Director Ram Gopal Varma is one of the few filmmakers who have continued to stay relevant despite the changing landscapes in the Telugu film industry. One may credit it to his online persona and penchant for controversy, but the visionary filmmaker who was one of the pioneers of new-age cinema in the ‘90s has managed to still make films today that still question and react to the world he sees.
RGV has made many films that explore the politics of the state, and his upcoming film Vyooham is no different. Slated to hit the screens on February 23, it traces the events before the untimely death of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. It’s not politics that excites me, it’s the psychology behind it, the director says. “The human interactions, conflicts of ego, and the thirst for power are what interest me. Many people define politics as the number of seats won by a party or mostly electoral politics. It is a separate thing that I am not interested in. I am interested in the power-play.”
The director is known for tackling powerful personalities head-on with his films and seems to have no qualms about the resulting consequences. He has always been a pro-future filmmaker, with some examples being his support for digital filmmaking. Speaking about the rise in the number of new filmmakers, he says, “Earlier, there were fewer resources or access to proper filmmaking tools but anyone can be a filmmaker today. Cinema becomes an expression-oriented medium when it’s more accessible. It is no longer a template where only a few people are the decision-makers behind the kind of films getting made. Then, the best among them will survive.”
RGV has also produced many films helmed by new directors. He reveals that he has a creative incubator called the Den, which attracts like-minded talents. “Every film comes from an idea,” says RGV while describing the Den, “The idea turns into a film like a seed turns into a tree. I give simple ideas and attract the right talent to collaborate and turn them into a film. My intention is not to give a break to that person, but to make a film happen. I am not here to make his dreams come true. I don’t care for anyone else’s dream except mine.”
The director recounted an incident where he was inspired by a girl he saw on a reel and forwarded that idea to a writer. After the writer came up with a synopsis, he sent it to a producer, who was excited by the idea and began to work on the project. RGV also sent the idea and story to a music director to work on a theme song for the film. “So, all of this was happening while I was sitting in the den without meeting any of them. And the film will be shot next week. I am only interacting with the thoughts. I don’t need to see the person. I am only taking what I want from them, which are their ideas; which are more pure. I don’t want to judge them as people, I don’t care who they are.”