Robot - Movie Stills

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Rajini- Ash, the hot attractions of Goa

Superstar Rajinikanth is the new attraction of Goa, the heaven on earth for the tourists around the world.

Most of the visitors want to have a glimpse of the Indian matinee idol who is now camping in Miramar Road, Panaji along with the ravishing beauty of the country Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In this 12 days long schedule, Director Shankar is planning to complete a duet of Rajini - Aish and some fierce stunt sequences of the Superstar.

Though director Shankar has arranged for a tight security cover for the entire unit, he cannot control the hard core fans of Rajinikanth who always want to have a Darshan of their silver screen god. According to a tourist who got a chance to visit the site, every moment in the shooting spot looks like a carnival of rejoice.

It is simply miraculous. Rajini's looks in the sets are very young and terrific.

Hope the pictures recently taken in the sets of Enthiran Goa shoot published here will prove the words of the visitor.

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Aishwarya Rai hurries her Robot shoot to join Abhishek for Drona premiere!

Aishwarya Rai is currently wrapping her Robot film shoot in hurry to arrive back in India, just to be with her hubby, Abhishek Bachchan on October 1st for his film, Drona’s premiere in Mumbai.

Confirming us the news, Aish’s secretary Hari Singh said, “Aishwarya was in Peru till last week for a song shoot of Shankar’s Endhiran (formerly called Robot) starring South super star Rajnikant. Now presently she is shooting for the film in the rain forests of Brazil. She wants to be with Abhishek’s side on his big day on October 1st. She is as excited as him to check him out in his first super hero avatar”.

One can remember, Abhishek making a late entry for Aishwarya’s Jodhaa Akbar premiere held on February 14th at the Imax Multiplex in Wadala, Mumbai. Abhishek was shooting in Jaipur that time for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Dilli 6. He was to reach on time but a flight delay made him arrive at the venue at around 11:30 pm just when the film was about to finish.

But Aish won’t be late and will attend the premiere along with Abhi. As Hari Singh has added, “Aishwarya will be reaching Mumbai a night before the premiere”.

A source further added, “Before the grand premiere, a special show will be kept just for the Bachchans. Amitabh and Jaya early next week at a Mumbai preview theatre by director Goldie Behl. Goldie is like family to the Bachchans and he wants to show them the film first before anyone else. Abhishek is a bundle of nerves and would most probably avoid being present at this special show”.

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Exclusive: Ash shooting for a song with Rajnikanth for 'Robot'!

The moment one mentions of the word Robot, the first thing that comes to mind is that of gadgets and gizmos. But the south India based ace director Shankar has vowed to change it all, for he is making a movie with the same name and stars none other than…hold your breath... Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai! OK...you can breathe now. For those who wake up to Bollywood know about the controversy dodging this film. But for the innocent and ignorant ones, here it goes. The film was initially to star SRK nonetheless. But due to 'creative differences' (read 'unmentionable differences'), he opted out of the film. Not just that, SRK reportedly also registered all the names that sounds even remotely like 'Robots'. The news is that now Shankar has renamed the film as Enthiram. Exit SRK and in comes Shivaji Rao Gaekwad better known as Rajnikanth, the man with a tagline of 'There's nothing that Rajni-CANT!'

Shankar, on his part is leaving no stone unturned as far as the shooting of the film is concerned. Recently, he shot for a song with the awesome twosome of Rajni-Ash at the UNESCO declared world famous heritage site Machu Pichhu. With this, Shankar takes the man responsible for shooting the first Indian film here! Whoever said that ostriches are not desirable will surely eat their words out, after they have a look at Ash (who looks simply awesome with those ostrich feathers) in the adjoining picture! Not just that, news also has it that Shankar will be shooting for his film in the most desirable (read 'dream') locations like Peru, South America etc...

One wonders will SRK's loss be Rajni's gain? Well, is that a question to be asked!

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Aishwarya Rai hikes her price to a throbbing six crores!

Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai has hiked her price to a throbbing six crores per movie. The ace actress has pocketed home a bomb of money for her Tamil movie �Enthiram� opposite Tamil superstar Rajinikanth.

According to reports, the Bachchan bahurani was granted such a huge amount by the producers, after she agreed to work in the flick in spite of being heavily tied up in lieu of the fact that as she had in the past (due to indispensable reasons) turned down two projects with Rajini and was very guilty of it.

Thus, the breathtaking beauty impressed the producers with her commitment and forced them to meet her market demands. With this monetary hike, Rai will be in the league of Bollywood�s highest paid actresses which also includes- Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.

Wonder, what hubby Abhishek has to say about the newest development in his ladylove�s life? As for now, let us leave him alone to count the money!

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Busy Bahu!

Ash chooses film with Abhi, delays two Holly projects

Apparently, Aishwarya Rai has been offered two Hollywood films, which she has verbally committed to doing. One is Roland Joffe’s Singularity opposite Brendan Fraser and the second is Chaos, which also stars Meryl Streep. Multiple sources reveal that Ash has agreed to be a part of both these films.

The glitch is that Ash has given bulk dates to Mani Ratnam’s film (with hubby Abhishek), which starts this year-end. Which has left her Hollywood producers wondering if they should wait for her dates or look for another actress.

A source reveals, “Ash is not taking on too many projects. At the moment, she is committed to doing Shankar’s Robot and Ratnam’s untitled film. She has also allotted two months to the The Unforgettables tour in July. So there is a time crunch.”

One worry that dogs her Hollywood agent is whether Ash wants to work less after her marriage. The buzz about her cutting down on work and spending more time with family is making the makers in the West wary. “The Ben Kingsley film with Bipasha hasn’t yet taken off and will take time. Meanwhile, the producers of Singularity and Chaos are waiting for her to revert.”

It is learnt that Singularity has been delayed because the actress asked for the final draft of the script, “Ash wants to be hands-on with her Holly films. She wasn’t too happy with the final outcome of Last Legion, and now wants to make sure every project turns out to be exactly the way it is related to her.”

The delay with Robot happened because of the untimely death of the film’s writer Sujatha. “Ash is struggling to divide her dates evenly between Robot and the untitled film with Mani Ratnam. This is causing her delays to commit to the Hollywood films,” concludes the source.

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Security delays Robot

Even though there’s buzz doing the rounds that Aishwarya Rai backed out of Shankar’s Robot, sources close to the actress deny any such development. It is learnt that the film starring South superstar Rajnikanth is getting delayed due to security reasons.

Says an onlooker, “The major hurdle in rolling the project, which will be shot at different locales in India and overseas, is that the areas have to be scanned from the security point of view. Both Rajnikanth and Ash come under a high protection security network.

The makers are taking extreme precautions to ensure there are no security loopholes.

The onlooker adds, “Both Ash and Rajnikanth are not only superstars but also need heavy security. The producers will have to keep in mind, the regulations at the various public places the film is being shot at.”
It is also learnt that after her wedding to Abhishek Bachchan last year, Ash’s security was reviewed and has been overhauled. All her shoot locales are thoroughly scanned. Looks like Robot certainly has a long list of woes to its credit! If not the delays, it’s the security issues!

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Ash speaks out

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been turning down movies for more than just the time factor. For the first time, Aishwarya reveals why she said no to Karan Johar’s romantic comedy Dostana which features her husband Abhishek and John Abraham and why she agreed to a film with Rajnikanth.

First things first. Did you turn down Karan Johar’s Dostana?
Yes. I opted out of Dostana because the inter-personal relationships among the three of us made me uncomfortable. Now that Abhishek and I are married the kind of quirky situations shown in Dostana, albeit in a comic vein, wouldn’t have worked.

But Dhoom and Jodhaa-Akbar worked although you were paired with Hrithik and not Abhishek?
But Dhoom happened before the marriage and there was no triangle in Jodhaa-Akbar. Now the audience can’t see me sharing my affections for Abhishek with another guy. I can’t tell you why it wouldn’t have worked for me and Abhishek as a pair without giving away the plot. Karan Johar wasn’t bothered with all these personal considerations. But I felt otherwise. I thought the audience would wonder, ‘She likes John and Abhishek equally? No way!’

Now you’ll be romancing Rajnikanth in Shankar’s Robot?
It’s a total Rajni/Shankar styled entertainer. There’s no logic to why I agreed to do it beyond the urge to work with Rajnikanth. Shankar and Rajni Sir have approached me for so many films, it’s embarrassing. Ever since Jeans (Shankar directed the film), Shankar’s approached me for all his films except Boys. Rajni Sir approached me for his last five films. My refusal to do his films was never misconstrued by him. I admire him for never taking offence to my refusal. It speaks volumes about his seniority.

Is that why you said yes to Robot?
For Robot, it was an immediate Yes from me. I just wanted to work with Rajni Sir and Shankar. Jeans was a super-success. I came away learning so much from Shankar and the film. Robot will also be a learning experience.

Is it a sci-fi film?
It’s hard to define. But technically, it will take cinema to another level. I can only say I’ll come away enriched. It’s very important for me to come away with something from my films since I give so much. I want to work with Rajni Sir, yaar. He’s phenomenal. Everyone speaks of this experience.

You have a seasoned phenomenon in your own house.
Yeah, but I share a different equation with the one in my house.

Author: Subash K. Jha

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Rajni, Ash clash

Aishwarya Rai may be excited about Shankar’s magnum opus, Robot but sources reveal the actress is having a hard time matching her dates with co-star Rajnikanth. Before Ash confirmed her name for the project, there was buzz that she wasn’t interested in the film. However the reason behind Ash’s reluctance stemmed from the fact that she would have to commit bulk dates for the project.

A source close to the project reveals, “Shankar wanted two months of back-to-back dates from Ash. But she wasn’t in a position to commit for the required dates. However Shankar needed those particular dates, as they matched with Rajni’s. He’s been having a tough time trying to coordinate their dates for the film.”

Since the film is being made on a lavish budget, Shankar doesn’t want to take any risk and incur losses. Another reason that’s worrying Shankar is that Robot’s plot has leaked and he wants to make sure he goes on the floors before anyone else picks up the idea.

The director has decided to go ahead and start the shoot with Ash and Rajnikanth separately. “He is shooting their solo scenes first and then will coordinate the joint scenes as and when their dates match.” The casting took time since Shah Rukh and Deepika backed out and had to be replaced with Rajnikanth and Ash. Now Shankar wants to make sure that the project doesn’t get delayed due to any date issues.

Tushar Joshi, Mid-Day

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Ash takes a whopping pay packet of approx Rs 4 crores for Robot

Now it can be told. The star-price war has escalated to an all-time high. With Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan carrying home a pay packet of Rs 4 crores for her proposed stint as Rajnikanth's leading lady in Shankar's Robot, the lady has now become the highest-paid actress of Indian cinema.

A source very close to Aishwarya says, "The media has got it all wrong. Ash has actually received twice the amount quoted in papers and on websites as her fee for Robot. Yes, it's close to Rs 4 crores. And she's very amused when she reads about this and that actress being the highest-paid actress in Bollywood. With three hits in a row (Guru, Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar) Ash's equity as a Rai and a Bachchan have gone through the roof. If she wants she can preen about her successes. But that's not her style. However, she takes strong exception to Bipasha Basu's quotes that she (Ash) had to 'hang around' to get into the international circuit. Ash has been regularly offered international projects, from Provoked to Mistress Of Spices to Bride & Prejudice to Last Legion to Pink Panther. In fact, all the other international assignments that have gone to other Bollywood actresses-including the honour of hosting the 7Wonders Of The World event in Lisbon with Ben Kingsley-have gone to Ash first. It's just that she feels awkward talking about herself."

As for her astronomical fee for Robot another source close to the project says, "It is no surprise that Aishwarya is getting 4 crores. It's still chicken-feed compared with what Rajnikanth gets paid. He takes home Rs 15 crores plus fifty percent of his film's profits. But still he cannot make a film commercially viable outside the Tamilian belt on his own. The dubbed Hindi version of Chandramukhi came and went. And Rajni's biggest hit Shivaji is in no hurry to be released in Hindi. With Ash in Robot it looks like an attractive non-regional film."

Subhash K. Jha, Bollywood Hungama

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"It is my pleasure to act with the superstar Rajnikanth." - Aishwarya

Aishwarya Rai has hit on the rumours which suggested that she has pulled out of Shankar's Robot due to her pregnancy. The Bollywood beauty has not only confirmed her plans to to play lead role opposite superstar Rajinikanth but also rubbished the baby rumours.

In an interview to a private television channel, the Bollywood beauty confirmed that she is being paied with Rajini and very much there in the project.

"I don't know why you people are so eager to spread such dubious gossip. The script too is very good so I'm going to act in the role of Rajini's leading lady in Robot. It is my pleasure to act with the superstar," she told.

"After hearing the gossip about my pregnancy, I got numerous phone calls from almost all over the world. Abhishek and I have planned to look at children after 3 years. Till that I'm going to push forward my career," she added.

According to some reports, Ash has been offered a hefty Rs 6 crore to act in the film. Robot will be made in three languages at an estimated cost of Rs. 125 crore.

Santabanta

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Aishwarya confirms acting in ‘Robot’

There was news making the rounds yesterday that we might not get to see the Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai acting opposite our superstar in the sci-fi flick ‘Robot’. The reason that was sighted that she wanted to have babies before she hits 35.

But Aishwarya herself has quashed all rumors and confirmed that she will be acting as Rajini’s heroine in Shankar-directed ‘Robot’. She has confirmed this in her latest interview to a private news channel.

Talks are going on that Aish will star in on more Manirathnam film soon. This film will be a bilingual in Hindi and tamil. The best part is that Aish will get to act opposite her Husband Abhishek Bachchan in this film too. The earlier film we saw the coming together of this real-life pair was in Manirathnam film ‘Guru’.

This whooping 125-crore big-budget film will soon start rolling, and we have reports that Aish has already received a whooping sum as advance for her role in this film. Aish has said that she has liked the script of ‘Robot’ in which she gets to essay a very different and novel role.

Now folks this confirmation from the lady herself has quashed all rumors suggesting that the Rajini-Aishwarya pair is jinxed!

IndiaGlitz

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Aish wants babies, not 'Robot' ?

The dream project of director Shankar featuring Rajinikanth has met with a stumbling block its heroine Aishwarya Rai said to be keen in having a baby before she turns 35 (on November 1, 2008). It is strongly rumoured that the Bachchan bahu, who was offered a whooping amount of Rs. 6 crore to act in 'Robot', has conveyed the 'Robot' team about her “inability” to act in the film.

The news, if confirmed would be a major setback for the team, which was gearing up for the shooting to be commenced by June this year. Shankar and co are now in a fix as they face the tough task of finding a replacement to the most sought after girl in Indian film industry.

It is not the first time the pairing of Rajini and Ash is jinxed. She has been in the reckoning for Rajini’s movie since the time of 'Padayappa'. It may be recalled that Simran too withdrew from 'Chandramukhi' stating the same reason, i.e., to have a child.

As things stand now, 'Robot' unit is in the hunt for a new actress, who could fit the role.

IndiaGlitz

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Aish: The costliest heroine!

The latest buzz over Shankar-Rajini’s next film ‘Robot’ is that the former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who acts as the leading lady to superstar will be paid a whooping 6 crore rupees. The most sought after actress of India touches the highest mark in terms of salary received by any actress in Indian history.

‘Robot’ is in fact creating a history of sorts. It is the costliest film ever made in the subcontinent. The budget of ‘Robot’, which is made simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi, is said to hit 130 crores.

Aish hasn’t received so much salary for a movie even in her Hollywood commitments. The beautiful actress, who has virtually ruled the show world for more than 10 years, is currently getting 2 crores for a Hindi movie and 4 crores for a Hollywood film.

‘Robot’ is expected get rolling floors in April ‘08. The Tamil title is expected to be announced before the commencement of the shooting.

Shankar sure seems to get what he wants though he has to pay the price.

Indiaglitz

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Ash replaces Deepika in Robot

If my sources are to be believed, this could well be the casting coup of the decade. It seems Deepika Padukone has been replaced in Shankar's magnum opus, Robot. And the coveted role is all set to go to Aishwarya. It happened like this. Shankar, I am told, did consider Ash for the part, but since Shah Rukh Khan was in the picture, Aishwarya was indecisive.

News about Deepika Padukone being seriously considered for the same have been doing the rounds for some time. But it seems that after Shah Rukh opted out of the project, Deepika's name dropped out too.

So Rajni stepped in. And being a good friend of the Bachchans, he approached Amitabh all over again. And a few meetings later, Ash was finally convinced.

Whew! As for Rajini and Ash fans, if this actually works out, Robot will definitely be the film to watch out for. For Ash, this heralds a homecoming of sorts of the actress post-Iruvar. And now, let's wait and watch for the real story and all the spicy details of this coup to emerge, shall we?

Buzz18

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