Dasavathaaram

Kamal Haasan came up with an original storyline and approached a number of directors, including Gautham Menon to direct it, when K. S. Ravikumar accepted the offer. It began soon after the announcement of Sivaji: The Boss starring Rajinikanth.[5] K. S. Ravikumar and Kamal Haasan came together for the fourth time following their three previous successful ventures, Avvai Shanmughi, Thenali and Panchatanthiram. Kamal was set to play ten different roles in the film, making it the first time that an actor has appeared in so many roles in world cinema.[6] Viswanathan Ravichandran signed up to produce the venture securing distribution rights in the process. Pyramid Film Fund had an exposure of 50 percent in the project.[7]

Following nearly a year of pre-production, deciding the cast and the locations, the film began its first schedule on 11 September 2006.[8]

Ashmith Kunder was signed up to edit the film, despite early indications that A. Sreekar Prasad would have landed the offer.[9] The director, K. S. Ravikumar also wrote the script for the film following negotiations with Sujatha Rangarajan, who died before the release of the film, and Crazy Mohan. Jeeva was initially announced as the cinematographer of the film, and he had taken over the role for a day of the shooting. However, the shots taken by him did not appear in the film and Ravi Varman became the director of photography.[10]

Between the announcement of the project and prior to the launch a year later, several actress were signed up, who then either opted out or were removed from the project. Vidya Balan was first signed up and set to make her debut in Tamil films, however due to the long inactivity of the film, Balan opted out citing date clashes with her Bollywood project.[11] Following the removal of Balan, it was reported that each of the ten characters portrayed by Kamal Haasan in the film, would have a female lead opposite them. Actresses who were considered but failed to make the final shortlist were: Mumtaj,[12] Kiran Rathod,[12] Meena,[12] Nadhiya,[13] Kamalinee Mukerji,[14] Nithya Das,[14] Meera Jasmine,[14] and Vasundhara Das.[14] Moreover, actresses Balan, Trisha Krishnan[15] and Nayantara opted out due to date clashes.[16] Furthermore, Shriya Saran was forced to opt out of the project by the producers of her other film Sivaji: The Boss, a film built up as the rival to Dasavathaaram at the box-office.[17]

Finally, the major female lead role was given to Asin Thottumkal, who was later assigned two distinct roles in the project.[18] The second lead female role in the film went to Mallika Sherawat, for whom Dasavathaaram was her first Tamil language film.[19] Over the course, of the production more supporting actors were added to the film, the first being Napoleon, 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 as well as a bevy of American supporting actors were roped into essay other small roles in the film.[20] Actors, Jayaram and Vadivelu opted out of the film during the production of the project, citing date problems.[21][22]

Picture of the film set depicting the Vishnu image used in the film

A preliminary schedule took place before the start of the film, which featured no filming, but only the make-up tests, lasting for 25 days in the USA.[23] The make-up used for Kamal's characters proved to create difficulties. It took nine hours to implement the make-up and it failed to stay for a long period of time. To compensate that, he had to rest and take fluids using a straw and at the same time, refrain from making movement in the facial muscles to make sure that it was not disturbed.[24] The technology of motion control was employed for the cinematography in the film.[10] The filming of Dasavathaaram began on 3 August 2006 at Mahabalipuram in Chennai, where the intro song was picturised on a set created by art director Sameer Chanda. The set resembled the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram in Kumbakonam and scenes with Kamal Haasan in an Iyengar get-up, accompanied by over 750 extras, were recorded. Though it was initially planned to be shot in the temple itself, permission could not be obtained as the structure was a heritage site and the shooting was believed to interfere with the activities of the temple. Further plans to use a hundred elephants were shelved after the transport and accommodation for the animals was deemed impossible.[25] However, in 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.[26]

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 unparliamentarily and corporation words at the workers and that took over the public address system. Angered and humiliated by such remarks, the workers walked out of the sets refusing to work anymore and 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 while shooting for Sivaji.[27]

Major portions of the films were shot extensively in overseas locations which included the US, Tokyo, Malaysia and Thailand.[28] 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. The crew instead decided to shift 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.[29]

A Replica of the White House was erected at the Taramani Film City in India, with Haasan's makeup for the role lasting six whole hours to obtain the desired outcome.[29] For the climax, another scene was shot dramatically above the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with the permission of the chief minister, M. Karunanidhi.[30] A tsunami effect was created in Mahabalipuram and shot at a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m²) area of land in which a 100-foot (30 m) wall was created near Muttukadu. Six machines, which generated 20-foot (6.1 m) high waves, were imported from the US, for a total cost of ₹35 million (US$490,000).[29] The film's final shoot occurred on 8 October 2007 at Uthandi, a coastal village.[31]

Assistant director Senthil Kumar filed a case against the film at the Madras High Court. He claimed to have created the story of Dasavathaaram, in a script titled, Ardhanari alias Clones, and that Kamal Haasan and Venu Ravichandran had "stolen" the script and left him out of the credits, violating the copyright act.[49] On the basis of this complaint, the Chennai police queried the actor and later accepted his explanation with the high court sending notices to Kamal Haasan and the producer of the film, Viswanathan 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 Court dismissed the petition of Senthil Kumar against Kamal Haasan in the case, clearing the legal hurdles for the film.[50]

Following the audio launch on 25 April 2008, Mallika Sherawat received a police complaint against the issue of improper attire at a film function. Hindu Makkal Katchi, a splinter group of the Hindu Munnani, lodged a complaint with the police, saying that Sherawat's attire at the function to release audio-CDs of Dasavathaaram, in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had been present, had "hurt the sentiments of Hindus". The actress was accused of wearing a mini-skirt and exposing her back in front of the chief minister.[51]

In May 2008, the film was criticised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which claimed that the film has portrayed the clash between Shaivism and Vaishnavism which prevailed in the 12th century in the film in an objectionable manner.[52] However, following the accusations, Venu Ravichandran announced that the film contains no controversial scenes and added that the film, based around the Hindu religion, will convert atheists to theists.[53] The charges were cleared on 29 May 2008 insisting that Dasavathaaram did not portray Hindu culture in bad light.[54]

The film's trailer was released publicly on 23 April 2008, a day after it was shown to special guests, which included M. Karunanidhi at a screen.[55] The first exclusive screening of the film, prior to release, was held on the morning of the audio launch on 25 April 2008, to visiting guests Jackie Chan, Vijay, Mammooty and Amitabh Bachchan, all of whom were full of praise for the film.[56]

The film was shown subsequently to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi by the request of the producer on 8 June 2008.[57]

Some critics felt that the plot was confusing, and that Kamal Haasan's ten roles were forced, with only three relevant to the plot.[58] Sify called the film "average", stating that it would "fall short of the huge expectation and hype it had generated." The reviewer also criticised the make-up, lamenting that "Kamal's prosthetic makeup, especially as George Bush, Fletcher and Khan, is a bit of a dampener" but claimed that Brian Jennings's special effects, "mainly of the climax Tsunami scene, are top class by Indian standards". The reviewer praised cinematographer Ravi Varman, noting: "[He] may take a bow, as his camerawork is glossy and superb", but noted that some of Haasan's characters like Avatar Singh and Khalifullah Khan were "unnecessarily stitched together to make it a perfect 10."[59] Behindwoods rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and said, "In short, with unexpected twists and turns missing in the film, Dasavatharam is a make-up magic show that disappoints as drama and satisfies as a technical showpiece." but concluded, "Watch for Kamal!"[60] IndiaGlitz said, "This is a movie that has highlighted a highly talented and passionate actor in his entire splendor. At the end of the film one tends to ask....has Kamal Haasan been so spectacular that he has overshadowed the script and story this time?"[61]

T S Sudhir of NDTV wrote, "Dasavathaaram, unfortunately, remains just a film with its USP of 10 Kamals. This Kamal does not blossom the way he did in Indian or Nayakan, Appu Raja, Mahanadi, Avvai Shanmughi or in Thevar Magan" and further stated, "One of the best in the business falters with the film's story and screenplay."[62] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and said, "EXPERIMENTS aren't always successful. Like Dasavatharam , Kamal Haasan's ambitious venture which sees him playing ten roles which include a take on George Bush too. Daring, we'd like to insist; only the make-up and the fake appearance borders more on the comic."[63] The Deccan Herald said, "The ten roles are awfully disparate: they are more like pantomime characters. Kamal appears too flabby and jaded. Sorry, Appu Raja (or shall we say Michael, Madana, Kamarajan) it’s time you start being your age. From start to finish there is a severe decibel assault aided and abetted by Himesh Reshammiya."[64] OneIndia said, "After watching Dasavatharam- the so-called magnum opus of the year- an ardent fan of Kamal Hassan will ask why indeed it is called a magnum opus in the first place. Why was all the hype, tension, cases, expectations and unnecessary expenses wasted on this average film. Once again, Kamal fails to attract Tamil audiences with his own script." and gave the verdict, "Not up to expectations!"[65] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu said, "The film would have worked even better had the narrative been tauter and more purposive post-interval" but concluded, "All in all, Dasavathaaram shows that Kamal Haasan has once again taken great pains to make his cinematic projects convincing. The effort has paid off."[66] On the contrary, Rediff praised the film as "spectacular" and a "super human effort", rating it with 4 out of 5 stars. The reviewer concluded that the film will "go down in the history of Indian cinema as a unique experiment in the commercial circuit".[67]

Dasavathaaram completed a 50-day run on 2 August 2008.[71] It completed a 100-day run on 20 September 2008 in four screens in Chennai.[72]

The Chennai Corporation had given the producer special permission to hold five shows daily, which helped the film to garner the extraordinary opening. In the second weekend too, the film registered at least 95% at multiplexes and 80% in single screens.[73] The film grossed ₹96 lakh (equivalent to ₹2.2 crore or US$300,000 in 2019) from 17 screens in Chennai in the opening weekend.[74] The film grossed ₹21 crore (equivalent to ₹47 crore or US$6.6 million in 2019) all over Tamil Nadu on its first weekend. It grossed ₹60 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.3 crore or US$190,000 in 2019) outside South India in the three-day weekend.[75] The film grossed ₹91 lakh (equivalent to ₹2.0 crore or US$290,000 in 2019) in a fortnight in Mayajaal multiplex.[76] In Sathyam Cinemas multiplex, the film grossed ₹90 lakh (equivalent to ₹2.0 crore or US$280,000 in 2019) in a fortnight.[77] The film stayed at No.1 position in Chennai box office for five consecutive weeks.[78] In Chennai, the film grossed ₹6.35 crore (equivalent to ₹14 crore or US$2.0 million in 2019) in three weeks,₹7.53 crore (equivalent to ₹17 crore or US$2.4 million in 2019) in four weeks, ₹8.55 crore (equivalent to ₹19 crore or US$2.7 million in 2019) crore in five weeks, ₹9.44 crore (equivalent to ₹21 crore or US$3.0 million in 2019) in six weeks and around ₹10 crore (equivalent to ₹22 crore or US$3.1 million in 2019) in the lifetime run.[79]

The Hindi version Dashavtar, that was released after almost one year opened to a poor 5–10% response.[80] Dashavtar netted ₹1.93 crore (equivalent to ₹4.3 crore or US$610,000 in 2019) in six weeks in North India and was declared a "Flop".[81] The film grossed ₹2 crore (equivalent to ₹4.5 crore or US$630,000 in 2019) in Kerala in the first week.[82] In a fortnight, the Telugu version earned ₹3.5 crore (equivalent to ₹7.9 crore or US$1.1 million in 2019) share in Nizam, ₹1.5 crore (equivalent to ₹3.4 crore or US$470,000 in 2019) in Ceded,₹1 crore (equivalent to ₹2.2 crore or US$310,000 in 2019) in Vizag,₹96 lakh (equivalent to ₹2.2 crore or US$300,000 in 2019) in East and West Godav.[83]

Dasavathaaram grossed $4,632,719 and was ranked No.7 in the opening week, becoming the first Tamil film to reach the Top 10 at the International box office.[84] In Malaysia, the film opened in second place, having collected $601,000 from 58 screens on the opening weekend[85][86] and $1,720,780 in nine weeks.[87]

Dasavathaaram was released in the United States with 42 prints, an unprecedented record in U.S. movie history for a South Indian film. With print sharing facility, it was screened in 50 cities across the country.