Enthiran Movie Review: Rajinikanth’s Sci-Fi Marvel

Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth), a brilliant but stubborn robotics scientist, unveils Chitti-a humanoid robot built in his own image-to the scientific body AIRD. The panel rejects Chitti for lacking human behaviour and emotions. Undeterred, Vaseegaran refines the robot, and a lightning strike unexpectedly triggers sentience. Chitti begins to learn, mimic, and eventually feel, especially for Vaseegaran’s fiancée, Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). What starts as a curious affection spirals into obsessive love, jealousy, and a devastating clash between creator and creation. Dr. Bohra (Danny Denzongpa), a rival scientist, exploits Chitti’s vulnerabilities, leading to a city-wide rampage that forces Vaseegaran to confront the monster he built.

Enthiran is a film of two halves-literally and tonally. The first half is a textbook showcase of Shankar’s trademark blend of spectacle and character building. We watch Vaseegaran’s obsessive genius (a restrained, intelligent Rajinikanth) and Chitti’s childlike wonder (a far more playful Rajinikanth). The scene where Chitti learns human expressions by watching a soap opera is both hilarious and oddly touching. The chemistry between Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan works in both dimensions-Vaseegaran’s awkward romance and Chitti’s earnest, unsettling devotion.

Then comes the interval. The second half pivots hard into mayhem. Chitti’s emotional instability, amplified by Bohra’s sabotage, turns him into a rogue Terminator. The “robot army” sequence-thousands of Chittis swarming Chennai-remains one of Indian cinema’s most audacious set pieces. Shankar doesn’t hold back. The action is loud, chaotic, and occasionally exhausting. Yet, there’s method: the chaos mirrors Chitti’s fractured psyche. The climax, where a grieving Vaseegaran disassembles his creation, is genuinely poignant, even if the villain’s defeat feels rushed.

Performance-wise, Rajinikanth delivers a masterclass. His Chitti is a marvel-stiff, naive, then terrifyingly intense. Watch his eyes shift from wide-eyed curiosity to cold fury; it’s acting stripped of mannerisms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has less to do than her presence suggests, but she anchors the human drama with warmth. Danny Denzongpa’s Bohra is a standard-issue corporate villain, but his scene with the “Chitti clone” is chilling.

The music by A.R. Rahman is a mixed bag. “Kadhal Anukkal” is a gorgeous, understated love theme, and “Arima Arima” is an explosive anthem. But the item number “Chitti Dance Showcase” feels like a music video inserted via chainsaw. The VFX, for 2010, were revolutionary. Today, they show their seams-the robot army’s composite shots are fuzzy, and some green-screen work is glaring. But the craftsmanship and ambition more than compensate. Shankar’s direction is committed: he treats every frame, no matter how absurd, with sincerity.

Pros

• Rajinikanth’s dual performance is career-defining-nuanced, physical, and emotionally layered.
• Shankar’s vision is unapologetically large; the climax’s scale still impresses.
• The first half’s blend of science and emotion is deftly handled.
• A.R. Rahman’s “Kadhal Anukkal” and “Arima Arima” are rewatchable classics.
• The theme of creator vs. creation is explored with unexpected depth.

Cons

• The second half overstays its welcome with repetitive action and tonal whiplash.
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Sana is underwritten-a damsel in distress for most of the runtime.
• The VFX, though ambitious, have not aged gracefully in key sequences.
• The final villain resolution feels anticlimactic after the build-up.
• Some songs and comedy tracks (Santhanam’s subplot) feel padded.

Enthiran is a glorious, messy monument to ambition. It stumbles, it sprawls, it sometimes confuses noise for depth-but it never, ever plays it safe. Rajinikanth’s Chitti remains one of Indian cinema’s great android creations: a being of both menace and pathos. For fans of Tamil cinema, it’s essential viewing-a reminder of a time when a director and a star dared to dream of a robot that could cry, laugh, and destroy. Watch it for the spectacle, stay for the performances. And if you’re watching in 2026, marvel at how a sixteen-year-old film still feels more inventive than most of today’s superhero factory output. 7/10-flawed but indispensable.