Current Affairs

Is Ram Gopal Varma getting back at the media which hounded him for visiting the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai after the 26/11 attacks? The filmmaker’s next film,Rann,takes a close look at 24×7 journalism and the backroom drama that goes into gathering news round the clock. On Wednesday,Varma stopped by the Religare Arts Centre in Connaught Place with his Rann actors Amitabh Bachchan,Riteish Deshmukh,Paresh Rawal and newcomer,Sudeep,to promote the film.

“This film does not have issues related to my personal life,” he said emphatically,putting the controversy to rest. The film stars Deshmukh as an idealistic reporter Purab Shastri and Bachchan as Harshvardhan Malik,the head of news channel India 24×7,who is also a crusader for social causes and upholds journalistic ethics. It’s a role that Big B found close to his heart. “I have always said that in my next life I would like to be a journalist. They have a duty to inform society about current happenings and at the same time suggest what is right or wrong. They have to do this through honesty,ethics and a code of conduct. On the other hand they are in a race for greater finacial profit and make certain compromises along the way,” he said,explaining how he discovered the power of blogging to be a great communication tool.

“The film is about my personal observation of the functioning of the media over the years. It is on the psychological aspect of news channels and the choices they have to make between being conscience keepers of the nation and balancing the commercial interests of their channel,” said Varma,adding that “news reporting is a very thankless job.” Shooting of Rann is over and Varma hopes to release the film later this year after post-production work.

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The title track of the film is a distorted version of the national anthem. Is Varma sitting on another controversy? “We will deal with it when the time comes,” he retorted.