Director Shankar’s dream of making it to Hollywood might well come true, thanks to the efforts of Sun Pictures, who has taken over the production rights of the director’s mega Project Endhiran: The Robot. The production house is on the verge of a tie-up with HBO which will see Enthiran being released in the West simultaneously.

Sun Pictures has been striding in where others fear to tread. It is releasing small-budget films that would have otherwise floundered in today’s market, and turning them into box-office hits with aggressive marketing and shrewd campaign. The success of Kaadhalil Vilzunden, Thenavettu and last week’s release Dindugal Sarathi might not have been possible without Sun Pictures’ effort.

The timing of Sun Pictures’ entry is more significant. It has entered the field with vigor, when many corporate filmmakers are struggling to stay in the field in this grim economic scenario.

When Ayangaran and Eros started to back off from Shankar’s mega-budget Enthiran, Sun Pictures came to the rescue, taking over the film and getting Shankar and Rajini to announce it on TV. Enthiran’s budget has now crossed Rs. 150 crores, according to the sources.

Sun Picturs has plans to market Enthiran abroad with English subtitles. It will be released in Hollywood simultaneously, making it the biggest opening for the Tamil film industry. It might just be a wise move given the popularity of Shankar, rajinikanth, and of cource, Aishwarya Rai in US. It may be recalled that Rajini - Shankar’s Shivaji had raked in good money overseas.