Here are two more interviews of Kamal, done as part of Dasavathaaram publicity. Sample some excerpts before enjoying the whole interviews at DNA and BusinessOfCinema.com.

I have spent 500 hours doing make up itself and it takes a lot of perseverance and belief in what you are doing to keep doing it. If I spent that much time inside a cockpit I would be a successful commercial pilot.

“I can alter my life, you can’t! You can criticise it, comment on it, but you can’t change it. That is a great advantage to have.”

“…There is a downside to everything. If we take ourselves too seriously, we actors will definitely need a psychiatrist.”

“…I make sure that I get my privacy. I demand it and sometimes I steal it. It is sometimes taken for granted, but I maintain that my privacy is nobody’s business.”

“…Spirituality makes you rest, makes you content. I will only settle down when I am in a coffin, under the earth or inside the fire. Till then I will keep myself active and alive…”

“…I think every actor has a responsibility. One cannot say I am an actor, I will do my job and not care about what’s happening in the country.”

From the perspective of international standards, money and talent is being invested in the right direction and I feel that in two years from now nothing called Bollywood will exist.

[With input from Ananth]

Sify.com published a write-up on Dasavathaaram, which seemed to have been written by Kamal himself. It talks about make-up, screenplay, music, etc. Excerpts:

We started with just 25 days for the first schedule of the film, which had no shooting, no acting. It was just for the make-up tests. 25 days in the US. 20 days, 12 hours a day, and then 5 days of taking photographs. When we came back with the photographs, people believed more in Dasavatharam, including the producer, the director and myself. Till date nobody outside of the unit has seen any of these photographs.

Synthetic bio-weapons, research and analysis wing, Kulothunga II’s distaste for Vedanta and the Chaos theory!

Yes. Said in one sentence the above sounds pedantic and pompous. But embedded into a screenplay it makes for a racy read.

…about the chaos theory and how we are all connected as a world. None of your acts or mine will go without an effect.

It’s like as if one act, collides with another. It’s almost like particle physics if you look at it. One object crashing onto another producing something else which could tell the story of how all things came to be.

I think, basically I am a cinema fan. And I have given you what I would like to see as a sensible cinema fan. So, I think your intelligence will not be insulted, your time will not be wasted, and you will really enjoy this film. And why you should watch the film, because we worked so hard for you, that’s one good reason why.

KS Ravikumar reveals some details in an interview to The New Indian Express.

The movie is complete but for the frames of the tsunami, which are being done in Hong Kong. “But the music that was out a week ago is doing very good. My pick is Ulaga Naayagane”, Ravikumar reveals.

“But for Kamal Haasan, the hardest role, I think, would be the role of Fletcher that he plays in the movie. Shooting the grandmother role and the tall man’s role was most challenging for me”, he adds.

“If I do movies as big as this, I can only do four Dasavathaarams for the rest of my life”, he jokingly states. And not all producers would be open to doing big budget movies as this”, he reasons.

Here’s a short interview of Kamal in The Times of India. Highlights:

I used to spend five hours only in makeup. What was interesting is that I have started respecting women more after that.

I know Dasavatharam is going to be a hit. I can’t say how big. I know I sound pompous by saying that, but we have got a U certificate for the film, which will be enjoyed by all age groups.

I feel film promotion has become extremely important and I don’t think it’s new. That has always been the trend. The loudest seller in a bazaar attracts attention. I have always felt that the loudest crying child gets the milk.

Let’s look at another article in The Times of India. It mentions that Kamal has won 175 awards till date! Here’s a quote:

The actor, who is a fan of Marlon Brando and Peter Sellers, says the strength of his performances lies in his ability to do his job “very honestly”. “I’m a true Gandhian in that respect; I believe that if you are honest to whatever you do, name, fame and accolades will automatically find you,” he says seriously.

Ravivarman, the cinematographer, too had things to say to The Hindu.

“List 10 of the best action films of Hollywood, and ‘Dasavathaaram’ would easily match them in quality,” says Ravivarman.

“I don’t think I can work on such a mammoth project again. I could go into depression or have my pressure levels touch dangerous levels,” laughs Ravivarman.

There was this car chase which included a helicopter, with Kamal Haasan at the helm of the sequence. It was shot at night in Florida. “Ideally, the entire city ought to have been lighted up for it. But as it couldn’t be done, I went ahead with the available lighting. It was all dark when I looked through the lens. But experience told me we would get the required effect. They were anxious moments, because if the effort had gone awry re-shooting the portion would have been impossible,” recalls Ravi.

Another piece of news that has been doing the rounds is the names of the 10 characters. Here is the list from IndiaGlitz, Galatta.com and Adhikaalai.com.

IndiaGlitz also came up with a ‘preview’.

[With inputs from Ananth]

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

Just as we were rejoicing the audio / trailer launch and waiting eagerly for Dasavathaaram comes the dampener. Minor and insignificant political organizations continue the dangerous and irritating trend in India of gaining publicity at the sake of big movies. Of course, Kamal has been a favourite target due to his non-conformist / controversial ideas. One is worried about the negative publicity affecting the movie, similar to the ‘anti-Gandhi’ charges preceding Hey Ram

The matter has already reached the court! Here is the extensive media mileage derived by VHP, Hindu Munnani and other outfits that have sprung out of the blue: Behindwoods 1 | Thatstamil 1 | ChennaiOnline | MSN | Thatstamil 2 | IndiaGlitz | Buzz18 | Dinamalar | Dinathanthi | Behindwoods 2 | News Today | Webdunia.

As if politico-religious folks aren’t doing enough, we have undue criticism even in the blogosphere, without even the movie being released!

[With extensive inputs from Ananth]

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

The music of Dasavathaaram is now out and reportedly making waves. But the reviews have been mixed. Check out opinions from Rediff.com, Behindwoods. and KollywoodToday.com.

Meanwhile, we have reports on the audio release function still pouring in. How about getting first-hand accounts? Jackie Chan and Amitabh Bachchan have blogged about the function and the portions of the movie they got to watch! Here are excerpts:

The movie, Dasavatharam, is truly a sight to behold. The story, directing, acting, camera work, special effects, everything about it is amazing. It really opened my eyes to modern Indian cinema. Of course I had seen Indian films before; I admire many of the actors, and really like the music and dancing. But this movie is really something else. Every element was amazing to me; and all the elements together just made a perfect and incredible movie! I won’t spoil anyone’s surprise by revealing the story now, since I think everyone should watch this movie. But I will say two things: watch for the environmental message, and all you directors in Hong Kong and China, watch this movie and start working harder than ever, because very soon now, Indian cinema will overtake us in the eyes of the international audience!

Its Kamal Hassan’s film ‘Dasavataram’ and its music release and he has asked me over to attend the function to commemorate the occasion. There’s Jackie Chan, and the Chief Minister of TamilNadu and several colleagues of Kamal. Its a warm friendly event. The few minutes of the promo seen looks awesome. He has played 10 different roles in the film, and all seem so difficult t identify !! Marvelous !!

Finally, here are some video reports.

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

Time flies fast. It’s nearly 2 years since All Things Kamal was launched and we have reached the 300th post. With support from many like you, we are peaking along with Dasavathaaram. Here’s something special to go with the current mood!

Now that we have got a glimpse of the ten faces in Dasavathaaram and are waiting for the full deal, we would also realise that Kamal has undergone a metamorphosis in his looks during this time. Here’s the whole range!

Going through it, we can get some clues to which role(s) Kamal was doing at that point of time. Of course, the last one is the possible look for Marmayogi, which he took on after completing shooting for Dasavathaaram. I also feel some of the appearances were misleading. What say?

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods / Keerthivasan Rajamani]

Here’s the whole load of Dasavathaaram info that has spread like wildfire, starting with the trailer. Then, we have the ‘making’ videos. We have one here and there’s more at Sify.com.

We have heard that the movie has been censored with a ‘U’ certificate and is 2 hours 45 minutes long. It is said to be releasing in the next few weeks. Read a report from Sify.com.

We have another interview of Asin, where she talks about her experiences. One piece talks about KS Ravikumar’s commitment to Dasavathaaram.

Behindwoods reported a few days ago that the Mayajaal multiplex in Chennai is planning 45 shows a day!

For more stills, check out Behindwoods, Sify.com and Galatta.com.

[With inputs from Ananth]

[Picture / video courtesy: BehindWoods]

The barrage of multimedia information coming out on Dasavathaaram is truly mind-boggling. As we await to unleash all of that, first, we need to report on the grand audio release function of last evening.

The photos featured here are from Behindwoods. Though not of very good quality, they cover several aspects of the event.

Check out a lot more photos on Behindwoods, IndiaGlitz and Galatta.com. There are some photos from fans too, on Orkut.

There are detailed reports on The Hindu, Behindwoods and Times of India too. Even our friends on Orkut provided live updates on the discussion forum. One of the highlights of the function was talk of Kamal and Jackie Chan coming together in a movie.

Many fans were disappointed to not get an entry into the Nehru Indoor Stadium. Obviously, there was some chaos.

Read reports from the morning of the function at Behindwoods, News Today and Adhikaalai.com.

[With inputs from Ananth]

[Picture courtesy: BehindWoods]

The audio launch of Dasavathaaram (note the change in spelling) is just about a day away and information has been flowing for the past several days. We start first with scanned images of the invitation, shown above and below. It clearly shows the time, venue and participants, confirming some earlier news and smashing several rumours.

Then, we have the scanned copy of the audio cassette’s cover. We can see the list of songs, along with credits. Again, we have several things cleared up.

Click for larger image

Finally, some more pieces of news:

• Amitabh Bachchan refused Oscar Ravichandran’s offer to take care of all expenses for his visit.
• Sify.com carried Asin’s interview on the occasion.
• The Hindu’s report on the audio launch, Karunanidhi being impressed, etc. See other reports from Times of India, MSN Tamil, Thatstamil, IndiaGlitz, CineSouth and Chennai365.

[With inputs from Ananth]

With the Dasavatharam trailer out on Kalaignar TV yesterday and making way to YouTube within a day, the barrage is here! With the audio release function just a few days away, the fever has caught on for sure.

The trailer provides enough fodder to analyse for several days to come. It is done Hollywood style, with extremely short glimpses of various characters portrayed by Kamal and other actors.

The music for the movie has raised doubts through the two years or so. Now, the background music score (by Devi Shri Prasad) is satisfactory, suiting the tone of the trailer.

Almost all that we have heard till now seem to be true. Yet, the story is not really clear. Also, we await watching nuances of each of the ten characters.

Overall, the trailer is fantasically done, increasing expectations while not giving out too much.

Editor’s Note:
Please welcome a new author, who calls himself Vadakkupatti Ramasaamy! He starts off with a fresh idea.

Kamal always features in Vivek’s comedy scripts!!! (I am not sure if they ever shared screen space together.)

Vivek’s comedy skills are very well known and so are his mimicry skills. This is entirely my observation. In every movie Vivek refers to Kamal either by dialogues or in some other form .There could be many reasons, they both had the same mentor when they started (K.B.), it could also mean Vivek’s admiration for Ulaga Naayagan. No matter what it means, his hit comedies always had something to do with Kamal. I have tried to list instances supporting my view.

1. Vivek refers to Kamal in Anniyan (in the train, where he advices Ambi “Kiss panradhukku enna Kamal sir-aya koottindu vara mudiyum?” )
2. In 12B, his auto garage is called “Aalavandhaan Auto Works”.
3. In Thiruttu Payale, in Australia, the minute he meets Jeevan’s gang Vivek inquires “Dasavathaaram eppo varum?”.
4. In Kireedam, he answers the phone by mimicking Kamal from VV as “Illa idhu SP Raghavan veedu”.
5. In the movie Viswanathan Ramamoorthy, he uses the Thenaali ‘bayam‘ sequence.
6. In Dhool, he uses the Aalavandhaan dialogue “Vilanga mudiyaa kavidhai naan” twice.
7. In the movie “Ullam Kollai Poguthey“, he enacts the Guna hospital sequence.
8. Even in a Vijay TV special programme where he dressed up as Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, he has someone saying “Idhu Dasavathaaram getup-aa, kiss scene undaa?“.
9. In the movie Parthiban Kanavu, he makes references to the movie Ek Duuje Ki Liye and also mimics a dialogue.
10. Everytime he is made to talk about Kovai Sarala, he definitely remarks “She was the heroine to Kamal Haasan” in many functions and interviews, including Vijay TV awards where he shared an award with Kovai Sarala.
11. Even in the recently released movie Singakutty, he enacts Punnagai Mannan suicide scene (featuring Kamal and Rekha), with Malavika. Kissing Malavika like Kamal did evoked chuckles in the theatres.

Though the instances may be just my view, yet they are the hit comedies by actor Vivek. Many of the instances may be rubbing Kalaignani in a wrong way (referring to kiss!!); yet he is always a part of Vivek’s comedy script, but in my personal opinion it shows Vivek’s keen observation of whatever Haasan depicts on screen. Maybe, someday they may share screen space together in a comedy and make it rib-tickling fun.