‘Romantic genre is not my cup of tea’
In an exclusive chat, Ram Gopal Varma answers a volley of questions regarding his soon-to-be released films
Known for offering hard-hitting films in different genres, including docudramas based on realism, supernatural psychological stories, romances and political drama across different languages, director, screenwriter and producer Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) can be counted among the pantheon of the film industry.
Recipient of numerous awards and recognition, RGV is all set to release his latest offering, Disha Encounter, a Telugu film based on the gang assault and subsequent killing of a young Hyderabad veterinary doctor in December 2019.
In addition, RGV has Ladki — which was until recently named Enter the Girl Dragon and was once branded as India’s first martial-arts film — speculated to release on 12.12.21, in which Pooja Bhalekar plays the lead role. Then fans can look forward to D Company, produced by Spark Sagar, which RGV insists is a biopic of not only Dawood Ibrahim, but also many other gangsters who lived and died under the syndicate brand called D-Company.
Our interaction starts with us asking him about his recent release, 12 ‘O’ Clock, the horror flick that released on January 7, 2021.
Excerpts from the interview:
QWhy take the risk of releasing the film while COVID is still around?
We had been planning to release it for a while now, so we decided to go ahead with it. But that’s fine with us as the film is not a big-budget film.
Q
You released the trailer to D Company recently. What’s it about?
D Company is envisaged as a multiple-season web series, but one that would start out with a film, whose trailer was released recently. The film itself is intended to act like a trailer to the mammoth web series. While the film captures the time period from 1979 to around 1983, and is about the rise of Dawood, the series will capture between the period between 1979 and 2015, when Chota Rajan was arrested in Bali, and when almost all of them came down to some kind of end. The series will be released in a new platform called Spark. Q
You’d called D Company the Mahabharata of the underworld! Is it fair to compare an underworld set up with an epic like Mahabharata?
I compared D Company to Mahabharata because the underworld is full of highly dramatic and dynamic characters. It deals with loyalty, treachery, bonding family scuffles and pitched battles between gangs, which is pretty much what Mahabharata is all about. D Company will encompass a thirty-five-year period of the Mumbai Underworld, starting from the
I compared D Company to Mahabharata because the underworld is full of highly dramatic and dynamic characters. It deals with loyalty, treachery, bonding family scuffles and pitched battles between gangs, which is pretty much what
Mahabharata is all about
rise of Dawood in a street gang in Dongri to how he became an international crime syndicate.
QWhat about Disha Encounter, which is also on the anvil? Will it be a truelife-inspired fictional narrative, or will it be exactly as we read of the incident in the papers?
It will realistically portray the drama of what happened to that poor woman on that horrific night. Also, the film will reveal the truth behind the encounter and its consequences.
Q
You are synonymous with presenting hard-hitting subjects on the celluloid and writing hard-hitting one-liners on the social media. What makes you want to deal with life so practically?
I am more attracted to dark dramas set against a realistic milieu, supernatural element and philological thrillers. And I believe the audiences too like to watch something intriguing on the celluloid, which can keep them engaged and entertained for the moment. Romantic genre is not my cup of tea. May be later on, but I will see about that.
Q
You’ve been experimenting with supernatural elements since 1991. How do you bring newness to your scripts and stories?
Stories happen because of new characterisations and new situations, and they will always be available as per one’s needs.
Q
How did you decide to do a film such as Ladki?
Because of the heavy influence of Bruce Lee on me in my growing years, it’s been my desire to do a martial arts film. The film is now due for release.
Q
Given how you speak your mind, you’d probably make a good addition at the Bigg Boss House.
I will only agree to be a contestant of either Kamal Haasan’s Big Boss or Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss — if every other contestant except for me is a woman. (smiles).