Tamil Movie Reviews

Dasavatharam (Variations in spelling! Dasavathaaram, Thasavatharam, Thasavathaaram)

Director --     K. S. Ravikumar
Producer -    Venu Ravichandran
Writers -  Kamal Haasan,K. S. Ravikumar, Sujatha, Crazy Mohan
Cast -  Kamal Haasan, Asin, Mallika Sherawat, Jayaprada, Napolean
Music -- Himesh Reshammiya, Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography -  Ravi Varman
Editor -- Ashmith Kunder
Running time     166 mins

This is some movie! One that some critics will call crap whereas others may claim it as an epic of smaller proportions. Believe me or not, this is not the movie where you expect to see jaw dropping action, special effects nor makeups. The movie is a far cry from what I was made to believe from the media hype that preceded the screening. Special effects,sets and make ups, are all above par as far as Kollywood cinema is concerned, but they pale in comparison against Hollywood blockbusters. What Kamal has achieved though is that he has single handedly carried the movie on his shoulders. In the process he has has yet again, for the umpteenth time, proved his abilities to portray different characters and his unmatched and gifted acting reportoire. But is there a need for Kamal to prove the point in a manner that goes beyond the threshold of a movie being made for public and one made for him! It is time that Kamal realises that movies are made for audience and what they want, not what may fullfil hios personal quests. This is a typical ignorance of the common mass by Kamal, and I believe that most geniuses do this!. When some is as gifted as Kamal it is no surprise that all his efforts are directed at achieving excellence not seen before in contemporary Cinema. But Dasavatharam will be known as a movie that made waves and one that borders on being an extravaganza where Kamal with the help of Ravikumar, got carried away to the extent of not making a movie that the public wants. Despite this, the movie had good following and reasonable success is a testimony to Kamal’s dedication and versality, and he can at least take pride from the fact that as an actor he has given not just his best, but his heart and soul too.

Many who saw this movie may have missed the plot thanks to Kamal! When someone as intellectual as Kamal is involved, it is left to the common mass to interpret the hidden core around which the story revolves. The Butterfly effect and Chaos theory has been an exciting theme for some of the creative movie makers, especially those in hollywood.  The notion that a flap of a butterfly in one part of the world can cause a tornadoe at another, is a typical example used when discussing the Butterfly effect and chaos theory. For starters, chaos theory  has three basic features -  the propensity to be extremely sensitive to the initial conditions, non linearity and non-proportional cause and effect. I am sure I have confused you here.. This is what the film Dasavatharam may have done to some, especially those who cannot comprehend the Chaos theory and butterfly effect.

What makes the movie intriguing is the fact that random incidents weave together to form a clever story. The end justifies the beginning and it can be seen that the the intial event triggered a series of subtle movements that culminated in the tsunami, an act of god seen to save the world from a man made disater. This looks like a fairy tale, but when you have chaos theory in hand, you are only limited by the imagination.

There is not much to add to the acting nor rest of the cast, as Kamal steals the show.  Asin is not used in a role that fits her, and her sterotyping causes  irritaton at times Rest of the cast just become mere pedestrians.

The song “Mukuntha, Mukuntha” makes pleasant listening and is well pictured. “Kallai Mattum” comes as second best. “Ulaga Nayagan” song carries a good beat but is lost as a song sung in praise of a living person .

Rating

My rating is 2.5 out of 5 stars which is a good score because I consider anything above 2 out 5 as worth watching! All the stars should go to Kamal as he has been the single big difference in making this movie watchable.

Watch the Movie Trailer online

Director --     P. Vasu
Producers -    K. Balachandar, Ashwini Dutt, G.P. Vijayakumar
Writers -  Sreenivasan
Cast -  Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Meena, Pasupathy, Livingston, Vadivelu
Music -- G.V. Prakashkumar
Cinematography -  Arvind Krishna
Editor -- Ashmith Kunder

Despite being a poorer remake of the Malayalam original, this is film that every Rajini fan should watch. It is pure irony that the film lacks any and all masala aspects seen fromhis past hits, but brings Shivaji Rao  the common man to silver screen in a minor yet a stellar role. This is a far cry from the larger than life hero image and dialogues that were integral in his top grossing ‘masala’ movies.   To his credit, Rajini has played one of his best supporting roles and acted admirably in this movie.  This brought back memories of his early days where he acted as a protagonist alongside Kamal, before fame and inimtable style took over transforming him to a level not seen before in Tamil cinema.

The story revolves around the friendship and ends on a beautiful and moving note.  If Rajini’s role is refreshingly good, the same cannot not be said of the rest. Pasupathi, Nayanthara and Meena have all ‘partcipated’ well partially due to their own limitations but more so by the way the roles were poorly slotted to them.  Pasupathi is a far better actor than he is made to look, and it would be quite unfortunate if he does not get a hero role again.

Script hasn’t been great and what carries the film though is the ‘human’ bondage portrayed vetween two childhood friends, and how they take different paths and meet up on a climax that is worthy of going to the theatre to see.

My rating **   (2 out of 5)

Watch the Movie Trailer here