initially supposed to have been produced by London based Ayngaran International, in which Kishore Lulla-owned Eros International has a controlling stake.

But sources close to the development said owing to financial troubles, Ayngaran is transferring all the production costs of the movie to Sun Pictures. Officials at Ayngaran and Sun Pictures could not be reached for comment or further details. But sources involved in the deal said that a formal agreement will be signed on Thursday and the total value of the deal could cross a hundred crore.

If the agreement goes through, this will be the second such bailout for the recently floated Sun Pictures. It acquired the distribution rights for its maiden film "Kadhalil Vizhunden" from Atlantic Cinemas. Sun Pictures infused life into the movie and made it a runaway by actively marketing it Sun Network's TV and radio media.

A similar positive climax awaits "Robot", which is riding on huge dollops of money and hype. After the Rajini-starrer, Sivaji, The Boss created waves as the most expensive movie at Rs 80 crore, Rajini-Rai starrer "Robot" became the next big thing in film circles.

It also had a touch of drama to it because Shahrukh Khan was initially supposed to star and co-produce the movie through his company, Red Chillies Entertainment. However, it was drooped owing to creative differences between director Shankar and Shahrukh. Industry sources say, give Shankar's reputation for an ostentatious canvas, the cost of production of Robot could run into hundreds of crores, setting a new Indian record. The movie will take another year and a half for completion.

The film will be made in Tamil, but will be released in five languages, including Hindi and Telugu, besides a couple of other regional languages. The movie will also rope in a few Bollywood stars, to add to the glam factor, but details on this front have not been formalised.