‘It’s ok they think I’m a pervert or a crackpot’: Ram Gopal Varma opens up about career pivot, says he made Rs 70 lakh for Rs 2,000 film

Director Ram Gopal Varma said that success is relative, and cited the example of a film that he made for Rs 2000 during the pandemic. He said that he earned a Rs 70 lakh profit for it.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 26, 2023 11:42 AM IST

3 min read

Ram Gopal Varma spoke about his career pivot. (Photo: PR Handout)

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Director Ram Gopal Varma addressed the perceived pivot that he has made creatively in recent years, after having delivered some of the most seminal films in Indian cinema history back in the ’90s. He said that he has always been the person that he is now, it’s just that he was restricted in the past from properly expressing himself. In an interview with Galatta Plus, RGV said that people have been conditioned by society to feel bad about what actually makes them feel good. “I realised at one point in my life,” he said, “if you leave three things; your family, God, and social acceptance, you are the most free man in the world. After that, you can do whatever you want to do.”

Asked what makes him want to advertise his way of thinking instead of simply doing what he wants to quietly, RGV said that he just wants to ‘irritate’ and ‘provoke’ people, because he knows that deep down, they all want to live as freely as he does. “I’m okay if they think I’m a pervert, I’m okay if they think I’m a crackpot,” he siad.

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RGV was also asked about his recent films, which include material that the interviewer described as ‘soft porn’, and the perceived downfall that he has creatively experienced. The filmmaker said, “The subject matter required that kind of eroticism. I have no problem with it being called soft porn. My taste regarding this, and how I speak about women, that I’ve always done, even in college, before I entered cinema… I was always that (person), now I’ve got the opportunity (to express myself).”

RGV said that because of various restrictions, he wasn’t able to properly express himself in cinema earlier. “They think I’ve become like that now, and I understand why they may think like that… But I’m having the time of my life right now.” RGV also pointed out that success is relative. Just because he isn’t making big-budget movies with massive stars as frequently as he used to, that doesn’t mean he isn’t turning a profit. As an example, he said that he directed a film during the pandemic that cost Rs 2,000, but earned Rs 70 lakh for it. RGV is best known for films such as Shiva, Satya, and Sarkar.

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