Rajinikanth termed the movie “extraordinary” after watching it in a special screening and now US president George Bush reportedly wants to see it too.
The Tamil flick has Kamal Haasan playing 10 roles
MUMBAI: Rajinikanth termed the movie “extraordinary” after watching it in a special screening and now US president George Bush reportedly wants to see it too.
Dasavathaaram, touted as the costliest Indian film ever, is all set to hit movie halls today and if the pre-release buzz is anything to go by, the makers have a blockbuster on their hands. The 166-minute Tamil movie, starring southern superstar Kamal Hassan, is releasing with a record number of prints in India – more than 1000 prints in the south alone.
In Mumbai itself, Dasavathaaram is being screened in close to 50 halls, a record of sorts. “Places like Sion and Versova should see a good turnout and if the reports are good, it should pick up everywhere in the second week. This has been a trend with all regional movies,” says Devang Sampat of Cinemax theatres.
Mayajaal, Chennai’s massive multiplex, is screening no less than 45 shows a day and all are houseful for the next fortnight.
Made on a colossal budget of more than Rs65 crore, Dasavathaaram costars Asin, Mallika Sherawat, Jaya Prada and Rekha. It is directed by KS Ravikumar.
Kamal Haasan performs ten different roles — from a 12th century priest to, believe it or not, George Bush - and the climax is set against the backdrop of the tsunami.
“The film has been eagerly awaited by fans from the time it was launched, more than two-and-a-half years back. Besides, it promises to be a completely entertainment-driven, paisa vasool fare for audiences,” says Nambi Rajan of Ganesh Films — distributors for North India.
In July last year, the Rajinikanth starrer, Sivaji - The Boss opened to a similar response in the south, breaking records all over. In Mumbai, it film was released amidst much fanfare at the south Indian film lovers’ favourite haunt, Aurora.
Dasavathaaram, released with more prints than Sivaji, is expected to break records set by the Rajini film. Experts feel that the earnings in the initial few days itself would be enough to help it become a hit.
Keeping the ‘costliest Indian movie’ tag aside, Dasavathaaram has been in the news for the controversies surrounding it, including a number of cases filed against it. The latest petition was filed by R Bakthavatsalam and Swami Govinda Ramanuja Dasa from Chennai, alleging that it would hurt the sentiments of Vaishnavites. The Supreme Court has, however, dismissed the case.
The Mumbai filmgoer, of course, has more than plenty to choose from, with three Hindi films hitting the marquee as well. To make matters more confusing, one of them is the Percept produced animation film, Dashavtaar.
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