Dashavataram ~ Movie Review

Dated : 17-06-08

“I do not say– There is no God! But I only say it would have been better had there been one!”
A movie that takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride across the centuries, across the countries and more importantly across the time giving the viewer an insight into the in depth rationalization of the Chaos theory and the Butterfly effect, A movie that brings out some stigmatizing social evils that still exist in the society in a curt and right but humorous way, A movie that questions the game of destiny, further questioning the belief in the supernatural power, with a fetter of coincidences that are brought live in this movie by the 10 astounding roles played by Padmashree Dr Kamal Hasan. – Dashavataram.
Movie - GIST
The movie starts off taking the viewer way back in the 12th century – The days of Cholas…when the distinction and discrimination between the Shaivaites and the Vaishnavaites was apparent. It so happens that the King Kulothunga Chozan then in power wants to have the huge idol of Lord Vishnu to be thrown over and out into the ocean to bring the victory of the Shaivaites to history. But there is one strong willed man, who going strong on his belief in Lord Vishnu, decides to lay down his life and leave his family behind to uphold the faith he has in his Lord. He is RangaRajan Nambi – the hard core Vaishnavaite (the 1st role played by Kamal Hasan) who then cajoled by his loving wife Kothai (played by Asin) to bend down to the king’s whims and fancies for the sake of his family that consists of a son too. But Nambi decides to go even with the ocean rather than with the king and so he embraces death with dignity going into the unfathomable abyss of the deep blue ocean along with his Lord………..Then the movie suddenly fast forwards the time and after travelling across the century the viewer enters a biological lab in progress in USA in the year 2004. Dr. Govind Ramasamy Naiker (The second role played by Kamal Hasan and also the reincarnate of Nambi in modern age) a brilliant scientist cum atheist who has been conducting some biological experiments that has produced a hazardous chemical fluid which is actually a bio weapon. But the guinea pig kept in captivity is a monkey named Hanu, which unknowingly mistakes that medicine for chocolate and drinks it only to die a bizarre death with blood spurting out from every fissure of its body. This incident rakes up an unethical deal between the treacherous scientists and an ex-CIA agent turned terrorist – Fletcher (The third role played by Kamal Hasan as the terrorist) with an innocent Govind as the only witness to it. And then starts the cat and a mouse game between Fletcher and Govind with the former behind the latter and the latter behind the vial that contains the ultimate death for the world. As Govind is busy switching the place of the vial for safety of the world, Fletcher accompanied by his female partner – Jasmine (who is none other than the hot sensual babe – Mallika Sherawat), is swiftly switching his places to hunt Govind down and take the vial to bring the ultimate destruction to the world. As the game continues, bodies pile up in the blood game resulting in the death of Yuka - the sister of Shinghen(The fourth role played by Kamal Hasan as the Japanese Martial Arts teacher) and the word reaches George Bush, the President of US(the fifth role played by Kamal Hasan) and immediately information carries itself faster than the deadly virus of the much coveted vial(that actually travels to Chennai in an unknown parcel) and Govind reaches Chennai to fetch it but there he is greeted by the sturdy policeman – Balram Naidu (the sixth role played by Kamal Hasan) who, belonging to Andhra Pradesh favors for and bends more towards his ethnicity. As the game of death proceeds, our hero Govind after a long arduous escape from the blabbering Naidu and the conniving Fletcher(who along with Jasmine follows him to India), ends up in a Brahmin dominated village (Agraharam) that carries more of the Vaishnavite sentiments, only to meet the beautiful Andal(played by Asin) who is the reincarnate of Kothai of the former century(Ironically there is a role switch..In the pervious century, it was nambi who was the firm believer in his Lord and here in this birth it is Andal…..)…..As the vial reaches the 95 year old lady – Krishnaveni Paati (The seventh role played by Kamal Hasan) in the form of a parcel, the journey takes twists and turns with all the players including Balram, Fletcher, Jasmine ending up in the same village for the vial and as the entire focus directs itself towards the vial, the old unsuspecting Krishnaveni Pati puts the vial into the idol of Lord Narayana as she says “Let him show the way”. And then with more bodies piling up as Fletcher unscrupulously goes on a rampage killing everyone on his way, Govind and Andal end up being together through out the movie with Govind protecting the vial and Andal protecting the idol. Also in the movie we come across Avtar Singh(the eighth role played by Kamal Hasan as the Punjabi) who being a singer suffers from a cancerous growth in his throat decides to give his best in the last show of his, Kaifulllah Khan(the ninth character played by Kamal Hasan as the unusually tall Afghan) who plays a major role in circumstancing the Butterfly effect for Govind and Vincent Boovaragan (the tenth character played by Kamal Hasan as the Dalit leader) who fights for the weaker ones. There are many incidents in the movie that all tag together giving ground to the sequence of the events that happen and ultimately giving rise to the end scene where Fletcher, Govind, Andal and Shingen(knowing that Fletcher slay his dear sister) are caught in the death quadrangle with Fletcher having the vial. As Fletcher with the malevolent smile drinks that fluid to bring death to the world, destiny has other plans as it brings tsunami where the ocean unleashes its fury on earth (also considering the fact that the cure for that virus was NaCl and the ocean has loads of it ) as if it was venting vengeance against the wrong done.
Movie – Review Dashavataram – A splendid attempt by a 54 year old prodigy – Padmashree Dr. Kamal Hasan, to study and analyze the concept of science, God and reality. The events have been circumstanced in such a way that the viewer cannot just help but wonder at how the link has been created between each event. The Butterfly effect being an important part of the Chaos theory has been skillfully incorporated in this movie. For example, without Shinghen, Govind would have been dead. Without the tsunami, the world would have been destroyed by the bio weapon. Without Krishnaveni Patti the vial would have gone in the hands of Fletcher had she not put the vial into the idol. And from the time the vial went into the idol, it looked as if destiny was mentoring the movements of the cat and mouse chase game. Even Kaifulllah Khan (the unusually tall Afghan) also played a minor but conspicuous role becoz without him, Govind would have never escaped Naidu or Fletcher and the list simply goes on……The comedies in the movie have been very spontaneous and have been timed so correctly that one must watch the movie with great concentration in order not to miss it. There has been a boring intervention in-between as the movie becomes slow somewhere near the end but the tsunami at the end surpasses the flaws and makes it a fantabulous ending to the long arduous journey towards saving the world. The music that has been composed by Himesh Reshamiya has been an average one though.
Any layman after watching this movie may not enjoy this much but when one gets to analyze the sequel of events, he/she would realize that it requires a paramount intelligence event to attempt to make such a movie! This is a must watch movies Folks!!!!!

KUDOS TO PADMASHREE DR.KAMAL HASAN!!!!!

CHEERS!!!!!