****SPOILER ALERT*****
A friend of mine sent me this link juxtaposing the 10 roles with the avatarams they supposedly resemble. You can also find a better version, minus the pictures, on Prem Panicker's blog. A couple of samples:
Krishna avatar - Vincent Poovaraghavan .. is dark-skinned [Shyamalam]...he appears when Asin is about to be molested and he saves her like Draupadi. Vincent is the dalit diplomat, fights for land issue [soil issue to be exact] and dies from the metal rod striking his leg.
Narasimha avatar - Shingen Narahashi first of all the name itself is a play on the words singam [means lion in tamil] and narasimha [the avatar being symbolised]. .. Lord Narasimha had to kill the asura with bare hands and hence the martial arts exponent here
Some are very cynical about these but I'm willing to accept Kamal dropped these hints at various points in the movie for the more discerning among the audience.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
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6 comments:
Dear friends,
I happened to see Dasavataram. I had given a place to Kamalahasan in my mind since I saw him acting in Kalathur Kannamma, singing 'Ammaavum neeye, appaavum neeye - Muruga, Muruga, Muruga.
All these years, I have appreciated development of talents in him, with simultaneous 'vakra buddhi'. Dasavatharam depicts 50% of his talents and 100% of his vakra buddhi.
When we belong to an institution, religion, society and what not, we should contribute positively to it; if that is not possible, at least should be neutral. Trying to damage it is, to say the least, bad.
The Nambi episode with which Kamalahasan's 'magnum opus' begins is a silly, if not mischivous, representation of something called Hinduism, regarding which he has nothing to do; nor is he competent to do.
Among the several schools of thought encompassed by the Sanatana Dharma, nowadays called Hinduism, Saivism and Vaishnavism command important places. Both the schools of thought celebrate the Vedas and Law of Karma. The differences relate mostly to procedural matters. Both Shiva and Vishnu are among the six forms of Ultimately Reality propounded by Adi Shankara. In our long history, there are umpteen episodes and literary references to speak of the harmonious relationship of these schools of thought.
In a vast phenomenon of Hinduism, there may have been instances of unpleasant conflict. Nobody can deny it. Any objective student would realize how insignificant such conflicts have been; and how great the share of harmony has been. Only an ill monger would search for disharmonious story and try to build upon it venomously. Taking the lives of persons belonging to other religions, as a matter of religious duty, does not belong to this country or our Hinduism.
Totally unconnected with the rest of the story, the Nambi episode of Dasavatharam does not speak well of Kamalahasan. If he wants to be an enemy of Hinduism, it is his choice.
If he wants to spread his ideas through the art he is practicing, then also nobody can prevent him. In fact many people openly are doing this either by themselves or to satisfy their bosses! If Kamalahasan wants to be one among them, it is also his choice.
What not only Kamalahasn, but also all of us should remember is, if we misuse God-given talents, they would be taken away.
With kind regards,
K S Venkataraman
BooVarahan refers to Varaha avataram ... the act might have been more like Sri Krishna to Draupadi's aid. Also, the Telugu person was Balram - another avataram.
If you click on the link to Prem Panicker's blog, it lists all the 10 including Balaram.
Interestingly, having first read the story of Dasavatharam in Amar Chitra Katha, I always assumed Buddha was the 9th and most recent incarnation. I'd be more interested to know what people in various parts of India believe.
I saw this movie last weekend. One factual error that I noticed in the beginning scene; Asin is seen reciting "... tvai rakshati rakshakaihi kim anyaihi ..." a line from "Sri Kamasikashtakam" a sloka composed by Sri Vedanta Desikan praising Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha. Now, Sri Vedanta Desika was not born until the 13th century, whereas the scene was set in the 12th century.
I am not trying to cite this as my "gotcha" moment; but Kamal takes pride in doing his research for his movies. Many of his sycophants (and not he) always seem to vouch for this. Apparently, he is not diligent enough.
Good catch, Raghu. I guess only a 'practising Iyengar' could have seen that. That may also mean that Kamal is not one !!
I see gotchas such as this on the internet. I think Dasavatharam may probably become the most debated/blogged/reviewed Indian movie of all time if it isn't already so. There wasn't any debate following the release of Shivaji, was there? That is probably the biggest triumph for the makers of this movie.
That said, the sloka mentioned in that situation was the most appropriate one!
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