Dasavatharam: An Open Letter to Kamal Sir
Kamal Sir,
This from a humble fan, who happens to be in the same fraternity as you, though much lower, pretty much to the point of non-existence on the rungs of the acting ladder. I sincerely hope this text finds you in the best of health and spirits. That’ll make one of us. Sir, I’m a huge, unabashed fan of yours, and with the best of intentions I write this.
You see, I just came back from watching Dasavatharam. And I have a few questions/comments/concerns, none of which I expect an answer to, but such was the film that if I didn’t get these off my chest, I fear insomnia for the next month or two, and as much as I can handle it for a few days here and there, I don’t think I can do without sleep for too too long.
Sir, I’ve been very conscious of not following the hype surrounding your film, lest it were to spoil my viewing pleasure. If one looks forward to a particular movie, I think the best thing they can do for it is to disconnect themselves from all sources reporting on it. It’s the only way I feel, to get an unbiased watch and reaction at the same time.
Sir, I didn’t get to watch too many movies growing up, but I vividly remember watching Sadma and Saagar in my pre-teen years, and I remember how I bawled my eyes out. And sometimes you do these amazing things, where I could watch the same film 15 years later, just like I watched Sadma a few months ago, and still cried with the same intensity as I did when I was a kid. You’ve made me laugh in movies like Michael Madana KamaRajan, Apoorva Sahodarargal and Avvai Shanmugi, and blew me away in films like Anbe Sivam and Guna and Nayakan, and the list goes on and on and on…
As an artist, it’s hard not to go into depression sometimes. I cry sometimes thinking about where I will end up as an actor, but more so, I cry about people I might never get a chance to ever work with. I have always harbored a deep want to work with you. Each time I watch Anbe Sivam, I imagine myself in place of Madhavan, and what awe he must’ve felt while sharing the same frame as you. I read his interviews about what it was like for him to be asked by you to work on Anbe Sivam, and I can’t help but feel jealous thinking “that should’ve been me.” That’s natural enough, I suppose.
So it is with anger, frustration, and disappointment that I tell you today that I felt cheated after I came out of the theater less than an hour ago. One doesn’t need to be a thespian to know that Hollywood prosthetics do not a good actor make. I know you have donned many looks in your illustrious career, but today was, sir, for lack of a better word, “the pits”. I won’t go into details of how this 3hr film should’ve been no more than 2hrs. I won’t delve into the little things about a bullet destroying a man’s cancerous growth. No, there are other things to be concentrated on.
You are an acting institution sir. Why did you feel the need to wear, in essence, a mask, to “portray” all these different characters that looked way too similar to each other??? You may as well have dropped Jay Leno in as the CIA agent, or had Frank Caliendo imitate George Bush, or had Gulshan Grover play Avtaar Singh. And what was with the tall Muslim guy on stilts? Why didn’t you just get… oh, I don’t know… a tall Muslim guy?? I’m not even sure where to start about your portrayal of the Japanese character, so I’ll just say, the mustache was crooked, and leave it at that. All I could do towards the end was shake my head and wonder why you even bothered having Asin as a heroine. Why didn’t you just cast yourself in that role too??
As artists, sure, we all want creative satisfaction, sir. But self-indulgence isn’t the answer sir. Please, as a devoted fan of yours, sir, please, don’t make another movie with you in 12 or 13 avatars. If they charged $15 at the theater for you in 10 getups, I don’t even want to imagine what they’ll charge as your budget for prosthetics increases.
Notice I didn’t talk about the CGI sir. How could I? You are one of my idols, and I’ve already fallen to shame by talking about your film in such light. Not to mention, I’ve probably destroyed all hopes of ever working with you. I can’t bear to go on with talking more negatives about your film. It hurts. I don’t want it to hurt anymore.
I will try my best to erase all memories of Dasavatharam, minus Balram Naidu’s character. Thank you for at least giving a hope of saving grace, though it ended a hope. Perhaps a re-watch of Sadma and Saagar are in order.
Humbly yours,
Karthik Srinivasan
Movies, Review , Dasavatharam, Kamal Hassan
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@karthik,
It happens with all immensly powerful actors who in other sense is not disciplined enough to not to destroy himself.They never did any serious cinema,that is cinema at its best.They are so concious about popularity and so self indulgent that finally its a pathetic display that we get from them.Marlon Brando in his illustrious career as a main-stream Hollywood actor,who was rebellious to the system had managed only a ‘LAST TANGO IN PARIS’-the most wonderful 3rd grade film of a mocking maker Bartolucci and that was really embarrassing.Kamal Hasan and actors like him are like old stage actors of pre-independence commercial theatre era who always intend to stage a ‘BOOK’ on stage, rather than a ‘PLAY’. That was due to ill learning.So,their immense possibility(as I myself think that Kamal is the best ever lost actor of Indian cinema who can be a legend otherwise)always and without failure get lost in Cine-Bazar.They,inspite of all their present success will be a no-name for Cinema history.Fallies are not only of them or by them,it is system that make them do such stupid things and ultimately destroyes them with ease for a present miegre benefit.
If you are one actor,please be careful to tell you that you are just a part of a film and not the whole film itself.And please do remember that you like all others,including directors too, are much less than cinema itself.It may show you some ways to select charecters and proper cinema.Because,I personally believe that nobody is waiting for us to do anything,but if we do then we are accountable.Lets be mature and cautious.If it does not suits my intent then it is best to leave the profession itself than to become ‘AN EDIOT’(not of Dostoyevsky ofcourse).
I cannot blame you and only you for going in and seeing Dasavatharam with a wrong set of expectations. The fact that you are comparing Kamal’s Anbe Sivam, Guna, Sadma here shows that you have no idea of what Dasavathram was made for. Despite its secrecy, people atleast had an idea that this film having 10 avtars of Kamal is definitely not going to be in the same serious genre like a Sadma, Thevar Magan, Anbe Sivam. So all you got to do is expect an out and out racy entertainer with enjoying Kamal’s perfection with 10 roles (some of them were forced, but what the heck? I loved to see Kamal playing all those 10 characters than some nobody-cares-who actor) with high technical values and CGI like never before in a Indian movie. If you had that, you’d come out getting everything out of the movie. It is like going to Sivaji expecting a ‘6-il irundhu 60 varai’ kind of story and performance.
Did you go an watch MMKR when it got released in theatres? Not many did but it still to me is one of the best comedies in Tamil all-time. Dasavathram is one of the best when it comes to masala flicks, racy entertainers.
A lesson to all masala flicks heroes. You just don’t need to come up with the same done-to-death gun fighting, aruvaal weilding stories with hero single handedly killing all bad men. You can come up with screenplays like this and still make it a enjoyable entertainer.Easier said than done though…not everybody is talented as Kamal is has the guts to make such movies. For those who trash Dasavatharam comparing with his older serious classics, I feel you deserve films like Kuruvi, Bheema, Malakottai week after week every year.
The first line in my previous comment was supposed to be…
I BLAME you and only you for going in and seeing Dasavatharam with a wrong set of expectations.
It’s unfortunate that Kamal is reduced to resorting to these gimmicks. Is it the same Kamal of SAGAR SANGAMAM and SWATHI MUTHYAM ?? Striker since you are aardent fan of Kamal and actor, you MUST watch these movies to see what Kamal’s acting is all about. I don’t know if these K. Viswanath’s Telugu movies are dubbed into Tamil/ Hindi but even if you don’t understand Telugu, you will be impressed by what Kamal has done in these movies
maverick, you’re right about one thing. i had no idea what it was made for.. mostly bc i didn’t want to know. from what i had heard, it was supposed to be a masala flick, and when kamal is appearing in 10 getups, it definitely doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that he’s not trying to repeat one of his classics. if my venting felt to you like i’m comparing his earlier films to dasavatharam, then i’m not. tell you what, i’m even ready to delete every line in my post about his earlier films, and even then, i wouldn’t be able to hide my dissapointment behind watching this one. i definitely didn’t watch MMKR in the theaters.. i was too young then and not much into cinema. i did watch it a few years back though for the first time and again about 6 months ago, and i loved it equally both times (though i felt the ending was a bit dragged out). no doubt it was a helluva fine comedy.
i must say i’m amazed that you found the CGI of high technical value. i found myself rolling my eyes, man.. i really did. it was as shoddy as it gets. maybe the tamil nadu audience might think differently, because they haven’t been exposed to better.
i’ll check out your reccos, thanks.
suddhasatya, you nailed it when you said “If you are one actor,please be careful to tell you that you are just a part of a film and not the whole film itself”. i couldn’t agree with you more. kamal sir tried to be the whole film itself. that’s where it spoiled it for me.
raj, will surely check out those films.. thanks.
I too completely agree with suddhasatya on his comment, “If you are one actor,please be careful to tell you that you are just a part of a film and not the whole film itself.”
That has been an issue with Kamal since a very long time, which I found irritating, yet made it a point to try and watch all his films. In his other movies, as his roles were enacted by the same character I uesd to get bored with it, at times. Meanwhile, in Dasavatharam, he has brilliantly tried to strike a fine balance in this regard. Trying to be on-screen all the time without irritating the viewer with boredom with the constant presence of a single character.
The comparisons between Dasavatharam and his previous movies like Anbe Sivam and Nayagan, though bound to happen, need not exist. Those classics, and many others executed by him, are master pieces that have escalated the characters to various levels of immortality in our minds.
I am neither a film maker nor watch as many films as you guys, but end up watching a couple of films in a week, on an average, across languages. In my experience, its rarely that I have come across such an interesting storyline as Dasavatharam. The audieces were riveted to their seats for the entire length of the movie. I personally got bored during the songs, especially Mallika’s item number. Himesh sucks royally! A huge misfit in the movie.
The CG elements were passable, at most, with international standards. If compared with efforts in Indian cinema, pretty decent. Nothing extraordinary at all. I could make out the layers in some of the scenes, which means its a shoddy job in some bits.
Kamal Hassan has been a great actor, story teller, director and also fits many other roles. Most importantly, he is an entertainer. We all need to understand that all movies are not made for intellectual stimulation or critical reviews.
There are audiences who pay to get entertained and there are producers wanting to make money rather than provide great cinema. Be it, a Sivaji or a Dasavatharam or for that matter countless other Hindi and Tamil movies which come and go over the weeks, they make money for the producer and have the audiences entertained.
Watching Kamal sashay in 10 avatars is a bit more than anyone can handle, but thats the way he is. He wants to be on screen at all times. He has reached a stage in his career, where he can afford to that. Who are we to question him what’s right and what’s wrong? Did you or someone else question him why he did Guna, Nayagan, Devar Magan, Anbe Sivam, Varrumai Nizham Sigappu (i desperately want the DVD, if anyone can, please help me get it), MMKR and countless others. They were his experiments, some paid off well and some didn’t. He moved on. And, if you don’t like one of his experiments, move on.
Maverick, People have prejudices..cant help it. I watched MMKR first day first show and thorughly enjoyed it. Over the years I have watched it many times and have discovered new jokes with every subsequent viewing. Same is the case with the much under-rated Kadhalaa Kadhalaa.
Thankfully here in Tamilnadu, Dasavatharam has not suffered the fate of MMKR and KK. It is on the way to becoming a super hit.
Kartik Srinivasan, I am sorry that you felt this way about the film, but since you have said that you are a budding actor, please do post about the work that you are doing. I am interested to watch what kind of work you do.
Nambi’s wife and father-in-law asks him to call out Om Nama Shivaya for the sake of his life..They reason that there is no difference between eight letters and five letters..and watch Nambi’s reaction..If you guys did not understand that Nambi’s reaction is the essence of the film(difference between Faith and reason)..then I think you need to watch the film once again, may be this time without prejudice or without expectations.
Brilliantly said, Anand.
The last Kamal film that I saw with a lot of satisfaction was Mahanaadhi…after that I belive Anbe Sivam was very good too..again an unabashed fan of his work..I have found him descending into “playing to the gallery” tricks that does not sit well with his ability and his history as an actor..that said, he is still one of India’s greatest..a call goes out to Tamizh movie directors..would someone have the temerity of just giving a decent role/script and get him back to the basics of a good or fantastic charcter that would make a great movie again!!!
jagadeesh, you say “who are we to question him what’s right and what’s wrong?”. you’re right. we’re nobody. but we do retain the right after paying to watch the film to say that we didn’t like it. and that’s all i’m saying in my post. if he wants to make another film with him in 20 avatars, let him do it, but simply put, i won’t watch it. and i have that right as the audience.
anand, so far i’ve acted in plenty of independent films and done theatre work. and trust me, the day one of my films get a theatrical release, you’ll be among the first people to know. you already have a set prejudice against me since i didn’t like a film that you loved, so chances are you’ll rip me apart, but in a weird way, i look forward to that. as for watching dasavatharam once again… no thanks.
Well… I think the movie was a total masala timepass movie. Better value than Race, Tashan and other mindless entertainers. For some reason, we all felt that this would be a masterpiece or a classic. But it is pure commercial fare. I don’t think it intended to be anything else!
And all the Mahanadhi, Guna, Anbe Sivam fans… any idea when Marudhanaayagam is releasing? Has it been revived/completed?
Anand G!
Marudhanayagam in all possibilities will not be revived in near future. Marudhanayagam’s future is directly tied with how Marma yogi shapes up. If Marma yogi gets its USP right, then we might see Walt Disney and other international players pitching in to bear the huge cost that a project like Marudhanayagam entails. The question also remains - will Kamal be able to portray a raw and physical character like Marudhanayagam if it takes 3 or more years to take life?
Anand.
Pls dont tell me that this movie was made to be compared with Race and Dhoom2 - there is no worser way of insulting an artiste like Kamal than that.
Nice to see that the discussion is continuing.You all are such a splendid enthusiasts and that’s great.But here from I got a different question and to put it simply may have something interesting out from your part.Why we go to cinema halls to watch an actor?He may be the greatest of all,but is he or she stands above cinema?Do you feel that practice right, at least for us,who see films critically(not being a critic in some media does not stop one to be a critic)?
suddhasatya, your question is a valid one. true, no one is bigger than cinema itself. or should i say, no one “should be” bigger than cinema itself. but there are certain people that you watch over the years and you can’t help but be mesmerized by them or develop a certain affinity for them. before you realize it, you’re a fan, and you want to see what they [can] do next. kamal sir is one of them for many of us on this platform.
sure, we all watch films for different reasons, but when it comes to certain people, for ex. any of thalaivar’s films, who cares a damn for the story? we just want to watch them and be entertained. i think if dasavatharam had rajini instead of kamal, i would’ve still been frustrated, but it would’ve been easier for me to swallow and get over, because i expect gimmicks from rajini and not so much from kamal.
Striker, Pls do post about your work… i promise you that I’ll watch it with an open mind.
@sudhasatya:
I am afraid you missed the point of Last Tango in Paris. The movie was about a venal older man trying to hang on the last vestiges of his youth through the character of Maria Schneider, and ending up abusing and using her mercilessly. Marlon Brando was perfect for the role - the aging Lothario who doesn’t know when his youth slipped away from him. It is an all time classic - one of Bertolucci’s best. Maybe you should read Pauline Kael’s review for some insight.
@Karthik:
Like Maverick, I also blame you for going in with high expectations to watch the movie - but for different reasons. You should have known by now that Kamalhasan is now just a hulking empty shell of an actor, bereft of logic, art, or craft. He has done nothing of note in the last 10 years, except indulge in juvenile gimmickry, hiding behind PVC masks, secure in the knowledge that there is a blind fan base who will indulge his every ridiculous cinematic whim. If you are a true fan, then stop watching every crap he dishes out. Send him a message - “sir you were a great actor, but you need to keep acting to keep me involved. You cannot take me for granted - because I pay for your whims. Whatever you are is because of me.”
Megalomania is ruined a wonderful actor truly.
@Shan,
I think the space in comment section is not enough for a discussion of this nature.I may miss some of your points and you of mine.Yet let me try to open up my comment on LAST TANGO a bit more.If you open a camera and shoot and then edit it, you will find that some content is there, though one might not have conciously had thought of it.My point was not the content only.It was about the whole making including Brando’s act in it.Bartolucci’s do make a film.But in Russia they used to build a film. As Bartolucci’s school is different I must call it making.The content does not have any specific charecter that can make it great.Scores of content like that one had been written in Europe in past in the form of NOVEL,PLAY,POEMS etc. For instance you can find it in O’nil, in Nobokov, in Bodleire and so on.In cinema there is Passolini to deal with such subjects.If I treat this particular content on its merit I find it rather a weak try to mimic a bit Passolini,Fellini even Antonioni.A piece in Antonioni’s Blow-up you may remember,where a violent attack had been made by the protagonist on a model when he was shooting a still with her.Don’t you find it similar in spirit with the sodomy shots in Tango? Even the framing was at the best a notched up alternative of that sequence.A cinema is not remembered for the debates on sexuality only,though this is the shortest way to find glory, it is remembered on the merit of cinema only.I will remember Passolini’s OEDIPUS REX for instance as a great one to fathom in the depth of sub-concious than this Tango. As far as I am concerned I did not find any remarkable interpretation of life in Tango.
Lastly I would like to indulge you to think of a partial content in MAHABHARATA. Vedavyasa had slept with a helping hand after two queens. One queen who closed her eyes at the time of intercourse had ‘blind’ Dhritarastrya as son. The other feared Vyasa and had ‘pale’ Pandu as son. But the helping-hand(or made-servant) had participated in that intercourse properly (she had responded in open mind) and had ‘Bidur-the great Dharma’ as her son.Now that is called interpretation and in-depth study of human nature.I always find layers in it and a new meaning after each reading.Last Tango was enough for a single viewing to get at its bottom.
And for your suggestion I will definitely go through that article/criticism, although keeping my own sense of cinema working all time.
@SuddhaSatya:
I have to admit I am puzzled. Why would it be some sort of demerit for a filmmaker of you found traces of another’s influence in his work? I mean even if you do find Pasolini’s or Antonioni’s influence on Bertolucci, how does it detract from Bertolucci’s work? As far as I am concerned, I will examine a cinematic text on merit and not on extraneous influences. And if I consider influences to be negative (plagiarisms) then I will never be able to watch Tarantino at all!
Anyway coming back to Last Tango, I am afraid my obtuseness has prevented me from understanding your objection to the film. All I could get was that you “did not find any remarkable interpretation of life in…” the film. I am not sure that the benchmark of a successful film is to interpret life for you. (And even if it is, I hope you agree that you have qualified your own opinion with “I did not find”.) Last Tango is not just about sex, it is not just about relationships, it’s also about power, its rise and fall in the context of relationships. It’s also about film making, as seen in the character of Maria’s boyfriend/fiance. Brando is a vile character, but also has an animal magnetism that attracts Maria to him. I mean Maria even runs away from her wedding dress fitting! Haven’t you seen that in your life? Does it not raise questions about people you know? How many times have you seen people stay in abusive relationships because of this unfathomable attraction?
Next, Brando uses her, sodomizes her, but then treats her like a child, bathing, grooming and cleaning her, apologizing. Doesn’t that tell you anything about the human condition? That an abuser can be dependent on the victim - so much so that if the victim goes away, the abuser falls apart?
Finally, Maria breaks free, but Brando cannot. He follows her, now a broken shell of a man, begging her for a hand job! How far can he fall - is this the end of every abuser? This self loathing, this decrepit begging? And this time Maria has the upper hand. She does give him a hand job, but this time she is the giver - he is the beggar. This final act is liberating for her because she is finally superior in this broken relationship. This is her revenge.
And you still think this does not say anything about the human condition? No interpretation of life? Opinions of course are subjective, and I respect yours. However I have just tried to give a snapshot of why I think LTIP is one of the best movies made by Bertolucci and personally, I feel one of Brando’s best performances, perhaps his only great one after a certain age. You of course, are free to disagree.
what said by shan is absolutely right.Last Tango in Paris is a quest of man Paul, to understand the meaning of life and its pointless if any.But in the end, he finds that it is not the life that is pointless but it is the living and the beauty is that he understands only when paul is shot.and he wishes that his future generation would understand this very truth-”OUR CHILDREN WILL REMEMBER THIS”.As of film, it is most visually suggesting than Antonioni’s filmmaking.Brando’s finest acting.Infact I would suggest that, better than “Godfather”.Watch for the scene where he talks to his dead wife.It represents the gratest acting os Stainslavaski.He is the character but at the same time he is the actor.