James Bond 'snubbed'
She purrs and calls him her "toyfriend"; he sings that her beauty has set him burning to temperatures that even the "Atlantic Ocean cannot cool".
Smart lines, diabolical characters, high-voltage action and impressive special effects make this a promising Indian popcorn movie.Rajinikanth's fans have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters
Then there are the lush song sequences in exotic locations like Machu Picchu.
The film's spin machine claims that the Peruvian authorities had "refused the shooting of a James Bond film, but allowed our Rajinikanth to dance".
The critics may be cringing, and at nearly 180 minutes, Enthiran is rather long, but the film has stormed the box office since opening last weekend.
The movie is also the product of an industry which is fast becoming globalised, despite its unique brand of cinema.
The special effects are cooked up by a Hollywood FX shop that has worked on films like Jurassic Park and Terminator.
The action scenes were staged by a Hong Kong choreographer who has worked with Jackie Chan and on the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The music is scored by the Oscar-winning AR Rahman - the songs are a fusion of lilting Tamil numbers set to Malaysian rap and hip hop, and bouncy electro-pop.
As so often, Rajinikanth steals the show.
"The two worthwhile creations of God are you and me," he tells the film's heroine.
At least half that statement would be heartily agreed with by members of the more than 6,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs that have spawned across India.
He is especially popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where film stars are venerated like gods.
In a recent article, slate.com rated Rajinikanth as the second-highest-paid actor in Asia, after Jackie Chan.
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