Gothic Flamboyance in Shankar’s Robot (Enthiran): Reimagining Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Author : Dr. Basavana Gowda OG
Abstract :
Indian cinema has achieved significant milestones since its inception, with Hindi (Bollywood) and Tamil (Kollywood) films leading the industry in both production and global reach. Cinema has profoundly influenced audiences socially, politically, and culturally, both in India and abroad. This paper undertakes a comparative study of Mary Shelley’s eighteenth-century Gothic novel Frankenstein (1818) and Shankar’s twenty-first-century Tamil science fiction film Robot (2010), exploring the thematic continuities and divergences between the two works. Specifically, it examines the conflict between creators and their creations—humans and humanoids—and the ethical, technological, and emotional challenges that arise from the pursuit of knowledge and artificial life. The study also investigates how contemporary popular cinema appropriates Gothic motifs to engage mass audiences, while reflecting on the consequences of scientific and technological advancement. Through this comparative analysis, the paper highlights the enduring relevance of Gothic themes in Indian popular cinema, revealing how extraordinary inventions disrupt human lives, provoke ethical dilemmas, and question the boundaries between humanity and artificiality. Ultimately, the study underscores the ways in which Robot mirrors and reinterprets Shelley’s cautionary narrative about the limits of human ambition, creativity, and responsibility in the modern technological age.
Keywords :
Gothic cinema, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Robot (Enthiran), Shankar, Kollywood, science fiction, creator and creation, man–machine conflict, technology and ethics.
