Column

After playing 10 roles in his latest film, Kam al Haasan says he’s run out of human characters that will challenge his awesome talent. After all, while Dasavatharam is occasionally self indulgent, awfully long and not all his roles looking very convincing, there is no denying that it’s a class act by a genius who is not just a brilliant actor but also among the finest scriptwriters in the country. I mean, his script of Thevar Magan is arguably one of the best adaptations of The Godfather…

But that’s digressing from the real purpose of this silly column which is to reveal Kamal Haasan’s decision to take up a new acting challenge. He’ll play a variety of Dosas in his next film, a sequel aptly titled Dosavatharam!

While Kamal is still researching his roles in the kitchen, he’s been generous enough to share the storyline he’s scribbled on a recipe book. The story begins in ancient South India where Dosa was born by accident in the royal kitchen of a powerful king when a bowl of Idli batter toppled onto a frying pan along with a spoonful of ghee! The cook, scared that he would be beheaded for this blunder, did some quick thinking and served the same to the king, with coconut chutney, as a rare delicacy called Dosa. The king fell in love with Dosa, included it in his breakfast menu and forced everyone in his court to eat it daily.

Soon Dosa’s fame grew far and wide, attracting the attention of neighbouring kings who began clandestine efforts to possess it by hook or crook. Thus Dosa found itself one day smuggled into Mysore, stuffed with spiced potatoes and served with sambar as Mysore Masala Dosa!

But that was just the beginning, as Dosa suffered an identity crisis with people calling it different names, bathing it in butter and cheese, roasting it, and even stuffing it with fresh vegetables, sautéed onions and mint chutney!

Some even stretched Dosa until it became a Paper Dosa or a Family Roast.

The story then cuts to modern day India where Dosa is adopted by a new generation that finds it cool in the avatar of a Spring Dosa, before the Chinese kidnap it and transforms it into Schezwan Dosa, stuffs it with noodles and veg manchurian..!

Kamal Haasan is reportedly very excited about playing the various dosas, while he’s approached a top Bollywood heroine for the role of coconut chutney.