MovieChat Forums > Enthiran (2010) Discussion > Interesting but weird.

Interesting but weird.

posted 13 years ago by doktorf
3 replies | jump to latest

I'm sure that a lot of my confusion with this film is cultural, but I have a few issues.

The general mood of this film turns on a dime. It changes from thriller to slapstick comedy to romantic drama almost every scene. I feel off balance when watching it. perhaps this is just part of the language of Indian cinema, although this is more so than most Indian films I have seen.

No one seems too concerned about the morality of Sana cheating on her test. Isn't she studying to be a doctor? You would think that audiences would want to be reassured that they pass their tests honestly.

The girl saved from the fire at the cost of public nudity kills herself? That probably *is* cultural. An American or European woman would surely be embarrassed, but not mortified to that degree, particularly under the circumstances.

[–] Moongate2000 13 years ago

I'm not from india, but those "mood changes" you describe are in fact something that happens a lot with indian movies. This type of cinema is much less genre focused than typical western cinema, which is one reason for the length of many bollywood movies (the second reason obviously are the songs). One scene can be pure comedy, the next one pure drama... you laugh, you cry ;).

The cheating... sometimes time management is a bitch and in Sana's case: first she had love troubles, then Chitti probably become more interesting... I can understand, that she didn't manage to get things straight.

The nudity thing... it seems to be a cultural thing, though I'm not sure if the reaction really would be that extreme in such a situation.

[–] vijaywins85 13 years ago

I am from India. And. I have watched enough of Indian as well as Non-Indian movies to understand what you mean.

Mood changes in Endhiran are not entirely cultural. A mishmash of all genres used to be considered the norm in the Indian films of the 90's because it was considered 'money's worth' for the average working-class movie goer.
Though the audience has moved on since, a lot of the producers haven't. They assume that the audience wants 6 songs as setpieces, a love interest for the hero and periodic action. It is another case of underestimating the audience. Even if there are mood changes, they should be well done. The genre whiplash of 'one minute you laugh, another you cry' is the staple of a typical bad Indian movie.

The girl committing suicide due to public nudity after being rescued from death is not cultural. Its plain stupid. Its just bad writing. The writer could not think of a better situation to show that a Robot does not understand human feelings. A lot of Indian movie watchers themselves were baffled by the motive of that character.

Your confusion with this film is justified. But, you should know it is not entirely cultural. A bad or good movie is bad or good everywhere.
If you want to check out a good Indian film, check out Lagaan or any movie from the work of the director Mani Rathnam.

[–] ven_042000 13 years ago

At last, i can figure out the matured person on this forum. Very well said, buddy! your words are equally worth to many diamonds. Well done.