Robot to speak English, in 3D

Tamil channel Sun TV, whose Kalanithi Maran invested crores in Shankar's Rajnikanth-starrer Endhiran (Robot), is still to come to terms with the enormity of the film's unexpected success in the country's Hindi-speaking belt.u00a0

Now, the sci-fi flick will be released in a 3D English version for the international market. Says Sun TV CEO Hansraj Saxena, "We have been under pressure to complete and release Robot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. But now, considering how well it has been received in the North, we are looking at an English version for the international market."

Seven minutes of footage is already in 3D, and will be added to the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions later. The film, which also features Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan will be released in Japan in a dubbed version too. "But first, we'd like to take Robot to film festivals," says Saxena.

Asia's most expensive film ever had a budget of Rs 160 crore. After a thumping success, Sun TV has now decided to make more all-India projects. "We had 23 channels in the south to promote Endhiran. But we didn't expect this good a response from the north. We are now looking at Tamil to Hindi, and Hindi to Tamil projects," Saxena adds.