'Dasavatharam' turns 13, Kamal Haasan says film was a 'masterclass'
As Kamal Haasan celebrated 13 years of his sci-fi action thriller Dasavatharam on Monday, the actor-filmmaker took a trip down memory lane to share what went behind making the film, which he said was nothing short of a "masterclass" for him. Directed by KS Ravikumar, the film starred Haasan in ten distinct roles. Here's more.
The film was under production for nearly three years
Dasavatharam, which was under production for nearly three years, became a massive hit upon its release in 2008. Haasan, 66, who also wrote the screenplay, said Dasavatharam was a film that taught him the true meaning of "democracy."
I learned democracy during the making of this film: Haasan
Dasavatharam was a masterclass for me on every technical aspect. There were many masters to teach and learn from and cinema was the ultimate master and very forgiving when we failed in some parts, definitely more forgiving than the audience who made it a hit. I can say I learned democracy during the making of this film," he said in a statement.
Many directors turned down the script except Ravikumar
The actor said many directors turned down the film's script saying they didn't "understand it," except for Ravikumar, who was convinced the movie would be a winner. Haasan recalled reaching out to producer Mukta Srinivasan for his opinion on his script. The actor said he was also thankful to producer V Ravichandran for not compromising on the film's scale, ambition and grandeur.
The film needed a crore more for the climax: Haasan
"Toward the end of the filming, during the tsunami sequence, we realized we needed a crore more to achieve the visuals written by me for the climax," Haasan said. "Now people nonchalantly talk about Rs. 20 to 30 crore, but back then it was huge. I offered to rewrite the script without the tsunami and end it with the train sequence," the actor said.
Action sequences were one of the biggest highlights of 'Dasavatharam'
"However, Mr. Ravikumar had fully understood the script and fought tooth and nail to get the climax done as scripted originally and we spent the additional Rs. one crore," the actor said. Notably, the action sequences were one of the biggest highlights of Dasavatharam, with each character of Haasan getting a distinct action style.
We were focused on contributing to art of cinema: Haasan
"We wanted to make a masterpiece and we didn't look at money or fame, just our contribution to the art of cinema. We had various stunt directors supporting us," he said. Haasan believes in some sequences of the film the CGI wasn't up to the mark, but it was the best the team could do with all the constraints back then.
The actor acknowledged the efforts of technicians and stunt directors
The actor acknowledged the efforts of his technicians, stunt directors for giving their best to achieve his cinematic vision, but said he would not "forgive or forget" those who had abandoned the project. "All of my technicians helped me complete the project through all the insults, quarrels, stressful environment and I am grateful to them," he said.
