200806121539 We all know that, the over hype of the film Dasavathaaram not only created the positive buzz but also the foreigners getting to know more about the indian production companies. There came yet another problem for Dasavathaaram. Oscar, The Academy Awards Institute filed a case recently against Dasavathaaram production company Oscar Films for infringing copyrighted logo and trademarked names. Producer and proprietor Oscar Ravichandran of Oscar Films has announced that the name of his production house would be changed to Aascar Films. Ravichandran has been facing problems from all quarters as his eagerly awaited Dasavatharam film is slated for a worldwide release on June 6.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which owns the Oscar Awards trademark, had last week filed a complaint with the Register of Trademark, Chennai against Ravichandran. AMPAS said that Ravichandran’s company ‘Oscar Films’ and its logo closely resemble the Academy’s Oscar statuette. On the new name, Ravichandran explains, “The first letter ‘A’ stands for the Sun God and the letters add up to 46, which is considered an auspicious number. AMPAS has send us a notice regarding the ‘Oscar’ trademark. Having been in the film industry for over 18 years, I respect the credibility of the Academy.

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When asked about his film Dasavatharam’s budget shooting over Rs 60 crores, thereby making it his costliest production, he says, “I take it with pride that my expertise as a producer is what has helped me to restrict the budget to that figure. Had the movie been produced by Kamal Haasan, I am certain that the budget would have touched another Rs 10 crores easily.” About Kamal Haasan’s commitment, Ravichandran says, “An actor of his stature, getting involved in the post-production work, and that too for over an year since the movie’s completion is something that is unheard of. This in itself is an indication of his involvement.” Ravichandran also said that he is looking forward to making a Bengali version of the movie, as the actor was popular with the locals while shooting for the movie Mahanadhi in Kolkata.