Enthiran (soundtrack)

Enthiran is the soundtrack album to the 2010 Tamil science fiction-action film of the same name, directed by S. Shankar and starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai. The soundtrack album includes seven tracks composed by A. R. Rahman and was released on 31 July 2010 by Think Music.[1] The release coincided with a promotional event held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Enthiran
Album cover for Enthiran
Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman
Released	31 July 2010(original)
Recorded	2008
Studio	Panchathan Record Inn and AM Studios, Chennai
Genre	Feature film soundtrack, Techno
Length	34:35
Label	Think Music
Producer	A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology chronology
Puli (2010) Enthiran (2010) Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010)
Singles from Enthiran
"Kadhal Anukkal" Released: July 31, 2010 "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam" Released: July 31, 2010 "Kilimanjaro" Released: July 31, 2010 "Arima Arima" Released: July 31, 2010

The album also was dubbed and released in Telugu as Robo on 6 August 2010, while its dubbed Hindi version, Robot, was released on 14 August 2010. The former was released on Think Music itself, but the latter was released by Venus.[2]

Release

The soundtrack album's release rights in Tamil and Telugu were purchased by Think Music for ₹ 70 million (US$1.6 million).[3][4] The songs "Kadhal Anukkal" and "Arima Arima" were aired for the first time on Suryan FM on 30 July, a day before the soundtrack release.

The Tamil album was officially released on 31 July 2010, which coincided with a promotional event held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[5] Co-hosted by Vivek and Punnagai Poo Gheetha, the event was attended by most of the film's cast and crew members, including Kalanithi Maran, S. Shankar, Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, A. R. Rahman, Santhanam, Karunas, Vairamuthu, R. Rathnavelu, Anthony, Sabu Cyril, and Yogi B. Other invited guests were Dayanidhi Maran, Radha Ravi, Vadivelu, Shriya Saran, Jayam Ravi, Ramya Krishnan, S. A. Chandrasekhar, Aishwarya and Soundarya Rajinikanth, Krish, and Sangeetha Arvind. Furthermore, Silambarasan, Vijayalakshmi, and Poorna were part of stage performances.

The release event of the Telugu version, titled Robo, was held in Hyderabad on 6 August 2010, which was attended by Chiranjeevi, D. Ramanaidu, Mohan Babu, Srinu Vaitla, Kajal Aggarwal, and Kamna Jethmalani.[6] The Hindi version, titled Robot, was released by Venus[2] on 14 August 2010, in a function held in Mumbai. The event was attended by Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, along with the crew of the film.[7][8]

Music videos

The songs were choreographed by Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram, Remo D'Souza, Dinesh and Shobi. The first song "Pudhiya Manidha" was the introduction song for Vaseegaran and Chitti (both played by Rajinikanth) and also appeared in the opening credits. It was choreographed by Prabhu Deva with his Bharata Natyam trained assistant Ajeesh dancing for the robot.[9] "Kadhal Anukkal", again choreographed by Prabhu Deva, is a love song picturised on Vaseegaran and Sana (played by Aishwarya Rai). The song was completely shot from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in northeastern Brazil.[10][11] "Irumbile Oru Irudhaiyam", which marked the singing debut of Lady Kash and Krissy in Tamil cinema,[12][13] was choreographed by Remo D'Souza and was picturised as a club dance number between Chitti and Sana.[9] "Chitti Dance Showcase", a short and mostly instrumental song was choreographed by Shobi and was picturised on Vaseegaran, Chitti and Sana.

"Arima Arima" was set in Ramoji Rao Film City, Hyderabad and was choreographed by Prabhu Deva. It was picturised on Chitti, his robot army and Sana. According to the director S. Shankar, art director Sabu Cyril and cinematographer R. Rathnavelu, picturising this song was the most challenging part of the whole film. The song also features two robotic lions, the creation of which, according to Sabu Cyril, is a professional secret. In an interview, Ratnavelu said, "This film has been a big challenge right from the start till the patchwork. But the most challenging part for me was shooting the climax song, Arima Arima, which will be the USP of the film. The song was shot in a set in Hyderabad in 2008. I had to perceive in 2008 what would be in vogue now. So, that was a real challenge and that has come out really well."[14]

The most notable song in terms of picturisation, "Kilimanjaro", is picturised on Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai singing a duet with a host of tribal dancers in the background. The song sequence was filmed at Machu Picchu in Peru, making it the first Indian video to be picturised from the protected heritage site.[15] According to official sources, there were interventions from the Indian government to grant permission for the filming, which was denied to many international projects, such as Quantum of Solace (2008).[15][16] It was choreographed by Raju Sundaram.

The last song, "Boom Boom Robo Da", shot from Himachal Pradesh and Chennai, was choreographed by Dinesh and picturised on Vaseegaran, Sana and Chitti.

Reception

The soundtrack has received generally positive reviews and on the second day of release, the album was on top of the US iTunes Top 10 World Albums chart, making it the first Indian album to reach the spot.[17] In the United Kingdom, Enthiran ranked third place on iTunes and by the following day occupied the top spot successfully. In Australia, Enthiran ranked on the top spot by 5 August.[18] The soundtrack has topped the Indian charts too. The first five positions was defended by Enthiran songs for more than three months.[19] "Kadhal Anukkal" topped the charts for more than eight weeks.[20] The Hindi version, "Pagal Anukan", peaked at #4 position in the weekly charts.[21] The audio is said to have created history and have registered a record breaking sale in the Indian audio market.[22]

Critical response

Tamil version

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Behindwoods	[23]
The Hindu	(positive)[24]
Music Aloud	[25]
Rediff	[26]

The soundtrack also received positive critical responses. The Hindu commented on the album that "With its blend of melody, trance and rhythm, Enthiran – The Robot sounds like a winner".[24] Chennai online stated that "The entire album gives an upbeat electro sense and wings to our imaginations. The music is convinced to grow on you, if not an instant hit."[27] A review by Music Aloud said, "While the soundtrack of Enthiran has enough fodder to delight a connoisseur, it remains to be seen how much its sophistication will appeal to the masses, who are after all Rajinikanth's primary target."[25] Behindwoods reviewed the music saying, "Yes, it exasperates you when you listen for the first time. But as you listen again, you realize that though Rahman gives this album a crisp metallic touch in keeping with the theme of the story, he still remains faithful to his Carnatic roots in a touching way. Watch how cleverly he varies the feel of the normal duets and robo-based duets. The lyrics are interesting too. If the listener shakes off his conditioned thinking while listening to this album, he is in for a treat."[23] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff commented that, "Enthiran is, in fact, a perfect superstar album. Where the collection does manage to veer from the usual, Rahman has managed to add his own quirky, creative notes to the songs."[26]

Hindi version

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Bollywood Hungama	[28]
Glamsham	[29]
Hindustan Times	(positive)[30]
IBN Live	[31]
NDTV	(mixed)[32]
Rediff	[33]
The Times of India	(mixed)[34]

The Hindi version received notably mixed responses, with most of the reviewers criticising Swanand Kirkire's lyrics. Bollywood Hungama rated the album 1.5 out of 5 saying, "Robot disappoints. While Rahman himself hasn't come up with anything exceptional, something which is expected from him film after film; it's the lyrics that are chief culprit here. It is clear that a lot has been lost in translation here, literally so, as the song dubbing Tamil to Hindi just doesn't work here."[28] Glamsham published a positive review saying, "Robot is stylishly packed sci-fi musical entertainer, exuding out multifaceted classy acts from the maestro. Its herculean effort to compile and compose a set of situational soundtracks with that extra trendy grace and poise but Robot delivers all with style, thanks to A.R Rahman's ever-reliable expertise."[29] Rediff rated the Hindi version 2.5 on 5 and commented that Robot is not Rahman's best, to say the least.[33] The Times of India commented that "On the whole, the music of Robot does not appeal. They may suit the script of the sci-film, but the audio is not impressive."[34]

Track listing

Tamil (Enthiran)[35]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Pudhiya Manidha"	Vairamuthu	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, A. R. Rahman, Khatija Rahman	6:11
2.	"Boom Boom Robo Da"	Madhan Karky	Yogi B, Keerthi Sagathia, Shweta Mohan, Tanvi Shah	4:28
3.	"Irumbile Oru Idhaiyam"	Madhan Karky, Kash n' Krissy	A. R. Rahman, Kash n' Krissy	5:13
4.	"Kadhal Anukkal"	Vairamuthu	Vijay Prakash, Shreya Ghoshal	5:45
5.	"Chitti Dance Showcase"		Pradeep Kumar, Pravin Mani, Yogi B	2:44
6.	"Kilimanjaro"	Pa. Vijay	Javed Ali, Chinmayi	5:32
7.	"Arima Arima"	Vairamuthu	Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam, Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer	5:22
Total length:				35:14

All lyrics are written by Swanand Kirkire.

Hindi (Robot)[36]

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"O Naye Insaan"	Srinivas, A. R. Rahman, Khatija Rahman	6:11
2.	"Boom Boom Robo Da"	Yogi B, Keerthi Sagathia, Madhushree, Ravi 'Rags' Khote	4:28
3.	"Naina Miley"	A. R. Rahman, Suzanne D'Mello, Kash n' Krissy	5:15
4.	"Pagal Anukan"	Mohit Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal	5:46
5.	"Chitti Dance Showcase"	Pradeep Kumar, Pravin Mani, Yogi B	2:44
6.	"Kilimanjaro"	Javed Ali, Chinmayi	5:32
7.	"Arima Arima"	Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam, Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer	5:19
Total length:			35:17

Telugu (Robo)[37]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"O Maramanishi"	Suddala Ashok Teja	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Srinivas, A. R. Rahman, Khatija Rahman	6:11
2.	"Boom Boom Robo Ra"	Bhuvanachandra	Yogi B, Keerthi Sagathia, Shweta Mohan, Tanvi Shah	4:26
3.	"Inumulo O Hridhayam"	Suddala Ashok Teja	A. R. Rahman, Kash n' Krissy	5:16
4.	"Neelo Valapu"	Vanamali	Vijay Prakash, Shreya Ghoshal	5:45
5.	"Chitti Dance Showcase"		Pradeep Kumar, Pravin Mani, Yogi B	2:45
6.	"Kilimanjaro"	Bhuvanachandra	Javed Ali, Chinmayi	5:30
7.	"Harima Harima"	Vanamali	Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam, Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer	5:20
Total length:				35:13

Album credits

Backing vocals

Dr. Narayanan, Raqeeb Alam, R. Vijay Narain, Nithin Raj, Shahid, Megha, Madhumitha, Shubiksha, Janani, Nrithya, Senthil, Sridhar Vijay, Kaushik, Arjun, Sharadha, Swetha Mohan, Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo, Francois Castellino, Newman Pinto, Vivianne Pocha, Bianca Gomes

Instruments

• Drums - V. Kumar
• Percussions - T. Raja, Vedachalam, Neelakandan, Lakshminarayanan, Raju
• Bass Guitar - Keith Peters
• Guitar - Sanjeev Thomas, George
• Flute - Naveen Kumar
• Trumpet - Thomas

Production

• Composer: A. R. Rahman
• Sound Engineers: P. A. Deepak, T. R. Krishna Chetan, Vivianne Chaix, Suresh Permal, Srinidhi Venkatesh, S. Sivakumar, Kannan Ganpat, Pradeep, Dinesh Ramalingam
• String Engineer: V. J. Srinivasamurthy
• Mixing: K. J. Singh, P. A. Deepak
• Mastering: S. Sivakumar
• Programming: T. R. Krishna Chetan, P. A. Deepak, Hentry Kuruvilla
• Music coordination: Noell James, Faizuddin T.M.

References

1. One India (2010). "Think Music Bags Endhiran Audio Rights". One India. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
2. NDTV (2010). "Venus acquires Hindi audio rights of Endhiran". NDTV. Archived from the original on 2 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
3. Endhiran. Co.In (2010). "Think Music Bags Endhiran Audio Rights". Endhiran. Co.In. Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
4. Indiaglitz (2010). "Endhiran music label under wrap". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
5. http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/aishwarya-rajnikanth-launch-endhiran-music-615789
6. One India (2010). "Chiranjeevi, Rajinikanth launch Robo audio". One India. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
7. The Hindu (15 August 2010). "Amitabh is my inspiration, says Rajini". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
8. Behindwoods (2010). "Rajini gets sentimental during Robot Audio Launch". Behindwoods. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
9. "Enthiran Dance Robot Choreography". Reviews.in. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010.
10. Pillai, Sreedhar (26 October 2010). "Kollywood in search of exotic locations". Times of India. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
11. "Lençóis Maranhenses National Park". Wherewasitshot.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014.
12. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/Kashins-on-rap/articleshow/6774517.cms?referral=PM
13. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/speednewsshow/6814493.cms
14. Manigandan KR (14 September 2010). "Randy's in high spirits". Times of India. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
15. "Endhiran The Robot : First Indian movie to shoot at Machu Pichu". One India. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
16. "Enthiran beats James Bond". Behindwoods. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
17. Indiaglitz (2010). "'Endhiran' tops Apple list". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
18. Behindwoods (2010). "Endhiran Breaks Another Record". Behindwoods. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
19. "Kadhal Anukkal This Week At No.1". Telugucinemalu. Archived from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
20. "- The Times of India". The Times Of India.
21. Planet Bollywood weekly charts
22. Vinita Surana (2010). "Endhiran's Music Mania Continues". Thelatestnews. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
23. Behindwoods (2010). "Endhiran Music Review".
24. Divya Kumar (2 August 2010). "Music to the ears". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
25. Musicaloud (2010). "Music Review - Endhiran".
26. Pavithra Srinivasan (2010). "Endhiran, a perfect superstar album". Rediff. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
27. "Rajinikanth's 'Endhiran': Music Review". Chennai Online. 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
28. Bollywood Hungama (2010). "Robot Music Review".
29. Glamsham (2010). "Music Review - Robot".
30. Nikhil Taneja (2010). "Music review: Robot, Anjaana Anjaani". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
31. "'Robot' soundtrack lacks Rahman's punch". Indo-Asian News Service. IBN Live. 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
32. "Music Review: Robot". Indo-Asian News Service. NDTV. 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
33. "Robot: Not Rahman's best, to say the least". Rediff. 2010.
34. "Music Review:Robot". Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
35. "Enthiran". Gaana.com. 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
36. "Robot". Saavn. 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
37. "Robo (2010)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.

External links

• Enthiran (soundtrack) at the Internet Movie Database