Kamal KA KAMAAL
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It requires one hell of a film to make you sit — glued to your seat and without batting an eyelid — through three hours and 10 minutes without understanding a single spoken word. And Dasavathaaram is one hell of a film. The riveting (if largely improbable) plot, the high-voltage action sequences, the spectacular special effects and 10 Kamal Haasans make Dasavathaaram a compelling watch from start to finish. What matters is what you see; not what you don’t hear.
Dasavathaaram begins in the 12th century when an ardent Vishnu devotee (Kamal Haasan 1) is killed trying to save the idol of Lord Ranganatha from Shaivite intolerance. Cut to the present when the whole world is on the brink of widespread biological warfare waged by terrorists, much to the concern of US President George W. Bush (Kamal Haasan 2). An Indian born American scientist Govind (Kamal Haasan 3) comes to India in search of a deadly virus-inducing chip that has gone missing from his research laboratory. Close on his heels is an ex-CIA agent Fletcher (Kamal Haasan 4) who has been hired by terrorists to track down the chip. In the course of his journey, Govind meets a bumbling RAW agent Balram Naidu (Kamal Haasan 5), a Pashto-speaking 8-feet tall Pathan (Kamal Haasan 6), a 100-year-old woman (Kamal Haasan 7) who hides the chip in the statue of a goddess and a devout Christian (Kamal Haasan 8) who fights against the mafia and eventually falls prey to the tsunami. A terminally ill Punjabi pop star Avtaar Singh (Kamal Haasan 9) and **a Japanese martial arts teacher (Kamal Haasan 10) **out to avenge a dear one’s death also cross Govind’s path during the course of his mission. At the end of three hours, the chip is destroyed and the culprits are brought to book as Karunanidhi and Manmohan Singh share the stage with a Tamil-speaking Bush!
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To say that Kamal Haasan is spectacular in each of the 10 roles will be a gross understatement. Not only does he look dramatically different (with both make-up and mannerism), he even sounds very different (yes, he has dubbed for all the roles himself). He also excels in his 11th role — that of story, screenplay and dialogue writer as he successfully weaves fantasy with fact. Apart from Asin who essays the role of a rustic Brahmin girl with ease, the women —Mallika Sherawat as the gangster’s moll and Jaya Prada as the loving wife — have precious little to do.
But *Dasavathaaram *is more than just a ‘spot where the next Kamal Haasan pops up from’ contest. If there is anything in the film that compels you to shift your gaze from the man himself, then it has to be the astounding special effects. With no less than 11 companies having worked on creating the spectacle that is Dasavatharam, the film is marked by some visually compelling sequences — the tsunami at the end and the killing of the priest at the beginning stand out. (Bollywood clearly needs to pull up its pants after seeing this one.) Himesh Reshammiya’s music, however, fails to impress and does take a bit of the sheen off Dasavathaaram.
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You may want to put off watching Dasavathaaram till a subtitled print makes its way to city screens. But we recommend that you make your way to a multiplex this week. It’s not everyday that a film enthralls you so much more through visuals than through dialogue. And it’s not everyday that you are witness to a plex audience that doesn’t stop short of launching into a barrage of catcalls and wolf whistles even before the opening credits roll.
**Kamal *ka kamaal *is not a cliche; it’s a 10-in-one truth.
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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080616/jsp/entertainment/story_9415649.jsp
So this guys basically plays a **2th century Vishnu devotee, ****US President George W. Bush, an Indian born American scientist Govind, ex-CIA agent Fletcher, a bumbling RAW agent Balram Naidu, a Pashto-speaking 8-feet tall Pathan, a 100-year-old woman, a devout Christian, ****A terminally ill Punjabi pop star Avtaar Singh **and **a Japanese martial arts teacher **all in one film! amazing!
I have not seen it till now,but eagerly waiting for the Hindi Dubbed one!