Many directors rejected the script: Kamal Haasan on 13 years of ‘Dasavatharam’

Tamil action thriller Dasavatharam completes 13 years of release on Monday, June 14. The actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan 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. The movie was definitely one of its kind in which the actor played ten distinct roles. He also recalls how the script was rejected by many filmmakers before director K.S Ravikumar came on board.

Talking about the same, Kamal Haasan said, ‘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.’

The veteran actor further 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 success and asked to make the film, while on a telephonic conversation with me at Eldams road. That’s how the movie came into being.’

Haasan recalled reaching out to producer Mukta Srinivasan for his opinion on his script and incorporated his suggestions. ‘Most of the time I work alone and like to take the opinion of seniors and well-wishers while on a project. For Dasavatharam, I wanted to take Mr. Mukta Srinivasan’s opinion as he has strong instincts and is a brilliant short story writer. He heard the ‘Dasavatharam’ script and said ‘Kamal, you must watch over the film closely as it’s your idea and go further and say foster it’s like your child. They will kill the child otherwise if you only decide to walk in and out of shoot’. I took his advice and spent all my time on it,’ he said.

The actor mentioned the support his close friends and colleagues gave him when he shared the story. He also expressed his gratitude to producer V Ravichandran for not comprising the film’s scale, ambition, and grandeur. He also acknowledged the efforts of the 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.