Cute Asin at the launch of Vogue Magazine

"The shoot with Vogue was really exciting," Asin says. "It was my first shoot for a fashion magazine, and I had lots of fun. The clothes are amazing -- especially the pink dress by Valentino. Most actors don't like doing still photo shoots but I love them. I'm very comfortable and I enjoy the clothes, looking good and freezing the moment."

Asin - Dasavatharam

Asin's reaction as Kothai Radha in the12th century Chola kingdom in India when the king orders to tie her husband Rangaraja Nambi (Kamal Haasan), a Vaishnavite with the huge idol of Vishnu to throw in the Indian Ocean and her plea towards her husband to renounce his belief takes us back in the time roller coaster to the 12th century era and cry with her.

Her role as Andal, a granddaughter of a 95-year-old mentally retarded woman Krishnaveni (Kamal Haasan) is really expressive. She does her best in the scene when Govind (Kamal Haasan) tries to escape with the idol and when she tries to stop him as she is worshiping the idol. In the scene when Govind and Andal find out they are being hunted by the police and that they are portrayed negatively in the press, her reaction towards Govind is very lively.

Bombay Dreams for Asin

Early this year, Asin moved lock, stock and barrel from her Chennai apartment to a spanking new flat in Lokhandwala Complex in Mumbai. At that time it was made clear to her Tamil producers that she was moving to Mumbai to complete Ghajini with Aamir Khan. However, last week the pretty actress signed a Hindi film titled London Dreams opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, to be directed by Vipul Shah.

The grapevine is also abuzz that Bollywood’s hottest director Priyadarshan has signed her up to be the heroine in a film with Akshay Kumar, to start in November. In fact, the July issue of an international fashion magazine has Asin on its cover as one of the heroines to look out for in Bollywood.
So is the queen of Kollywood abdicating her throne? It looks like that, as the actress has not signed any Tamil film after Dasavatharam though the actress keeps saying that she is “open to doing more films in Tamil if the right script comes along.”

Kollywood producers, who have repeatedly knocked at her doors offering her plum roles opposite superstars, have now forgotten her and crowned her arch rival Nayanthara as the new number one. Industry pundits predict that Asin will probably be the next big South Indian actress to make it big in Bollywood.

Asin has worked magic with the family and youth audiences; her portrayal of Kalpana in Ghajini made her a star. Add to this that Asin dubs in her own voice augurs well for the characters she portrays. In the Hindi version of Ghajini also, she has dubbed in her own voice, which was appreciated by Aamir Khan. Experts also say that she has the best strike rate among the current crop of heroines — 7 of her 9 releases in Tamil are hits.

Will the pretty actress find her feet in Bollywood? She is a complete outsider who has no industry connections other than an impressive CV in Chennai. Her plus point is that she has a pan-Indian look and is familiar to North Indian audiences due to the product endorsements she’s done. Asin is a perfectionist with a fiery determination to succeed, and in Bollywood it may just pay off.

Dasavatharam Movie Review

The film opens in the 12th century where Rangaraja Nambi (Kamal Hassan), a staunch Vaishnavite, opposes the removal of Lord Vishnu's idol by King Kulothunga Chozhan (Napoleon), who is a strong believer of Shiva. Nambi is punished and thrown into the deep sea tied to the idol. His wife Kothai (Asin) also kills herself. Then the story cuts to the US where Dr Govind (Kamal) discovers a deadly virus, which catches the attention of the government including President George Bush (Kamal). But his boss tries to sell the vial to the enemies and now it’s the turn of our hero to protect it from causing damage.

Dr Govind is pursued by a former CIA agent-turned-mercenary Keith Fletcher (Kamal) and his Tamil interpreter (Mallika Sherawat), who land up in Tamil Nadu. An array of other characters are drawn into the chase—Balram Naidu (Kamal), the Telugu speaking RAW chief, a Chinese martial arts teacher (Kamal) thirsting to take revenge on Fletcher, Vincent Poovarahan (Kamal) a Dalit activist , Krishnaveni Patti (Kamal), Khalifullah Khan (Kamal) and a Punjabi pop singer Avatar Singh(Kamal). Andal, a Brahmin girl, is also unwittingly drawn into a long chase. What follows is a cat and mouse game till the Tsunami climax.

It's actually hard to believe that in this age of experimentation within the commercial format, the director could think of such a moth-balled story. The earlier Kamal films in which he played dual or multiple roles, like Avvai Shanmukhi, Michael Madan Kamaraj and Indian, were far superior in style and content compared to his latest 10 avatars.

The trouble with the format is that far too many characters of the actor criss-cross without any reason—or they don’t make any difference to the story. It is obvious that characters like the Punjabi pop singer Avatar Singh, the tall Khalifullah Khan, the Japanese martial arts expert , etc., are unnecessarily stitched together to make it a perfect 10. The real crisis point in the film is nebulous. The film also coasts along at a doleful pace—185 minutes. Kamal’s prosthetic makeup, especially as George Bush, Fletcher and Khan, is a bit of a dampener. But Brian Jennings’ special effects, mainly of the climax Tsunami scene, are top class by Indian standards.

Himesh Reshammiya’s music is nothing much to talk about other than Kallai Mattum. But Devi Sri Prasad’s background score is superb and makes up for everything. Cinematographer Ravi Varman may take a bow, as his camerawork is glossy and superb. The big plus for watching the movie is the one-man acting school, Kamal Hassan. He pitches in yet another fantastic performance. Among the 10 avataars, the pick of the lot is Naidu the bumbling cop, as the actor is able to bring out his impeccable sense of comic timing. Asin looks cute as the chirpy Andal, but beyond a point her character irritates you with her frequent Perumale.. calls.Her dubbing is top class and deserves special mention. Mallika, in a brief role sizzles. M.S.Bhaskar and napolean in small roles shines.

Dasavatharam on June 13 (postponed for a day!)

Finally, producer V Ravichandran of Aaskar Films confirmed the date of Dasavatharam on June 13 (postponed for a day!) and the reservation of tickets will start from June 8 in Chennai and other major centers. According to Ravichandran, the film will hit the screens without any further delay on the day he announced with more than 1000 prints. He further told that in US, South East Asia and UK the film hits the halls a day before i.e., June 12.

Meanwhile, the story of Dasavatharam was leaked by some of the close technicians in the crew to our correspondent. According to them, there is nothing new in the story and it is a mere copy of Late legend MGR's Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban.

"It is the modernized version of Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban. As per the script, Kamal is a great scientist in the US and one day he invents a great thing like the atomic fission.But the baddies lead by another Kamal (a white man) will try to steal that secrete. But the scientist seals the formula and sends it to India. It finally reaches a ninety years old lady (also played by Kamal) and how the baddies capture the formula from the lady is the climax of the movie. In between characters like George Bush (also played by Kamal), Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha also 'appear' in the film to thrill the viewers," a production executive says.

For the first time in the world cinema, Kamal Hassan plays 10 different roles in the film. The cost of production is around 65 crores, which is the second costliest film in Indian Cinema after Superstar Rajinikanth's Rs.80 crore budget film Shivaji.

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/

Bush to watch special screening of Dasavatharam

Kamal Hassan's much talked and hyped film, Dasavatharam, where the versatile actor would be seen playing 10 roles would also be viewed by USA President George W. Bush. The special screening for the president is going to be arranged at the behest of the governor of Louisiana who is of Indian origin. It would be interesting to see how the honourable U.S. president reacts, as one of Kamal Hassan's most anticipated get-ups in the film is going to be that of President George Bush. The film is termed to be one of the costliest Indian movies made at a budget of Rs.1.3 billion. It has been heard that apart from Kamal Hassan the USP of the film is going to be its tremendous special effects to be attempted first time ever in any Indian film. Dasavatharam boasts mostly of an international crew, with action directors, Special visual effect directors and makeup men from all over the world! The film also stars Asin and Mallika Sherawat.

1000 prints of ‘Dasavatharam’ getting ready

Oscar Films of ‘Dasavatharam’ is getting 1000 prints ready for its first run. They will make more prints as the demand increases from theatres. ‘Dasavatharam’ is all set to premiere in three cities. Tamil will be premiered in Chennai, Hindi in Mumbai and Telugu in Hyderabad. The producer Oscar Ravichandran has stated that he would arrange a special screening for Jackie Chan in Hong Kong if the star wanted. The climax of the film would be the 30 minutes of the Tsunami scene. The censorship meetings took place recently in Kamal’s office where he has a classy screening room.

'Dasavatharam' overshoots budget to Rs.1.3 billion

"Friday's much hyped trip of Jackie Chan to Chennai on a chartered flight had cost Rs.100 million to the producer and has added to the total cost that has now gone beyond Rs.1.4 billion, said sources close to producer Oscar Ravichandran.

The producer, however, is not said to be complaining.

"Since top stars from Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Mallika Sherawat were present, the worldwide publicity generated has contributed more to the movie's Hindi release than what we actually ended up spending," the source added.

Unfortunately, there was chaos at the film's audio launch function last week in Chennai. Dozens of people, including journalists, were injured when police cane-charged frenzied crowds at the star-studded event.

"Any news is good news. Despite spending all this money, there were no pictures of our shy producer Ravichandran. And there is no mention of his apologising to anyone anywhere," said a publicist associated with the film, referring to the mismanagement of the audio release function.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Actresses' shaktiavatar in 'Dasavatharam'

While Kamalhassan's 10 different roles and an equal number of dictions in the much-awaited ‘Dasavatharam’ has been hogging the media limelight all these days, it has now emerged that the female leads are also in for some meaty roles, with heroine Asin playing a double role.

And the surprise package could well be Bollywood damsel, Mallika Sherawat, who is playing the role of a CIA agent in the movie, according to a press release.

Mallika, making her first direct entry into Kollywood, "dons an altogether different cap in the movie," the release said. Asin, who has been delivering quite a number of hits, pairing top Tamil and Telugu heroes, would for the first time play a double role.

The other Bollywood connection to the film comes by way of singer Himesh Reshammiya, who also makes his debut in Tamil cinema. However, it is not clear whether he will render one of his own numbers in Tamil. The release further said that the audio rights of the movie have been bagged by Sony BMG, which makes its foray into the regional music market through the Kamal-Asin starrer.

The release quoted Shridhar Subramaniam, Managing Director Sony BMG India as saying it was "privilege for us to enter the Tamil music market with a project as grand and special as 'Dasavathram'.

Earlier slated for a Pongal (January 15) release, post production delay ensured that the producer, Oscar V Ravichandran rescheduled the dates for June 6.

The successful duo of director K S Ravikumar and Kamalhassan had earlier come out with the rib-ticklers, 'Avvai Shanmugi' and 'Panchathantiram'.

Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha in Kamal’s Dasavatharam

'Dasavatharam' is produced by Oscar Ravichandran and directed by K.S. Ravikumar. The movie has actor Kamal Hassan playing ten different roles. He is believed to have roped in the CM and the former CM to make guest appearances in the film.

The way both the politicians have been roped in is amazing. Everyone knows that a scientist’s role is among the ten roles donned by Kamal. The scientist introduces his new invention to the world and there is a meeting to felicitate the scientist. The meeting is attended by US President George W. Bush (enacted by Kamal).

Kamal and Ravikumar wanted to make it look credible and hence they decided to request the CM to act in the felicitation scene. Kamal met the CM and explained him the scene. The CM willingly accepted and the scene was shot immediately in a secret manner.

Likewise, Kamal also met former CM Jayalalitha to request her to appear in the film. The scene involving Jayalalitha shows her accompanying the scientist in a helicopter.

'Dasavatharam' also has DPI leader Thirumavalavan delivering a spirited lecture in a public meeting.

Dasavatharam to release on June 6

The long wait is over! The Madras High Court has clearly stated that there would be no further delay in the release of 'Dasavatharam', and that the producer could proceed with the post-production work.

The Court statement comes in response to a special request made by the producer, Oscar Ravichandran, to expedite the hearing of the case.

“Delay by even a day would mean a loss of two crore rupees”, Ravichandran pleaded before the court. The judges clarified that the Court hadn’t slapped a ban on the movie.

Now, it is confirmed that the most anticipated movie of this year would hit the screens on June 6.

The film has been dubbed in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

Dasavatharam screening for George Bush

Kamal Hassan will be playing 10 roles in 'Dasavatharam'. One of his most anticipated get-ups in 'Dasavatharam' would be that of President George W. Bush. The screening for the president will be arranged at the behest of the governor of Louisiana who is of Indian origin.

Kamal Haasan starrer 'Dasavatharam' is also the costliest Indian film at a budget of Rs.1.3 billion. The amount of special effects used in 'Dasavatharam' is humungous and never before has such magnitude of visual effects been attempted in any Indian film ever.

'Dasavatharam' boasts mostly of an international crew, with action directors, Special visual effect directors and makeup men from all over the world! The film also stars Asin and Mallika Sherawat.

The movie will release on June 6th, 2008.

Asin the next dream girl

When Vipul Shah announced his next film London Dreams with its original star cast Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan everyone thought that his favorite Katrina will be part of it. But Vipul was quite clear about his star cast and when it came to the leading lady of the film, Katrina was not at all in his mind.

It is now confirmed that after a lot of auditions Vipul has finalized south fame Asin for London Dreams . Asin is the chosen one who will be seen opposite Aamir Khan in A.R. Murugadoss’s Ghajini . She will also be seen opposite Kamal Hasan in his much talked about film Dashavataram . With such a list of list of films under her belt, this rising star is apt for the Vipul Shah’s next.

This talented actress is on a career high. She has been selective about her roles. It is learnt that Asin is in contract with Vipul’s production house and has been forbidden to talk about her prized role.

When we contacted Vipul said “it’s not true. I am still working on it.” His denial is due to the fact that the producers want to make it a big splash in the media with a surprise announcement.

Well, let Vipul go according to his plans and announce his actress at the right time but don’t forget we were the first to give you the inside dope.