Shankar’s enthusiasm

Will recession curb Shankar’s enthusiasm?

He is arguably the biggest showman in the Kollywood business. Be it in Sivaji, Mudhalvan or Anniyan, Shankar’s trademark extravagance has been a highlight. In fact, such opulence and grandeur on screen has come to become the director’s trademark.

And such excesses aren’t traditionally intended to be ignored for a film in which he directs Asia’s costliest hero, the Superstar. But have budget problems affected the shooting for Endhiran?
After shifting hands from Ayngaran to Sun Network, it is believed that the entire film was rebudgeted, and plans to downsize in terms of the shooting locales were formulated. In fact, a huge portion of the film has been shot in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including deep forests. But now, news has been trickling that Shankar had originally planned a song in his own flamboyant style for the film, with a budget of a whopping Rs 30 crores. In fact, that is how much it takes to make a big budget film today! Yet, the director wanted to do it as he had casted in his film, two of the most bankable names, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajinikanth. Their salaries together are said to have cost over Rs 30 crores in itself. Yet, word has it that the director is rethinking on shooting this song in such an elaborate manner. So far, three songs of the film have been canned, one each in Goa, Peru and Chennai. When, where and how this song will be shot is the costly question on every lip.