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DASAVATHAARAM - REVIEW

DASAVATHAARAM (Tamil,2008)

Director: K.S.Ravikumar

Cast : Kamal Haasan,Nagesh ,Napolean,Asin,Mallika Sherawat,Jayaprada

Alright , alright !!! I know this movie has been reviewed a million times and you might be tired of reading a lot about this movie , and will probably not read it again. But it just struck me , 5 months after I had seen it , that I had not reviewed this movie , which is one of India's biggest films ever made. So read on..

Kamal Haasan decided to embark on one of cinema's most daring adventures ever .. 10 roles in one movie. Not just small changes in the costume and get-up , but complete full-fledged characters.

The movie starts off in the 12th century AD , where we witness a conflict of religious ideals. An idol of Lord Vishnu is immersed in the ocean , and the movie portrays a series of events , which are a direct result of the immersion , based on the "Chaos Theory" , which claims that everything in the world is related. Most of you might have seen the movie already , so I wont talk about the plot any longer.

The movie starts off brilliantly and keeps you interested for sometime. But somewhere down the line , you begin to get a bit bored. The plot is seemingly complex , but in essence it's rather simple, and just relates the series of events which unfold. The problem I had with the movie is that , it is excellent in some places , but down-right poor in other parts.

The movie is huge , and we all know that it is tough to piece together ten completely different characters into one single cohesive unit and make it look interesting. The Direction is very inconsistent and is messy in many sequences.

Technically the movie is very good and the Director has used technology effectively. The music is pretty good , and thankfully the songs are not thrown in at unwanted places , and gel nicely with the storyline.

Now onto the acting ... Kamal Haasan is undoubtedly India's best actor and the versatile legend has put in immense effort in the movie. The acting is brilliant , and all ten characters which he portrays are very convincing. The character of Govind Ramasamy the scientist is the main protagonist and forms the crux of the movie. I admit not all 10 characters appealed to me. The Japanese Master character is of no relevance to the storyline, and does not do much , except mumble some dialogues . Same issues with 1 or 2 more characters , who have been added just to complete the number of 10.

Balram Naidu , as the Investigating officer is simply superb and provides much needed humor to the movie. He is easily one of the best things about the movie.

Krishnaveni Paati as the old lady is very convincing , and I wonder how the brilliant actor managed to modulate his voice to suit the character.

Kalifullah is one of the characters which I did not appreciate much in terms of relevance to plot , but definitely played to perfection.

Avtaar Singh , again does not do much , but the acting is very convincing.

Christian Fletcher however is a very important character and Kamal Haasan does a fine job, reminiscent us of Hollywood action.

The US President is the character which is easily the best in terms of pure acting . This is because all the other characters are new to the audience and we have to lap it up , no matter what. However we all know the character of George Bush , and it is almost impossible to make him appear convincing . but the ever dependable actor gives us an almost accurate portrayal of George Bush.

Rangaraja Nambi is the best thing about the movie. Although his character appears very briefly in the first few scenes, the acting is top notch.

Now the one aspect of the movie which haunts me even now. The character of Vincent Poovaraagan will stay in your minds for a long time. Such an intense portrayal of a Dalit, this is easily the most powerful character in the movie , not in terms of the plot , but sheer brilliance in characterization. The dialogues are extremely good and I just loved the sequence in which Vincent and P.Vasu argue. This is where Kamal takes the term " RAW ACTING" to a new level...

Asin has nothing much to do and appears convincing in the 12th Century sequence. But later on she becomes irritable , always screaming " Aiyo Perumal Perumal !!" and frankly speaking she is the worst thing about the movie.

Mallika Sherawat has been roped in for obvious reasons. Napolean and Nagesh have done well in their brief roles.

The screenplay is poor and inconsistent. Although it is very tough to pull off such a grand project successfully , the movie could have been much better.

I will go with 2.5 out of 5 for "Dasavathaaram" , a movie which definitely had lots of expectations around it , but sadly fails to meet them . However it has to be seen for the huge effort that has gone into making this gigantic movie . As a huge fan of the "Ulaga Nayagan" I admit that this is not his best performance till date. But still , please do appreciate the brilliant acting and the hard work which he has put in. Mr.Kamal Haasan , take a bow !!

VERDICT : Watch it for the effort. ( 2.5 / 5)

GUNA - REVIEW

Guna (Tamil,1992)

Director: Santhana Bharathi

Cast: Kamal Hassan , Girish Karnad,Janagaraj

I had seen this movie a long time ago, when I was very young. Over the years I have managed to catch it in bits and pieces , on TV. But this is the first time , I watched the entire movie , as a grown-up and mature individual. And I loved it ...

The story is based on Guna (Kamal Hassan) , a mentally disabled person , who is put up in an asylum, under the care of a Doctor(Girish Karnad). There is only one person in the world whom he cares about,Abirami.We never get to know or see the real Abirami.She is just a lady always in Kamal's mind and he believes Abirami is an angel and will marry him.

Guna was an expert at breaking locks and Janagaraj engages him to break open the locks of a temple's treasury and burgle it.It is here that Guna sees a beautiful lady , Roshini and assumes her to be Abirami.After a rather interestingly shot series of events Guna and Roshini end up in Kodaikanal where he takes care of her in a rundown church.Meanwhile the police and Roshini's family caretaker are on the lookout for them.

This movie was made in 1992 and is considered to be one of the finest ever in Indian Cinema.Unfortunately the movie bombed as it is much ahead of its time like Kamal's "Aalavandhaan".Though the story is not at all complex the audience is still not mature enough to appreciate the beauty of this classic.

Guna's selfless love for abirami will stay in your mind for a long time thanks to one of Kamal's best performances EVER. This is a very serious character and there is not a single moment in which you are not overwhelmed by his phenomenal performance.The movie does not have any cliched or predictable scenes ,very unlike the movies made in the early 90's and is the perfect example of a "progressive movie".

Kamal's amazing acting is well supported by the other actors.Janagaraj,Girish Karnad,Roshini have acted finely.Roshini's character changes toward the end ,from trying to get rid of Guna and eventually falls in love with him.

The plot is very unpredictable ,like Guna's character.You never know what he has in store for you.There were only two things which I didn't appreciate much.The police sequences towards the end are made to look rather childish and SPB as the cop is irritable with his dialogues ,which he barely manages to mumble aloud and ends up coughing throughout.Roshini's caretaker is the only cliched character.However these are very minor faults in a movie and you will not find them boring you as the rest of the movie is simply amazing ,to say the least.The music by maestro Ilayaraja is brilliant.The most famous and beautiful sequence is the evergreen "Kanmani Anbodu" song.

Kamal's potential as an actor is widely known and I am not fit enough to describe the stalwart of Tamil cinema.His acting in this movie will remain a benchmark in Indian cinema for ever.The scene in which he shouts "Kuruvi ,Kuruvi !!" on seeing a bird being killed made me open my mouth in awe. Solid,nay Rock Solid acting !!

The movie is deservedly at the top of the masterpieces list in Indian cinema.The audience still not being able to appreciate such movies is very disappointing.

My verdict for the movie is 4 out of 5.It has to be simply seen and appreciated and don't blame me if you keep saying "Abirami ,Abirami" after watching it.Blame it on Mr.Kamal who makes it sound so beautiful.

Verdict: Ultimate Masterpiece 4 / 5

P.S.:If you ever get to visit Kodaikanal , make it a point to visit the pillar rocks or Guna caves.This is where cinematic history was created.