Sun Pictures, the film production arm of Sun TV NeÂtÂwork, is eyeing August 2010 as the possible window for releasing EnÂdhiÂran, featuring RajniÂkanth and Aishwarya Rai.
Directed by ShÂanÂkar, Endhiran in Tamil is the most costly Indian film ever made.
Originally launÂchÂed by Ayngaran International, an arm of Eros International, at an estimated budget of Rs 100 crore, Sun Pictures subsequÂently took ovÂer EnÂdhiran as its maiden production venture and is now planning to simultaneously release it in three languages – Hindi and Telugu, besides Tamil.
Current market estimaÂtes, largely unÂconfirmed, peg the cost of the film at anywhere around Rs 150 crore when finally completed. “The film’s crew is now busy gearing up to shoot the songs for the Hindi version,†a senior official with Sun TV Network said.
However, KalaÂnithi MaÂrÂan, CMD, Sun TV NetÂwork, declined to answer queries on the film.
In Hindi and Telugu, the film is likely to be titled as Robot, the original title plÂanned for the Tamil version too. However, it had to undergo a name change to make itself eligible for the entertainment tax waiver perÂmitted by the TaÂmil NaÂdu government for feature films with Tamil title.
Shankar, who shot to fame in the early 90s with the Tamil film, Gentleman, has mostly only hits to his credit barring Boys in Tamil and Nayak in Hindi. His hits include Mudhalvan, Indian, Anniyan and Sivaji, which was incidentally Rajnikanth’s last hit. Sun Pictures, which forayed into Tamil film production less than two years ago, earlier preferred to buy out films and distributed them, backed by high-profile marketing campaigns.