Before Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayan, Ram Gopal Varma says it’s ‘dangerous’ to make mythological movies: ‘Why touch a sensitive topic?’

Ram Gopal Varma, in a recent interview, pointed out that Adipurush would have been received differently if it was promoted as a Prabhas film.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | August 3, 2024 12:29 PM IST

3 min read

Ram Gopal Varma says its dangerous to make mythological film. (Photo: IMDb)

Ram Gopal Varma, known for films like Satya, Company, Sarkar, among others, was recently asked about the trend of making mythological films in India. The director, without any hesitation, said it was “dangerous” to make mythological stories and said these films worked in the past but now, there is a very slim chance for them working at the box office without attracting any controversy. The filmmaker also suggested an alternative way of presenting such movies without getting into any religious soup.

When asked about the upcoming Ramayan trilogy starring Ranbir Kapoor or the other mythological films in the making, the director said, “It’s very dangerous to make films on mythological stories. There are two reasons for this–the stories which are known to people and you try to make it different, it can have a reverse effect. You can’t try this in our country because people worship them.” RGV added that things were different in the earlier days and added, “I think it could have worked in the past when Babubhai Mistry made Sampurana Ramayana and all the mythological films of NT Rama Rao. But, today they have reached a status of reverence. Maybe there was not so much polarisation or social media constantly challenging with people’s interpretation.”

He then took the example of Om Raut’s Adipurush, which was heavily criticised, and said, “If you look at Adipurush, it was more about Saif Ali Khan’s look and Hanuman’s look. Because of all this constant opiniated criticism, it is very dangerous to take topics from that shelf. Nevertheless, these filmmakers are putting their efforts and I wish them all the best.”

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The interviewer then shared with RGV that makers are aiming to cater to the young audience who aren’t probably familiar with the mythological stories and to this, the director said that in that case, one should not claim that they are making Ramayana. He said, “My point is why not make a new story and and not call it Ramayana? If you sell Adipurush as a Prabhas film, people will look at it differently, but if I am told this is Ramayana, I will look at it differently. Why touch a sensitive topic than showing it as a completely new thing and avoiding the fight against the onslaught of negativity?”

Adipurush was massively criticised after its release for its dialogues by Manoj Muntashir and its visual effects. Soon after the release, the makers changed the dialogue after severe backlash but the damage was done.

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