A crowd had already gathered at PVR multiplex in Chennai’s Velachery. A serpentine queue that started outside the movie screen covered the entire third floor and ran all the way along the escalator to the floor above. All to catch the teaser of a movie! Makes one wonder about the hoopla around the decreasing footfalls in cinemas because of Netflix and what not.
Turning up at 8.30 for a 9 am show has its advantage. One sights theatre staff carrying snacks and beverages inside; and eager fans take videos of the length of the queue to brag about the reception for the 2.0 teaser, featuring their Superstar.
Meanwhile, one feels sorry for those who are at the multiplex to watch other movies. Mercifully, the staff quickly sends them through a separate line.
The authorities began frisking the crowd by 8.45 am and have them seated in the theatre by 9. The already-impatient audience is howling and shouting for the screening to begin.
The show finally begins by 9.10 and the Superstar’s name on the big screen is met with a deafening cheer from the crowd. The energy lasts through the entire minute-and-a-half-long teaser, making it virtually impossible to hear the dialogues.
Thanks to the second round of screening, when there is a small dip in the audience’s energy, the dialogues are comprehensible. But, how underwhelming is the teaser! A creature flying through the city smashing buildings is heavily reminiscent of a scene from the first Avengers movie where an alien creature does the same things.
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Probably as an ode to the first Endhiran movie, this one too has a scene where Chitti is shown firing at enemies in 360 degrees. It also offers a glimpse of Amy Jackson and Akshay Kumar’s characters. The 3D aspect doesn’t add much to the visuals either. Still, the teaser seems to have struck a chord with the viewers who seem unfazed by any possible negatives.
It takes a while for the claps to die down even after the teaser comes to a close. It’s almost as if the extended wait for the movie has teased the viewer enough, and, for them, this is the movie itself, the real deal.
With a budget estimated to be north of Rs 500 crore, 2.0, the sequel to the 2010 movie Endhiran has been in the news since its announcement. From the attempt to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger to the leaked footage from a BBC documentary, the movie has constantly been in the news.
The coming together of Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth has had viewers at the edge of their seats. The makers were initially looking at a Deepavali 2017 release, but the movie has seen a slew of postponements, apparently due to the extensive use of visual effects.