Ram Gopal Varma says he had ‘issues’ with Mohanlal’s performance in Company initially: ‘He wasn’t doing it the right way’

Ram Gopal Varma said Mohanlal is an instinctive actor and said this was a greater art than someone who prepares.

New Delhi | Updated: February 21, 2025 01:03 PM IST

3 min read

Mohanlal worked with director Ram Gopal Varma in Company and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

Ram Gopal Varma worked with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in his 2002 film Company and in a recent interview, RGV recalled the process of collaborating with the actor. He shared that he was prepared to answer many “complicated questions” from the actor’s side but was surprised when he did not ask anything. He also called Mohanlal an “instinctive” actor and said that this was a “greater art” than someone who prepares a lot.

In a chat with Milestone Makers Max, Ram Gopal Varma recalled narrating the script of Company to Mohanlal and said, “The first time I met him for Company, I had this feeling that he would ask me many complicated questions about the script, about his role. I was kind of prepared for that, and after finishing the narration, the first and only question he asked me was ‘Sir, how many days do you want?’ So that was like an anti-climax for me. And I am sure he does it with everyone, not just me, because he is an actor who understands the craft, who understands how films are made and I think he does it on trust.”

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RGV recalled that when they started shooting for Company, he wasn’t happy with Mohanlal’s performance so he kept asking for take after take, until he realised that Mohanlal had given the best take right in the beginning. “Even when he was performing, I had issues in the beginning. I thought he was not doing it the right way and I went on asking him for takes and after 6-7 takes, I was checking them and I found that the first take was the best one,” he said. RGV explained that directors sometimes walk in with a preconceived notion and it takes them a while to get a fresh perspective so they can appreciate the actor’s performance.

He then said that Mohanlal is a “very instinctive actor” and said that it “might sound lesser than a person who prepares but I think is a much greater art.” Company also starred Ajay Devgn and Vivek Oberoi.

After Company, Mohanlal worked with RGV in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

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