‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ is directed by Goutham Menon starring Suriya, Sameera Reddy and Divya in the lead roles. The film is produced by Oscar Films, V. Ravichandran. The producer has complained against the director for exceeding the budget for the film. Initially the budget was fixed to 10.5 crores, but after the shooting proceeded Goutham Menon refused to precede the film without an additional 3.5 crores and now the budget has been raised to 14 crores. So the producer has filed a complaint in the Producer’s Council against the director. He said that he is finding it difficult to get 3.5 crores extra demanded by the director. The issue of extra money has been sorted out. The budget has increased because of not getting permission to shoot in various places. Now the shooting will be continued in Delhi, Varanasi and Malaysia.
‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ budget exceeds to 14 crores!
‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ is directed by Goutham Menon starring Suriya, Sameera Reddy and Divya in the lead roles. The film is produced by Oscar Films, V. Ravichandran. The producer has complained against the director for exceeding the budget for the film. Initially the budget was fixed to 10.5 crores, but after the shooting proceeded Goutham Menon refused to precede the film without an additional 3.5 crores and now the budget has been raised to 14 crores. So the producer has filed a complaint in the Producer’s Council against the director. He said that he is finding it difficult to get 3.5 crores extra demanded by the director. The issue of extra money has been sorted out. The budget has increased because of not getting permission to shoot in various places. Now the shooting will be continued in Delhi, Varanasi and Malaysia.
Surya’s change in ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’
The ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ team has returned from US after completing almost 70 per cent of the movie. Director Gautham Menon feels that the movie has shaped up well. As the first schedule is over, the team is now ready for its next schedule. It is said that Surya will be appearing in an entirely different get-up. Harris Jeyaraj has scored the music for the movie. The success combination of Gautham Menon and Harris Jeyaraj is expected to rock in this movie also.
Suriya plays the role of military officer!
சூர்யா's ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ directed by Goutham Menon is shaping up fast. Fifty percent of the project has been completed and the film is expected to be released by August. ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ stars Suriya, Sameera Reddy and Divya in the lead roles. Suriya plays the role of a military officer in the film. Some of the scenes of the film were shot in USA. Now the shooting is going on in New Delhi.
Kamal v/s Lord Vishnu in DASHAVTARAM v/s DASHAVTAR clash
In perhaps the history of world cinema, for the first time ever two films with the same theme would be releasing within one week of each other.
Though something similar has happened in case of Bhagat Singh saga where as many as 4 films with the same story released on the same day, the factor which makes all the difference here is the film making medium.
We are talking about DASHAVTAR which has been made in Live as well as animation format. Though the basic premise of the two films is same, that of Lord Vishnu's 10 different avtars, Kamal Hassan's film has him playing 10 different roles while the other version has Lord Vishnu in an animated avtar.
Produced by Oscar Ravichandran and directed by K.S. Ravikumar, Kamal Hassan's DASHAVTAR is a multi starrer with Asin, Mallika Sherawat, Jaya Pradha and Napolean amongst others. Set on a grand scale, the film traverses from 1000 years back till the current time. On the other hand Animation Phoebus Media's animated DASHAVTAR too is a multi starrer in its own right since it too has a horde of characters filling up the frames.
Yet again a film which travels thousands of years and hence projecting the journey of Lord Vishnu, the animated version incorporates voiceovers of prominent Bollywood artists like Shatrughan Sinha, Sachin Khedekar, Shreyas Talpade, Roopa Ganguly, Tom Alter and Aashish Vidyarthi. The film is produced by Vimal Shah and directed by Bhavik Thakore.
For audience it is a good choice to pick on now. If in mood for a Live movie, check out Kamal's DASHAVTAR on 6th June. And if you want to follow it up with an animated story unfolding on the big screen, there is another DASHAVTAR for you on 13th June!
This is clearly history in the making!
Kamal’s next beautiful villain
Dasavatharam, Kamal’s magnum opus is ready for release and the hardcore workaholic that he is, he is already into his next project tentatively tiled Marma Yogi. This film will be co-produced by Bharath Bala in association with Walt Disney pictures. There are already many speculations about the story line and the cast of the film.
During the audio launch of Dasavatharam, Kamal had mentioned that his next project is going to have Bollywood actress Hema Malini in a pivotal role. The rumors that are going round the industry is that seasoned actress will be playing the role of a villain. If that is the case Tamil cine goers are going to have beautiful experience of watching a villain.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
During the audio launch of Dasavatharam, Kamal had mentioned that his next project is going to have Bollywood actress Hema Malini in a pivotal role. The rumors that are going round the industry is that seasoned actress will be playing the role of a villain. If that is the case Tamil cine goers are going to have beautiful experience of watching a villain.
Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Rajini's new hairstyle in Robot!
The superstar is almost done with his part in Kuselan and is all set to sail towards his next magnum opus Robot. Expectations are skyrocketing as Rajinikanth, for the first time, will be starring opposite Ashwarya Rai. Made on a mega budget, Robot is a joint venture by Ayngaran International and Eros International.According to industry sources, director Shankar and Rajini will fly down to the US to finalize the make-up for the latter. While Rajini's make-up in Sivaji came in for some rave reviews, Shankar wants Robot to be even better. It is said that Robot will feature a younger Rajini sporting a different hairstyle. Also, the Robot team intends to bring in professionals from Hollywood to work on Rajini's make-up.Courtesy: behindwoods.com
Soundarya Rajini confirms Billa-2
Soundarya Rajinikanth, the director of Rajini's forthcoming animated magnum opus, Sultan - The Warrior officially confirmed the idea of making Billa 2 with actor Ajith. She said that she will start working on the film after June 2009, by which time Ajith will be free from Aegan and she will be free from Sultan: the warrior.
She revealed this with media persons a couple of days ago and said, "I decided this project only after consulted with my father and now a team has seriously in the discussions for Billa-2. Apart from this, I'm making all arrangements to take the entire Billa team into the sequel. When I told this idea to my father, he was very happy and also told that he is also very eager to watch the sequel of his classic action film with some other actor."
When a reporter asked about his father's role in Billa-2, Soundarya categorically dismissed that there was no such idea. Soundarya is going to produce this sequel in association with Warner Bros. Pictures India.
Courtesy: oneindia.in
After Robo, Rajini gets animated over Sultan
Tamil Nadu's superstar is going to be seen in a new avtaar. Rajinikanth is starring in an animation film Sultan, where he features as a mythological, larger-than-life warrior.
The movie is being directed by his daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth at Chennai's Ocher Studios. While the film is targeted at both adults and children, Soundarya says making the film though is no child's play.
"Animating a live-action hero is not easy at all because you have to get the size precise and even facial features like the eyes and the nose precise. I had to take my father to Brussels for a body scan and it's all come out well. So what you are seeing now is my dad in animation," says Soundarya.
Sultan will be made in 12 languages including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, English and Japanese, and the budget is expected to touch the $10 million mark.
Another USP of the film is its music, a job that has been entrusted to A R Rahman.
"The background score is very, very important for an animation. It's the backbone of the film. The film's got four full-length songs, so Rahman sir has taken a lot of effort and he's done a lot of homework on his own. We are very excited about the music," says Soundarya.
The film will also have an English title song for which the search is on for an international singer. It is expected to hit theatres by the end of this year.
"I hope the film reaches mainstream Hollywood. When you talk about a film like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, it's very authentic to it's background. Sultan is going to be an Indian film with international projection standards and international technical standards in it," says Soundarya.
And as for the fans, Soundarya thinks they will be as excited to see her father in another avtaar as she is directing him.
Courtesy: Ibnlive.com
The movie is being directed by his daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth at Chennai's Ocher Studios. While the film is targeted at both adults and children, Soundarya says making the film though is no child's play.
"Animating a live-action hero is not easy at all because you have to get the size precise and even facial features like the eyes and the nose precise. I had to take my father to Brussels for a body scan and it's all come out well. So what you are seeing now is my dad in animation," says Soundarya.
Sultan will be made in 12 languages including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, English and Japanese, and the budget is expected to touch the $10 million mark.
Another USP of the film is its music, a job that has been entrusted to A R Rahman.
"The background score is very, very important for an animation. It's the backbone of the film. The film's got four full-length songs, so Rahman sir has taken a lot of effort and he's done a lot of homework on his own. We are very excited about the music," says Soundarya.
The film will also have an English title song for which the search is on for an international singer. It is expected to hit theatres by the end of this year.
"I hope the film reaches mainstream Hollywood. When you talk about a film like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, it's very authentic to it's background. Sultan is going to be an Indian film with international projection standards and international technical standards in it," says Soundarya.
And as for the fans, Soundarya thinks they will be as excited to see her father in another avtaar as she is directing him.
Courtesy: Ibnlive.com
Rajini in Robot - Rajini’s next movie - Robot Rajini - Shankar’s next blockbuster - Latest news
There has been a buzz for the past couple of weeks about Superstar Rajini acting in Shankar's Robot. This has become official now with Ayngaran International CEO Rohan Manickavasagar confirming the news. Says Rohan Manickavasagar “Ayngaran and Eros Multimedia will be jointly producing Robot featuring Rajinikanth and directed by Shankar. The formal agreements will be signed soon,â€.
As far as ‘Robot’ is concerned, it is like a roller coaster ride for the movie, as Shankar has been contemplating with many names for his dream project. First it was said that Kamal Haasan would act in it. Then Vikram’s name surfaced. Post Sivaji, we heard that Hrithik Roshan would be the dream hero. Then came the name of Aamir Khan. Finally Shankar made an official announcement that it would be Shahrukh Khan, who would don the role in his most intimate project.
If Shivaji was shot on a 80 Crore budget, the movie Robot will be produced on a 100 crore budget by Ayngaran International and Eros Multimedia. The sucess team of Shivaji which includes Shankar, Rajini and A.R. Rahman are all set to repeat their magic again in Robot. The rest of the crew needs to be still decided. This is going to be a never seen before Sci-Fi thriller for the Tamil audience.
London-based Ayngaran International, in which Kishore Lulla-owned Eros International picked up a controlling stake last July, is to produce the film. Robot movie has been associated with many major super stars like Sharukh Khan who opted out of the movie due to differences with Shankar. Also ultimate star Ajith Kumar and Amir Khan were also associated with Robot. It is said that Super star will first star in a short-duration project produced by Balachander and directed by P. Vasu before he stars shooting for Robot.
‘Robot’ is all set to become grand and entertaining film ever made in Indian cinema. The movie will be simultaneously produced in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and other languages. ‘Robot’ will have the state-of-the-art technology.
As far as ‘Robot’ is concerned, it is like a roller coaster ride for the movie, as Shankar has been contemplating with many names for his dream project. First it was said that Kamal Haasan would act in it. Then Vikram’s name surfaced. Post Sivaji, we heard that Hrithik Roshan would be the dream hero. Then came the name of Aamir Khan. Finally Shankar made an official announcement that it would be Shahrukh Khan, who would don the role in his most intimate project.
If Shivaji was shot on a 80 Crore budget, the movie Robot will be produced on a 100 crore budget by Ayngaran International and Eros Multimedia. The sucess team of Shivaji which includes Shankar, Rajini and A.R. Rahman are all set to repeat their magic again in Robot. The rest of the crew needs to be still decided. This is going to be a never seen before Sci-Fi thriller for the Tamil audience.
London-based Ayngaran International, in which Kishore Lulla-owned Eros International picked up a controlling stake last July, is to produce the film. Robot movie has been associated with many major super stars like Sharukh Khan who opted out of the movie due to differences with Shankar. Also ultimate star Ajith Kumar and Amir Khan were also associated with Robot. It is said that Super star will first star in a short-duration project produced by Balachander and directed by P. Vasu before he stars shooting for Robot.
‘Robot’ is all set to become grand and entertaining film ever made in Indian cinema. The movie will be simultaneously produced in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and other languages. ‘Robot’ will have the state-of-the-art technology.
ஏகன்
Aegan (Tamil:ஏகன்) is a forthcoming Tamil feature film currently being directed by Raju Sundaram, who with Aegan will direct his maiden film. Ajith Kumar acts in the lead role, whilst Nayantara, Navdeep, Suhasini Ratnam, Nassar and Jayaram also play roles in the film. The film, which has been under production since late 2007, has Yuvan Shankar Raja as the music composer. The film, produced by Ayngaran International, is set to be released on August 15, 2008 coinciding with Indian independance day.
Aegan Casting
Following the announcement of the project, tentiatively titled as Akbar, Shriya Saran was rumoured to be the heroine, following her successful role in Sivaji: The Boss. However due to differences, Saran was ousted from the project due to her limited callsheets, as she had to fly to and from America where she was then shooting for her Hollywood film, The Other End of the Line. However other indications claimed that Saran was ousted from the project due to her involvement in Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan, in which she appeared in an item number; which Ajith Kumar was unhappy with due to previous feuds with the lead, Vadivelu of that film. Reports indicated that Parvati Melton had replaced Saran, but later denied it signalling that she was not approached. Suhani Kalita was announced as the second heroine of the project, but was later removed due to unknown reasons. Several Bollywood heroines including Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Ayesha Takia, Ileana D'Cruz, Tanushree Dutta and Sneha Ullal were linked to the role, as well as reports that Shriya Saran would reprise the role after making up with Ajith. The role eventually was given to Katrina Kaif, who was set to make her debut in Tamil films with Aegan, however she later opted out due to callsheet clashes. It was announced that Nayantara would play the role of the heroine in the film, following her role opposite Ajith in Billa. Furthermore it has been indicated that Namitha, Mumaith Khan and Rakhi Sawant will all appear in an item number in the film. In February 2008, it was confirmed that Navdeep would play a role in the film as well as Suman, who will appear in a villainous role. Malayalam actor, Jayaram will also play a role in the film, which will be co-produced by actor, Arun Pandian. Nassar and Suhasini Ratnam were selected to play the roles of the parents of Ajith, whilst Raju Sundaram's elder brother, Prabhu Deva was given a chance to make a cameo appearance in the film as a dancer. Supporting actors M. S. Baskar and Sriman also play roles in Aegan, as does newcomer model Piya, who appears as the ladylove to Navdeep. Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed on as the music composer whilst debutant Arjunan was given the opportunity to be the cinematographer for the project and Milan, who did the art direction for Billa, renews his association with Ajith in the film.
Dasavatharam Casting
Cast
Kamal Haasan in ten roles as Rangaraja Nambi, Avtar Singh and eight other characters.
Asin Thottumkal in dual roles as
Mallika Sherawat as Jasmine.
Jayaprada as
Nagesh as
Napolean as Kulothunga Chola II
Development
Kamal Haasan was keen to break the record for an actor appearing in the most roles, so he came up with an original storyline and approached prominent directors, to direct it, when K. S. Ravikumar accepted the offer. Dasavatharam began soon after the announcement of another magnum opus, Sivaji: The Boss starring, the other major star of South India, Rajnikanth; the films, despite being released nearly a year apart, were built up to be rival projects. K. S. Ravikumar and Kamal Haasan came together for the fourth time following their three previous successful ventures, Avvai Shanmughi, Thenali and Panchathantiram. Haasan announced he was set to play different roles in the film, making it the first time that an actor has appeared in so many roles in world cinema. Oscar Ravichandran, who had a profitable 2006, signed up to produce the venture securing distribution rights in the process. Following nearly a year of post-production, deciding the cast and the locations, the film began its first schedule on September 11, 2006.
Casting
Between the announcement of the project and prior to the launch a year later, several heroines were signed up and then either removed or opted out from the project. The first being Vidya Balan, who was signed up and set to make her debut in the Tamil films, however due to the long inactivity of the film, Balan opted out citing date clashes with her Bollywood project. Following the removal of Balan, it was reported that each of the ten characters portrayed by Kamal Haasan in the movie, would have a female lead opposite them. Heroines who were reported to be a part of the film but failed to make the final shortlist were: Jyothika, Mumtaj, Kiran Rathod, Meena, Bhumika Chawla, Sameera Reddy, Nadhiya Moidu, Kamalinee Mukerji, Nithya Das, Meera Jasmine, Simran Bagga and Vasundhara Das. Moreover, few heroines, who were selected, opted out due to date clashes like Balan, Trisha Krishnan and Nayantara. Furthermore, Shriya Saran was forced to opt out of the project by the producers of her other Sivaji: The Boss, a film built up as the rival to Dasavatharam at the box-office. Finally, the major female lead role was given to Asin Thottumkal, who was later assigned two distinct roles in the project. The second lead female role in the film, went to Mallika Sherawat, for whom Dasavatharam is her first Tamil language film. Over the course, of the production more supporting actors were added to the film, the first being Napolean, who was signed up to portray a king in the film. Other veteran actors, Jayaprada, Nagesh, P. Vasu, K. R. Vijaya and M. S. Baskar were roped into essay other small roles in the film, as well as a bevy of American supporting actors. Actors, Jayaram and Vadivelu opted out of the film during the production of the project, citing date problems.
The film was originally announced with A. R. Rahman as the music director of the film, however like Shriya Saran was removed from the project as per the request of the producers of Sivaji: The Boss. He was replaced by Himesh Reshammiya, for whom Dasavatharam becomes his first Tamil venture as a music composer. Due to inconsistency of dates for Reshmaiyya, Devi Sri Prasad was roped into record the background music despite indications that Rahman would re-join the project to do so. Ashmith Kunder was signed up to edit the film, despite early indications that A. Sreekar Prasad would have landed the offer. The director, K. S. Ravikumar also wrote the script for the film following negotiations with the late Sujatha, who died before the release of the movie and Crazy Mohan. Late Jeeva was initially announced as the cinematographer of the film, who was then replaced by Ravi Varman.
Filming
The filming of Dasavatharam began on August 3, 2006 at Mahabalipuram in Chennai, where a song was picturised on a set created by Sameer Chandra, an art director. The set resembled the Airavatheeswarar temple at Darasuram in Kumbakonam and scenes with Kamal Haasan in an Iyengar get-up and accompanied by over 750 extras were recorded. Asin Thottumkal joined the team on September 11, 2006 for a shoot in Uthandi. However in late September 2006, Sameer Chanda was sacked from the project due to his tendency to employ only workers from Mumbai and not Tamilians, prompting Haasan and Ravikumar to remove him from the project, with his role being entrusted to Prabhakar of Virumaandi fame. Shootings were held at Chennai Airport in November 2006, which cost the producer two crores. Another team member was sacked in Chengelpet, when a stunt sequence was being captured by the camera, stunt master Kanal Kannan was reported to have used unparliamentary words at the workers and that too over the public address system. Angered and humiliated by such remarks, the workers walked out of the sets refusing to work any more. Finally they all resumed duty only after the elimination of Kanal Kannan. A new stunt master, Thyagarajan was given the opportunity to take over following the controversy caused by Kannan, who had a similar problem whilst shooting for Sivaji.
Major portions of the films were shot extensively in overseas locations which included America, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. A role of a foreigner, played by Haasan, was shot for in casinos in and around Las Vegas and Orlando. A song involving Kamal Haasan and Mallika Sherawat that was to be shot in US was moved to Malaysia due to problems with Sherawat's visa deeming she could not join the crew. So the crew instead decided to shift the shooting to another destination in Malaysia and the song was shot in posh night clubs; furthermore scenes were shot at a lobby of a prominent Malaysian airport.
A large set was erected at the Taramani Film City in India which was a Replica of the White House, with Haasan’s makeup for the role lasting six whole hours to obtain the desired outcome. For the climax scenes of the film, a tsunami effect was created in Mahabalipuram. The scene was shot recently at a 50,000 sq. ft. area land in which a 100-ft. wall was created near Muttukadu. Six machines, which generated 20 ft. high waves, were imported from the US, for a total cost of 3.5 crore rupees. For the climax, another scene was shot dramatically above the Nehru Stadium with the permission of the chief minister, Karunanidhi. The film’s final shoot occurred on October 8, 2007 at Uthandi, a coastal village.
Story plagiarism
In September 2006, an assistant director called Senthil Kumar filed a case against the film at Madras High Court. He claimed to have created the story of Dasavatharam, in a script titled, Ardhanari alias Clones, and that Kamal Haasan and Oscar Ravichandran had stolen the script and left him out of the credits, violating the copyright act. On the basis of this complaint, Chennai police queried the actor and later they accepted his explanation with the high court sending notices to Kamal Haasan and the producer of the film, Oscar Ravichandran announcing an interim stay on the release of the film. The film was allowed to continue with its schedules, but the case was delayed till later in 2007.
However in September 2007, The Madras High Court dismissed the petition of Senthil Kumar against Kamal Haasan in the case, clearing the legal hurdles for the film.
Soundtrack and DVD
Further information: Dasavatharam (soundtrack)
Dasavatharam: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Studio album
Released
April 25, 2008
Genre
Feature film soundtrack
Label
Sony BMG
The soundtrack to Dasavatharam was released on April 25, 2008 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, which became the largest audio launch for a film in the world.[citation needed] Prominent film personalities across the world attended with Jackie Chan, in his first such appearance, being Hollywood's ambassador for the function. Other prominent regional Indian artistes such as Amitabh Bachchan, Mammooty, Vijay and Madhavan attended the launch, which was graced by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi. The event hosted by Shobana, was attended by all the artistes of the film apart from the producer, Oscar Ravichandran, who opts not to attend public events.
Soundtrack
1
Ulaga Nayagan
Vinith
5:34
Vairamuthu
2
Kallai Mattum
Hariharan, Chorus
5:28
Vaali
Picturized a 13th century episode with Haasan as Rangaraja Nambi, whilst Napolean as Kulothunga Chola II
3
Oh...Ho...Sanam
Kamal Haasan, Mahalakshmi Iyer
5:31
Vairamuthu
Picturizes Kamal Haasan as Avtar Singh in concert
4
Mukundha Mukundha
Kamal Haasan, Sadhana Sargam
6:32
Vaali
Features Asin singing in praise of Lord Krishna
5
Kaa...Karuppanukkum
Shalini Singh
5:06
Vairamuthu
Features Kamal Haasan dancing with Mallika Sherawat in posh nightclubs.
6
Oh...Ho...Sanam(Re-Mix)
Himesh Reshammiya, Mahalakshmi Iyer
3:47
Vairamuthu
Kamal Haasan in ten roles as Rangaraja Nambi, Avtar Singh and eight other characters.
Asin Thottumkal in dual roles as
Mallika Sherawat as Jasmine.
Jayaprada as
Nagesh as
Napolean as Kulothunga Chola II
Development
Kamal Haasan was keen to break the record for an actor appearing in the most roles, so he came up with an original storyline and approached prominent directors, to direct it, when K. S. Ravikumar accepted the offer. Dasavatharam began soon after the announcement of another magnum opus, Sivaji: The Boss starring, the other major star of South India, Rajnikanth; the films, despite being released nearly a year apart, were built up to be rival projects. K. S. Ravikumar and Kamal Haasan came together for the fourth time following their three previous successful ventures, Avvai Shanmughi, Thenali and Panchathantiram. Haasan announced he was set to play different roles in the film, making it the first time that an actor has appeared in so many roles in world cinema. Oscar Ravichandran, who had a profitable 2006, signed up to produce the venture securing distribution rights in the process. Following nearly a year of post-production, deciding the cast and the locations, the film began its first schedule on September 11, 2006.
Casting
Between the announcement of the project and prior to the launch a year later, several heroines were signed up and then either removed or opted out from the project. The first being Vidya Balan, who was signed up and set to make her debut in the Tamil films, however due to the long inactivity of the film, Balan opted out citing date clashes with her Bollywood project. Following the removal of Balan, it was reported that each of the ten characters portrayed by Kamal Haasan in the movie, would have a female lead opposite them. Heroines who were reported to be a part of the film but failed to make the final shortlist were: Jyothika, Mumtaj, Kiran Rathod, Meena, Bhumika Chawla, Sameera Reddy, Nadhiya Moidu, Kamalinee Mukerji, Nithya Das, Meera Jasmine, Simran Bagga and Vasundhara Das. Moreover, few heroines, who were selected, opted out due to date clashes like Balan, Trisha Krishnan and Nayantara. Furthermore, Shriya Saran was forced to opt out of the project by the producers of her other Sivaji: The Boss, a film built up as the rival to Dasavatharam at the box-office. Finally, the major female lead role was given to Asin Thottumkal, who was later assigned two distinct roles in the project. The second lead female role in the film, went to Mallika Sherawat, for whom Dasavatharam is her first Tamil language film. Over the course, of the production more supporting actors were added to the film, the first being Napolean, who was signed up to portray a king in the film. Other veteran actors, Jayaprada, Nagesh, P. Vasu, K. R. Vijaya and M. S. Baskar were roped into essay other small roles in the film, as well as a bevy of American supporting actors. Actors, Jayaram and Vadivelu opted out of the film during the production of the project, citing date problems.
The film was originally announced with A. R. Rahman as the music director of the film, however like Shriya Saran was removed from the project as per the request of the producers of Sivaji: The Boss. He was replaced by Himesh Reshammiya, for whom Dasavatharam becomes his first Tamil venture as a music composer. Due to inconsistency of dates for Reshmaiyya, Devi Sri Prasad was roped into record the background music despite indications that Rahman would re-join the project to do so. Ashmith Kunder was signed up to edit the film, despite early indications that A. Sreekar Prasad would have landed the offer. The director, K. S. Ravikumar also wrote the script for the film following negotiations with the late Sujatha, who died before the release of the movie and Crazy Mohan. Late Jeeva was initially announced as the cinematographer of the film, who was then replaced by Ravi Varman.
Filming
The filming of Dasavatharam began on August 3, 2006 at Mahabalipuram in Chennai, where a song was picturised on a set created by Sameer Chandra, an art director. The set resembled the Airavatheeswarar temple at Darasuram in Kumbakonam and scenes with Kamal Haasan in an Iyengar get-up and accompanied by over 750 extras were recorded. Asin Thottumkal joined the team on September 11, 2006 for a shoot in Uthandi. However in late September 2006, Sameer Chanda was sacked from the project due to his tendency to employ only workers from Mumbai and not Tamilians, prompting Haasan and Ravikumar to remove him from the project, with his role being entrusted to Prabhakar of Virumaandi fame. Shootings were held at Chennai Airport in November 2006, which cost the producer two crores. Another team member was sacked in Chengelpet, when a stunt sequence was being captured by the camera, stunt master Kanal Kannan was reported to have used unparliamentary words at the workers and that too over the public address system. Angered and humiliated by such remarks, the workers walked out of the sets refusing to work any more. Finally they all resumed duty only after the elimination of Kanal Kannan. A new stunt master, Thyagarajan was given the opportunity to take over following the controversy caused by Kannan, who had a similar problem whilst shooting for Sivaji.
Major portions of the films were shot extensively in overseas locations which included America, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. A role of a foreigner, played by Haasan, was shot for in casinos in and around Las Vegas and Orlando. A song involving Kamal Haasan and Mallika Sherawat that was to be shot in US was moved to Malaysia due to problems with Sherawat's visa deeming she could not join the crew. So the crew instead decided to shift the shooting to another destination in Malaysia and the song was shot in posh night clubs; furthermore scenes were shot at a lobby of a prominent Malaysian airport.
A large set was erected at the Taramani Film City in India which was a Replica of the White House, with Haasan’s makeup for the role lasting six whole hours to obtain the desired outcome. For the climax scenes of the film, a tsunami effect was created in Mahabalipuram. The scene was shot recently at a 50,000 sq. ft. area land in which a 100-ft. wall was created near Muttukadu. Six machines, which generated 20 ft. high waves, were imported from the US, for a total cost of 3.5 crore rupees. For the climax, another scene was shot dramatically above the Nehru Stadium with the permission of the chief minister, Karunanidhi. The film’s final shoot occurred on October 8, 2007 at Uthandi, a coastal village.
Story plagiarism
In September 2006, an assistant director called Senthil Kumar filed a case against the film at Madras High Court. He claimed to have created the story of Dasavatharam, in a script titled, Ardhanari alias Clones, and that Kamal Haasan and Oscar Ravichandran had stolen the script and left him out of the credits, violating the copyright act. On the basis of this complaint, Chennai police queried the actor and later they accepted his explanation with the high court sending notices to Kamal Haasan and the producer of the film, Oscar Ravichandran announcing an interim stay on the release of the film. The film was allowed to continue with its schedules, but the case was delayed till later in 2007.
However in September 2007, The Madras High Court dismissed the petition of Senthil Kumar against Kamal Haasan in the case, clearing the legal hurdles for the film.
Soundtrack and DVD
Further information: Dasavatharam (soundtrack)
Dasavatharam: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
Studio album
Released
April 25, 2008
Genre
Feature film soundtrack
Label
Sony BMG
The soundtrack to Dasavatharam was released on April 25, 2008 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, which became the largest audio launch for a film in the world.[citation needed] Prominent film personalities across the world attended with Jackie Chan, in his first such appearance, being Hollywood's ambassador for the function. Other prominent regional Indian artistes such as Amitabh Bachchan, Mammooty, Vijay and Madhavan attended the launch, which was graced by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi. The event hosted by Shobana, was attended by all the artistes of the film apart from the producer, Oscar Ravichandran, who opts not to attend public events.
Soundtrack
1
Ulaga Nayagan
Vinith
5:34
Vairamuthu
2
Kallai Mattum
Hariharan, Chorus
5:28
Vaali
Picturized a 13th century episode with Haasan as Rangaraja Nambi, whilst Napolean as Kulothunga Chola II
3
Oh...Ho...Sanam
Kamal Haasan, Mahalakshmi Iyer
5:31
Vairamuthu
Picturizes Kamal Haasan as Avtar Singh in concert
4
Mukundha Mukundha
Kamal Haasan, Sadhana Sargam
6:32
Vaali
Features Asin singing in praise of Lord Krishna
5
Kaa...Karuppanukkum
Shalini Singh
5:06
Vairamuthu
Features Kamal Haasan dancing with Mallika Sherawat in posh nightclubs.
6
Oh...Ho...Sanam(Re-Mix)
Himesh Reshammiya, Mahalakshmi Iyer
3:47
Vairamuthu
Kamal’s தசாவதாரம் story begins with an episode set in the 12th century
Kamal’s தசாவதாரம் story begins with an episode set in the 12th century, and then looks at coincidences. In this, கமல் plays Nambi, a staunch Vaishnavite priest.
It is learnt that the characters that கமல் plays in this film are - an American, a Chinese man, a CBI officer from Andhra Pradesh, an old lady, a leader from Afghanistan, a Scheduled Tribes’ leader, George Bush, a Punjabi and one character, who looks like கமல் normally does.
It is learnt that the characters that கமல் plays in this film are - an American, a Chinese man, a CBI officer from Andhra Pradesh, an old lady, a leader from Afghanistan, a Scheduled Tribes’ leader, George Bush, a Punjabi and one character, who looks like கமல் normally does.
Kamal Characters in DASAVATHARAM movie
1. A Brahmin
2. A Dwarf
3. A Scientist
4. A Fighter
5. A Black Man
6. A Tourist Guide
7. An Old Woman
8. A Robber
9. A Young Lady
10. An Emperor
2. A Dwarf
3. A Scientist
4. A Fighter
5. A Black Man
6. A Tourist Guide
7. An Old Woman
8. A Robber
9. A Young Lady
10. An Emperor
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