Dasavathaaram - Order through Chaos?

Though I would have heard the term 'Chaos Theory' sometime back, I searched the net for it's meaning only yesterday. And this is what I found:

Chaos theory attempts to explain the fact that complex and unpredictable results can and will occur in systems that are sensitive to their initial conditions. A common example of this is known as the Butterfly Effect. It states that, in theory, the flutter of a butterfly's wings in China could, in fact, actually effect weather patterns in New York City, thousands of miles away. In other words, it is possible that a very small occurrence can produce unpredictable and sometimes drastic results by triggering a series of increasingly significant events.

Now there, I wasn't attempting a thesis of philosophical nature. I was just trying to understand the backbone of the theme of Kamal Haasan's latest flick 'Dasavathaaram'.

Dasavathaaram is slated for world-wide release on June 13th. It is directed by K.S.Ravikumar, produced by Aascar Ravichandran and has Kamal donning 10 roles. The story is built across several centuries starting with that of a Vaishnavite priest in the 12th century Chola period to the present day world. If chaos theory is to be believed then most probably the script depicts how small events trigger a very significant event at a different place and at a different period of time.

According to Kamal " This theory is under the skin of the film and you will find little veins, tissues and muscles, every layer of it. One is the chaos theory — we are all connected to everyone in the world. None of our acts will be without effects. One act will collide with another. It is like what you learnt in physics — where one object crashes into another object and produces something else. This is basically our sensibilities, insensibilities, crime, disregard for society and good deeds. In religion, it is called good karma. It all comes around because there is some physics to it but we are not talking about it in bombastic terms as people will come for entertainment and will understand it in the process. "

When I read this, I was awestruck imagining the kind of screenplay that would have been developed for this movie. More so because it is said that the language, voice, storyline and background of each character in the movie are different. Now to fit all this into a 3 hour movie will only be possible with a very tight screenplay. And at the same time the script should not be too complicated as to divert the attention of the viewer. And this seems to be further affirmed when Kamal says "Your intelligence will not be insulted and your time will not be wasted".

I feel Dasavathaaram is a very bold attempt in Indian cinema considering the fact that the movie is commercial and at the same time delivers important messages. It is said to highlight science, spirituality and environment. The movie (as seen from trailers) is said to start with the story of a Vaishnavite Brahmin priest Rangarajan Nambi and connect events leading to something more significant (disastrous?).

As we think deeper 'Chaos Theory' is perhaps a scientific explanation of what is known as 'Karma' in Hinduism. It's another story that Sharon Stone's explanation connecting it to the earthquake in China met with harsh criticism from the Mandarin land. This website explains a little more on Chaos Theory by providing information on its history and giving examples.

Whether 'Chaos Theory' is true or not, it certainly does provide an interesting theme for a film. And, I hope, Dasavathaaram is a successful attempt at this.

The 10 characters played by Kamal Haasan are:

1. Rangaraja Nambi
2. Govind Ramasaamy
3. George Bush
4. Avtar Singh
5. Christian Fletcher
6. Shinghen Narahasi
7. Krishnaveni Paatti (90 year old woman)
8. Vincent Poovaraghan
9. Kaifulla Khan , and
10. Balram Naidu

At the Orkut community of Kamal Haasan , members have tried to interpret the story based on the trailers they saw and the characters listed. It was just amazing reading people trying to imagine what the story could be like. Some, I must admit, came up with truly amazing versions too! But, as they say, the proof of the pudding is only complete after you eat it. I hope to see this unique story, appreciate the hard work put in by so many artistes and wish that it raises the benchmark for the quality of Indian films. So, I wait.

P.S: The Tamil film, upon release, will be subsequently dubbed and released in Hindi and Telegu, with later release dates set for the Malayalam,Kannada,Bengali and Bhojpuri versions.