“I live in the dark as I love to make dark films!” Even after a flurry of flops, Ram Gopal Varma's black humour is intact. The media might be underlining “Rakht Charitra” as his comeback film but Ramu, as he is popularly called, says it is going to be the comeback film for the audience. “I didn't go anywhere!”
Ask him if his nonchalant ways are responsible for his eroding fan base, and Ramu offers us some numbers. “The maximum time I gave to a film was for ‘Aag'. ‘Satya' and ‘Sarkar' were completed in 40 and 37 days.” We are talking about intent, here. “Many people don't understand that in filmmaking if you make a fundamental mistake at the primary level, everything goes wrong but you don't realise it till the film is made. Otherwise why would anybody spend a year of his life on one film? When I was making ‘Satya', many people said that nobody would like to watch such dirty, ugly looking people. But when the film worked the same people said it is so real they can actually smell it. Had the film failed, they would have said, look we told you.”
As for “Rakht Charitra”, Ramu says the story of Paritala Ravi, the Andhra politician who was brutally killed in 2005, was the most dramatic story he ever heard. “I love to make films on people who live at extremes and Ravi was one such fellow. If ‘Satya' and ‘Company' were cerebral this one is more physical and in-your-face. It is about egos and one-upmanship in a lawless land.”
Ravi started as a Naxalite to avenge the death of his father and brother and later entered electoral politics by joining the Telugu Desam Party. Ramu says the sheer scale and number of characters and complex relationships ensured the film is made in two parts. The second part is expected to be released in November. “The first part is about the rise of Ravi from a vulnerable youth to the most feared man in the region and ultimately his murder.” The second part sees Ravi from the angle of his bête noire Suryanarayan Reddy. “It is like making a film on Gandhi where the second part looks at him from Godse's point of view.”
Vivek Oberoi plays Ravi and Tamil star Suriya plays Suryanarayan Reddy. But the most interesting casting is of Shatrughan Sinha as Ravi's mentor, a figure inspired by N.T. Ramarao. “It's like Balasaheb Thackeray inspired Sarkar. I wanted a flamboyant and colourful personality and Shatruji fits the bill. As for shaving off the moustache, it was his idea.”
It is not just two parts — Ramu has made “Rakht Charitra” in three languages. While in Tamil it will be three hours long; in Telugu and Hindi it will be seen in two parts. “In Tamil, three-hour long films are normal. Also the Suriya factor is there. For Telugu, it is a local story, so people want to know more about Ravi, while for Hindi it requires some explaining. The screenplay is the same; it is at the editing level that we have made certain changes to suit different territories.”
Of late, multilingual experiments haven't worked and Ravi's story was not national news. “Language is just a communication tool; it is the content that decides the fate of a film. In the South the films have more energy, they are more connected with the grassroots but I don't see it as a handicap. When I watched ‘Godfather', I didn't know about the Italian mafia or Italian traditions, but it worked for me.”
The film will have a disclaimer that it is a fictional account about some real situations but considering the volatile situation in the state with big names involved in the case, Ramu agrees the story could now achieve national value. “It could ruffle some feathers.”
In an unusual promotion strategy, Ramu was in Delhi to showcase the 30-minute show reel of the film. He feels one-minute trailers are passé. “I want to tell the audience what they should expect from the film.”
Could the distributor at the grassroots see it as a sign of desperation? “No, it is a sign of confidence. Even if I show half the film, I expect the audience to return to watch the second half.”
He recently said it is not for people who loved “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”. “Exactly, it is not for people who love to watch people waking up neat and clean and going to bed neat and clean. It is also not for people looking for a hero-heroine-villain film.”
It seems when he writes on his blog, he perpetuates an image called RGV. “True, I don't think anybody portrays one's real self on blogs and Twitter. You just play on the perception. If you come across a stupid thing, then there are chances that it could be real!”
Talking about realistic plots finding acceptance at the box office, Ramu says a “Dabangg” bunks all trends for a few years. “Now when a director goes to a producer with a ‘story', the producer will ask where was the story in ‘Dabangg'? But I liked the honest approach of the director. His promos never claimed he is offering me something meaningful. This is better than films like ‘Lamhaa', where the director seem confused between making an entertainer and raising a serious issue like Kashmir.”
Bloodbath on screen
Has it something to do with the source of money? “I don't think the problem lies with the producer; it reflects the insecurity of the director.”
He has no qualms in admitting that “Rakht Charitra” is his most violent film with one of the industry's most graphic bloodbaths on display. “See, violence is the effect. It doesn't come from nowhere and if people associate with the cause, if they identify with the emotions of the characters indulging in the violence, then the film works. Once the viewer starts believing that had he been put in such a situation he would have reacted the same way, the director succeeds. It happened in ‘Satya', where people identified with Bhiku Mhatre as much as with the protagonist. During my research I spoke to people who have actually hacked people. I wanted to explore the psyche of such people. How they live with it.”
And the social impact? “I don't think any film has a lasting impact. Had that been the case, we would have been seeing only joint families around us after ‘Hum Apke Hain Koun'. Or our society would have been infested with Gabbar Singhs after ‘Sholay'. Also, if we don't highlight what's happening in rural India in the name of class and caste, I feel we are failing in our duty.”
