Dasavatharam got average openings in mumbai and delhi

The six-screen Mayajaal multiplex in Chennai is holding 45 shows a day of Kamal Hassan’s magnum opus Dasavatharam. Touted to be the most expensive film ever made in India, with a budget crossing Rs 75 crore according to estimates, it’s running to full houses in all the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

Leaving no stone unturned to ensure a grand opening, producer Oscar Ravichandran released 1,000 prints in India and 1,000 overseas. “The first two weeks are crucial for box-office collections and that’s the reason why so many prints have been released,” says Nambi Rajan, distributor of Dasavatharam in north and west India.

“The opening has been tremendous — 100% occupancy in cinema halls — in the south. What will help the movie is the fact that there are no big Tamil or Telugu releases in the next four weeks,” adds Rajan. However, the film, which has been released in Tamil and Telugu and with English subtitles, has done “below expectations” in Mumbai and Delhi.

Says PVR general manager Ranjan Singh, “The opening has been great in Bangalore and Hyderabad but average in Mumbai and Delhi. The rains in Mumbai may have been a damper.” An Adlabs spokesperson says the film is getting an amazing response from towns like Coimbatore as well.

The “lower turnout” in Mumbai and Delhi has obviously drawn comparisons with Rajnikanth’s Sivaji, the Boss, which grossed Rs 100 crore at the box-office last year. Says an insider: “Rajni is a mass entertainer and Kamal a class entertainer. People would have braved the rains for a Rajni film.”

So, what are the box-office expectations for Dasavatharam? According to industry experts, it won’t disappoint exhibitors, one of the reasons being that a huge number of prints have been released and it will make up the money in the first four weeks.

Kamal Hassan plays 10 different roles in the film, from a priest to President Bush, and according to sources, the stunning special effects alone cost Rs 25 crore. “The films starts in the 12th century and ends with the tsunami.”