, making it one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of its era. : It won several Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , including Best Actor for Kamal Haasan.

Telugu cinema (Tollywood) is a multi-thousand crore industry. While Dasavatharam is a Tamil film, its release in Telugu was treated with respect. The dubbing artists, the re-recording engineers, and the distributor invested money into bringing Kamal Haasan to Telugu homes.

The story begins with a historical prologue in the 12th century, where a devout Vaishnavite resists the religious persecution of King Kulothunga II. This sets the stage for a modern-day plot involving a deadly bio-weapon. The script cleverly utilizes the "Butterfly Effect," showing how seemingly disconnected events and characters across centuries and continents are actually intertwined.

The Tamil film "Dasavathaaram" directed by Vijay and produced by Vijay Movies, was a massive hit in 2008. The movie was later dubbed into Telugu and released on Movierulz, a popular online platform for streaming and downloading movies.