ABOUT THE ONLY DASAVATHARAM

Walt Disney buys Dasavatharam .

Dasavatharam hasn’t yet released, and it already seems to have hit the jackpot. For perhaps the first time in Tamil movie history, a famous Hollywood studio has purchased the distribution rights for Canada from Aascar films. The studio? None other than Walt Disney. Disney will release the movie in several major multiplexes with as many as 18 prints. Normal for an Indian movie releasing in India, but for an Indian movie in North America this is huge. At last the ardent Tamil movie fans in Canada can see a Tamil movie in digital projection with state of the art surround sound and in a movie complex which will be showing, alongside Dasavatharam, blockbuster Hollywood hits. Have Tamil movies arrived, or not?

Dasavatharam will be the first South Indian movie to be released in US with more than 40 prints. Tamil version alone will be released in 30 different cities. Bay Area, New Jersey will have 3 locations each, which is the first of its kind for a south Indian movie. Online ticket sales are brisk with few thousand tickets sold in the first two days. While super hit movies like Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Santosh Subramaniam had a crowd of only around 200 to 400 in Chicago, Dasavatharam attracted 200 online tickets within hours of opening.

Dosavatharam, 10 different types of Dosas were served to all 250 Kamal fans who participated in the event in Chicago. Jai , Head Chef of Dakshin Schaumburg, an ardent Kamal fan received the first ticket and was very proud to receive the first paper ticket worldwide of a movie that is expected to make history in Indian cinema. The ticket was issued on behalf of Narmadha media, US distributor for DASAVATHARAM. Next fews weeks are going to be only about DASAVATHARAM in the Indian entertainment world indeed!

Dasavatharam - Theatre Updates.

The much awaited film of Kamal Haasan, Dasavatharam will hit the screens in a few days from now and Kamal fans all over the globe are elated beyond words. In Chennai alone seventy shows per day are scheduled across different theatres. They are Sathyam, Santham, Devi in Mount Road and Abirami, Swarna Abirami, Sangam and Padmam in Kilpauk area. Inox, till date has announced four shows but is likely to increase. In addition to these, Albert, Woodlands, Udayam, mini Udayam, Suriyan, Maharani, and Rohini will have regular shows of Dasavatharam. In the Kodambakkam belt, Kamala and AVM theatres will screen the film. In South Chennai, the open air theatre Prarthana will have two shows. The suburban Mayajaal complex has announced fifty shows per day in all of their screens which means that their ten screens will have only Dasavatharam in all the shows. This excludes the seventy shows in the city which means that there would be 120 shows of Dasavatharam alone in a day in Chennai and suburbs. This is considered a unique feat which is first of its kind in Tamil cinema.

An interesting trivia about the film- It is a general practice of Aascar Ravichandran to make a trip to the holy Thirumala Hills with the film roll just before its release. But this time, he has changed the venue to Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple.

The comedian in Dasavatharam

With the release date drawing closer, Dasavatharam fodder is sneaking into the media more frequently than ever. Latest in the scoop is that Kamal’s comedian act as Poovaraghan, one of the ten characters, will be the highlight of the movie. Sources, who are blessed with the sneak peek of the movie, swear that Poovaraghan Kamal is sure to make fans laugh their lungs out.

Besides, in a never before sequence in Indian cinema, the car chasing featured in the movie will have Five Kamals inside a single car.

Last heard, the Kamal multi-starrer will hit the screens on Friday the June 13th.

Kamal’s lofty ambitions .

The audio release function of Kodaikanal, a film directed by Bose was held recently in Chennai. Padmashri Kamal Hassan graced the event and spoke on the occasion. He was touched by the recent comment of director Bharathi Raja who is reported to have been amazed by Kamal. While offering his thanks to the veteran, Kamal said, “We have a mutual admiration of each other’s work. Our association began during 16 vayadhinile where we trusted each other’s intelligence and continued our work.”

While discussing about the response that he has been receiving for Dasavatharam Kamal stated, “I am deeply moved by the accolades that have been showered upon me. People say that the film is fit enough to receive Oscars but I am waiting for the day when our awards would reach a level where foreigners would be working hard to get them.”

The event was attended by Bharathi Raja, Rama Narayanan, music director Deva, DGP Vaikunth and producer Rajendran. The event was compered by actress Nithya.

Dasavatharam Chennai Reservation status .

Finally we have a confirmed date for the movie’s release: June 13th. There will be nearly 120 shows in Chennai alone. Mayajaal in Chennai will put on as many as 45 shows. Box office reservation begins from the 8th – something new in ticket reservation that usually opens for advance booking three days before release.

The first week is likely to be block booked by Kamal’s fans. The second week by those who admire the actor greatly. The third week by those curious to see what the fuss is all about. Box office pundits say that by Dasavatharam’s 25th day of running, it would have made back its money and shown profits.

In Coimbatore six theatres will show the movie. Pyramid Saimira has bought the rights for 2 crores and twenty lakhs for the city district, while Tiripur Subramaniam has the rights for mofusul areas.

At the Chennai Inox, special shows of Dasavatharam have been planned by corporate houses such as HCL and Citibank. They had done the same when Sivaji; The Boss was released.

Aascar hands over a print to Kamal

Dasavatharam, even before its release seems to be the toast of the town these days. Some kind of news about this Magnum Opus of Kamal is keeping the print and visual media busy. This film is going to be the omnipotent and omnipresent element from the 13th as the city is going to be bathed in it with 100 plus shows. As the count down begins,

Kamal’s fans are waiting with bated breadth for the release of their icon’s film which can certainly be billed as the most anticipated film of the year.

Meanwhile Kamal has reportedly met the current and former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu to request them to view the film. To facilitate his mission, Producer Aascar Ravichandran has given him one print of the film to be screened for his guests. Readers can recall that Kalignar has been showing keen interest in this film ever since its launch and would be watching the film at a convenient date.

“I am being ignored by Dasavatharam director”

Napoleon, the tall and handsome Kollywood actor is a multifaceted personality. Apart from proving his skills as a seasoned artist in Tamil films, he is also a devout worker for DMK and is also the founder director of Jeevan Technologies, a software firm in the city. He added one more feather to his cap by starting an educational centre called Jeevan

IT academy which would impart IT training and would conduct personality grooming sessions for candidates.

Napoleon had donned an important role in Kamal’s Dasavatharam and Chief Minister Karunanidhi is reported to have showered appreciation on his performance. All the same he was conspicuous by his absence on the day when the movie was screened to chief minister and a select group of people.

When the reason was quizzed, the actor seemed to be visibly upset over the producer and had this to say, “I had helped the film in many ways. Till date, no shooting had taken place in Arivalayam and it was I who had gotten the unit the permission to shoot there. But my name was never mentioned in the audio release function.” He further added that despite airing his grouse with the PRO and producer, director Ravi Kumar is yet to speak to him. Although he was invited for the special screening, he did not go as he is still upset. He feels that he is being ignored by K S Ravikumar.

Kamal’s Dasavatharam is slated for release on June 6th, so is the Amithabh family starrer Sarkar Raj. Well, we have reason to call it the Big B family movie. The movie has Amitabh Bachan, Abhishekh Bachan, and Aishwarya Rai in the cast – that is more than half of the family. There is more than just that that meets the eye in the two releases. Here is how.
The Amitabh – Abishekh – Priety starrer Jhoom Barabara Jhoom was released on June 15th last year, the same day as Sivaji was released all over. Despite discontented murmurs from the multiplex owners, Yash Raj films decided to release the film on the same day. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although Sarkar Raj has a mega star cast and a smash hit first part (Sarkar) to its credit, only time will decide if it can stand the test of (Dasavatharam) time.

Dasavatharam rates slashed.

Dasavatharam, the magnum opus of Kamal Haasan is all set to hit the theatres on the 6th of June. The film is getting released simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. Producer Aascar (formerly Oscar) Ravichandran is in a buoyant spirit. At the initial stage one thousand prints are getting released and as a means to draw more crowds and generate good business at the C centres, a hefty amount has been reduced there. This strategy has been viewed as a positive trend by the trade pundits.

While discussing about the film Ravichandran states, “The duration of the film is for three hours and the film has been shot in eight overseas locations which includes America, Japan, Malaysia and United Kingdom. In India the film was shot in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Hyderabad and many other places”. He further adds that Dasavatharam has spine-tingling action sequences which include airplane chasing and also a car chasing which is sure to bring joy to all action buffs. The shooting was completed in 280 days while Kamal had worked for thirty months for this film. As a lavish producer, he has spent 6 crores for advertisement alone for Dasavatharam.

On 30th May, a special screening has been scheduled for honorable Chief Minister Karunanidhi who is said to have expressed his desire to view this film. On Kamal’s ten avatars, Ravichandran says that around twenty days have been utilized to shoot the portion of every single avatar of Kamal. Ravi seems to have been awestruck by Kamal’s dedication and says that his intelligence is equal to that of one hundred IAS officers. On a signing note, he says that a 1962 verdict of Supreme Court indicated that if a film has been certified by censor board and in the event of problems arising during its release, Government should provide adequate protection during its screening. Hence he does not fear any untoward incident during the release of Dasavatharam.

Dasavatharam's judgment day

The case against Dasavatharam reached the final stage yesterday (27th May, 2008). After hearing the arguments of both the petitioner and the respondents Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and K. Venkatraman posted the case for judgment on 29th May. The petitioner's allegation that Dasavatharam hurts the sentiments of Vaishnavites was refuted by the Censor Board, the producer and the director, as it was based on imagination. It may be recalled that Govind Ramanujadasar, President of the International Sri Vaishanava Dharam Samrakshana filed a petition in the High Court alleging that scenes showing Kamal stamping on the Om Mantra and Bagavad Gita should be deleted. He also alleged that the Central Censor Board must withdraw the certificate given to the film. However, the Censor Board, which happens to be one of the respondents, contended that it is not necessary to withdraw the certificate, as there were no such scenes in the film. Meanwhile Santha Chidambaram of Kalyana Suba Samiti also filed a petition in the High Court alleging that Dasavatharam has twisted the historical events. On hearing all the parties to the suit, the

Dasavatharam faces trouble from Oscar.

Dasavatharam has been attaining dizzying heights with news about it reaching far and wide. But this overt publicity seems to have dampened the spirits of producer Ravichandran in the form of a notice from Oscar Academy. According to the latest buzz in Kollywood, the Oscar Academy has served notice to Ravichandran seeking explanation for the use of their name and emblem. Sensing trouble, the producer immediately changed the name from Oscar to Aascar. Incidentally, the model for the new emblem happens to be Ravichandran’s nephew. Well, this should solve the trouble, but if the Oscar Academy chooses to sue him for using the name and emblem for a long time then the producer could be in deep trouble. Will this issue have a negative impact on Dasavatharam's release?

Dasavatharam cleared of allegations!

In what could be termed as a breather for the crew of the multi-Kamal-starrer Dasavatharam, the panel of judges that heard the allegations released their judgment this evening favoring the movie. Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and K. Venkatraman observed that there were no reason to raise panic about the movie’s content and no parts in the movie featured anything that would hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

The judgment would bring an end to the numerous Public Litigation Petitions filed against Dasavatharam after rumors surfaced that there are scenes of Kamal stamping on the Om Mantra and Bagavad Gita in the movie. However, the Censor Board that viewed the movie for certification recently did not observe anything controversial either.

Sources close to the producer reveal that a whopping Rs.5 crores has been spent until now in terms of expenses towards trials.

It is learnt that Dasavatharam will hit the screens on June 12th in place of the earlier announced date of June 6th.

After Chandramukhi, Dasavatharam…

Technical marvel in Kollywood is on the assent and the industry is willing to experiment with many new ideas and techniques. Computer Graphics has been widely used by many films these days and there are many companies offering state-of-art services to films. One of the leading CG providing companies is Land Marvel Animation who had proved their caliber in films like Chandramukhi, Mazhai, Sivakasi, Anniyan and the latest one is Dasavatharam. The Tsunami scene in the film is being appreciated by everyone and the credit goes to Land Marvel Animation. Now one more feather is added to their cap when they have got an assignment of being involved in a Hollywood 3D animated film titled X Mass Files. This film is slated for a worldwide release next year.

K.S Ravikumar’s sleepless nights

“He is the master actor, director, poet and visionary”, said director K.S Ravikumar of Kamal Haasan at a media meet in Hyderabad. The director went as far as to say that he just executed the star’s vision in Dasavatharam. He spoke of how the movie was born: “I got a phone call while I was doing an Ajith starrer in Ramoji Film City. Kamal asked me:

Ten Avatars. How do you feel? I immediately said: Wonderful”.

Ravikumar reminisced about how demanding it all was: “I spent many a sleepless night. Throughout the day, I would be shooting. When the night comes, tension would grip me. My mind would be full with the thoughts for the next day shoot. The execution of 10 Avatars is not a joke. It was Kamal Hassan who guided me everyday. Be it, makeup, laughter, smile, anger, stunts, dialogues, screenplay and direction. He perfectly brought to play ten different mindsets and body languages.”

Dasavatharam Collections world wide.

The performance of Dasavatharam is very impressive not only in the domestic market but also in the overseas segment. As per the Malaysian Box office collections report for the period June 12 to 15, the films stands in second position having grossed $601,307, being screened at 58 theatres. At the first position is ‘The Incredible Hulk’.
In the United Kingdom, where generally Bollywood films rule the roost, Dasavatharam stands at 11th position having piped Ram Gopal Verma’s Sarkar Raj to 16th place in the period June13th to June 15th. The film has grossed $ 246,677. Though the film is being screened at a few theatres, it is reported to be doing well in terms of percentage collections.

Rajini to feature in Bengali remake?

Dance master Raghuram in filmdom is known for his swift and graceful dance movements. Now he has revealed his acting talent in Kamal’s Dasavatharam. The man who made many a senior actor dance to his tune has himself danced perfectly to the tune of director Ravikumar. He was featured as Appa Rao, an assistant to Balram Naidu Kamal in Dasavatharam and his performance has been appreciated by everyone.

To a poser on his future projects, Raghuram reveals that he is doing an important role in Aanandha Thandavam for which he will be traveling to the US. He has also decided to concentrate more on acting here after. He further stated that he had directed a Bengali film called Bhagya Devatha in 1995 wherein Rajini had donned the role of a revolutionary poet. Recently super star is said to have expressed his desire to remake the film in Tamil. But looking at his present commitments, it may take another couple of years for the project to take shape.

Kajol to be Kamal’s next heroine?

Is the beard that Kamal is growing for his character in Marma Yogi? It’s quite possible. We’ve already reported that this next blockbuster venture will feature Hema Malini as its villain (and what a luscious villain too) and will be produced in association with Walt Disney.

Now some reliable sources in Koddambakam tell us that Kajol could be Marma Yogi’s heroine! If this is true, then this will be the first time Kajol and Kamal will pair up. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this happens.

Kamal says there is no story in Dasavatharam .

Kamal Haasan on a recent visit to Kerala to promote his Dasavatharam had some interesting and blunt questions to answer. The actor was thrown a volley of questions and most prominent among them was: "Do you agree that Dasavatharam has no story?" Reacting to this, Kamal said that he did agree with that but also reiterated that he never promised that there would be a strong storline. .

Disclosing how Dasavatharam came into making, Kamal Haasan said that it was his idea to don ten roles that set the whole project in motion. The story was weaved on these ten characters, he added.

On the Punjabi Singh character that gets cured of cancer miraculously by a gunshot, Kamal said this idea was inspired from a real-life incident involving the Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.G. Ramachandran. Explaining further, Kamal said that the TN CM acted in films and was able to talk even better after the gunshot wound.

Well, will these explanations keep the critics at bay?

Dasavatharam vs Sivaji - by the end of 2 weeks.

In less than a week of trade analysis that presented a totally different picture – of Dasavatharam's collections struggling to reach the earlier released Sivaji's in the overseas market – this week reports suggest that Dasavatharam has outperformed Sivaji by a whopping $ 7,947,960.

By the end of second the week in the international market (excluding USA), Dasavatharam had made $11,653,212 as opposed to Sivaji that raked in $3,705,252 during the same duration. Kamal's 10-act was placed at 11th position at the worldwide box-office rating. Reports from USA have also been very encouraging, putting the movie as one of the top grossing South Indian movies ever.

Third weekend results are awaited.

Distributors who hold the overseas rights are evidently kicked about the results and are excited about future prospects that look optimistic too.