The RGV PFC… Face Off!
……and ye ye this time its for real!!! I know, the fake ones were damn entertaining. Hopefully the real one will not disappoint you.
Here is my latest theory on Ramu. The filmmaker who made Satya and Compnay died long back, most probably during a film shoot. An aspiring but less talented guy who was AD on the same film set, died with Ramu. The AD knew that now there is no way to make his debut and also because the factory closed down ( so no more ADs will turn director), the guy’s ghost got into Ramu’s body. Ramu’s ghost was ofcourse more eager to meet the menakas and urvashis of other world, so he never bothered to check the status of his body. Its no more “directed by RGV” but “ghost directed by RGV”. since its all black screen, one cannot make out the word “ghost”. we tried very hard to be the “ghostbusters” but then Ramu is Ramu, with or without the spirit!
After watching SHIT is KING on sunday late night, Kk and Vasan stayed at my place. It was 3am.
Me - Do you want to meet Ramu ?
KK (sleepy ) – How ? Where ?
Me – tomorw they have a presser. You can join me.
KK – i have office. i dont know.
Me – ok fuck it.
Vasan had slept by then.
Monday Morning ( i mean 12 noon)….yahooo…..we got a gold!! Abhinav Bindra…..it was back to shit is king, singh is king song on news channels…
Vasan – yes yes lets go for it. will be damn good.
KK was still confused! Par office hai.
Me – Fucker, you are mad about the man, you havent met him once and i am asking you if you want to meet him and u r thinking so much. What better way to do shriganeshay of your handycam!!
KK – OK, done!
Me – write down few questions.
Vasan – whats the point. we all know what he will reply. it will be same all over.
These days Ramu’s unpredictableness has become predictable. Like in a presser, if a reporter asks him the same question that someone asked him earlier, he will say….i think you were sleeping as i replied to that. And it did happen during Phoonk press conference also. The rudeness doesnt generate much reaction any more. Because you know, its RAMU!
The presser was for dare to watch phoonk alone contest. If you are interested, check out the details here It got over and we met the man.
It started with a review of Sarkar Raj posted on PFC that Ramu had read recently. He could not remember the name of the blogger. (i think it was Sudhir Nair’s review of Sarkar Raj)
Ramu – so much hatred! i really enjoyed reading it. you need very strong emotions to hate something so much. i was very surprised.
Me – Ya. but we love you….
Ramu – thnx.
Me – ….and hate you too, with equal passion.
Ramu - i feel someday you guys at PFC will send a terrorist to kill me! i really feel so. But say thnx to the guy who wrote the review. Its been ages since i read something so entertaining. And am serious!
Vasan asked if we can start recording. Ramu agreed and we started rolling. From Satya to Phoonk, Company to Contract, Anurag Kashyap to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sriram Raghavan to Savita Singh (dop of phoonk) and Amitabh Bachchan to Aamir Khan, we discussed (or was it bitching) everything. Some printable and loads of unprintable ( or unrecordable) talks….battery got over……tape got over…….but we continued. We thought it will be for 10-15mins max but we continued for more than an hour. He showed us some new promos of phoonk and warned us not to watch it! Because ?
Because….Ok, we will talk about it after the release of the film.
Till then enjoy the video clips.
part 1 -Cinema, Craft and Subject
part 2 – Honesty, Om Shanti Om, Singh is King, South Indian Thali .. Why so SERIOUS ?
part 3 – Money, Ramu Vs Ramuji, Success, Sawariya, Bitching, HAVE I LOST IT ?
part 4 – ideas, lack of them, nostalgia, new inputs, Scaring people, Craft Vs Content, done with underworld ?
part 5 – fav films, personality, watching films, anurag kashyap, south cinema, ROCK ON
part 6 – actor fetish, extracting performances, indifference, TulasiDalam (Telugu novel on which phoonk is based)
part 7 – lust, caution, romance, DevD, Ek, Veerappan, Raat, MY BIGGEST FAILING
We came back and tried to dissect him bit more……..
– Ramu and we have one thing in common. Life is all about “cheap thrills”. And the man is just having fun!
– He has concluded that nobody knows what works and why ? So, he would not listen to anyone but himself. Atleast he will make what he wants to.
- The man has got trapped in his image, the image that he created more for curiosity value. His image has now become a monster. And he thinks its impossible for him to do anything else but what is he doing. We felt that he doesnt want to come out of that image!
- Though Ramu vehemently denied it but it seems he is indifferent towards anything and everything in his life. Not sure if he was always like that. Nothing excites him anymore!
29 films in 19 years, he is wondering what next ? Can you suggest something ? We are waiting and it looks like a really long wait!
(The best thing about Ramu is that he is willing to listen. Listen to any feedback that you have. And if he thinks you have a genuine reason for that, he gives it little more thought. And the worst thing is he doesnt care much about that feedback. But still, how many filmmakers dare to take the good,bad,ugly,fuckall response in right spirit. Other than Ramu and Jaideep Sahni, i dont know anyone who is willing to listen. They ask for your feedback and it means u r supposed to say u liked the film or the good things about the film. Thats it. In the last few years, i have met many and most of them are cry babies. If you didnt like their film, it means either you have some agenda, you are part of some conspiracy theory, you are too dumb or too intelligent to understand, you are not a good friend or you are just cinema snob!)
Tags: Interview, Ram Gopal Verma, Video
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
huh!
The promo of phoonk is not interesting…
RGV needs some rest.
@Pnu, KK and Vasan,
A big Thanks, Very nice discussion you guys had with RGV. Its good to see him talking in an open and relaxed manner.
Man seems to have an understanding about all the shortcomings in his recent films but somehow he is unable to remove those and improve the story and screenplay factors.
It should be good to remind here one scene from his Satya in the begining where a local Goon Jagga Bhai goes to the restaurant where Satya has joined as a waiter. Jagga asks owner/manager of the restaurant to give Hafta and he says there is less or no earning and Jagga says then he should close the restaurant.
He makes threats to owner on the name of Bhau or any other boss and owner says, un tak baat pahunchane kee kya jarurat hai.
Jagga says,” Tu samjhta to hai par samjhana padta hai.
RGV also understands but only after the release of the film.During making somehow he is not able to bring solid material in his stories and screen plays and its reflected in his recently released films.
He makes so many films and weak stories have piled up in the minds of audiences and they pay more attention to the weaknesses in his films and any good thing is sidelined.
He is right that craftwise he might have progressed like any aging director. Craft is improved after some films but when content is lost then craft is of little use.
He has tried to express silently through camera in Sarkar Raj but so loud background music and excess of dialogues have shadowed those silent moments.
At present I recall that his camera has tried to show new bodyguard or incharge of security system for Sarkar family, sitting or standing between Shankar(Abhishek) and Chander (bald man).
That was before Shankar decides to remove Chander and appoint this man. Camera tried to show silently that slowly this man is going to take over but spoken scenes are not executed that intelligently so that film’s intense factor may also look very impressive.
as far as acting is concerned RGV seems very good director in Sarkar Raj but only with Amitabh Bachchan because he has maintained difference in facial expressions at different occasions.
A man at Sarkar’s position and who is a political powerholder will not emote many expressions while talking with outsiders and will speak with flat face except when he is angry on others and this is maintained very beautifully and other humane expressions come on his face only when he is dealing with his family in the private and personal corners of his home or in Hospital where he is among family members.
But these fine nuances are over shadowed by loud and screaming dialogues given to other characters.
and no doubt Sarkar Raj has got Dialogue of the year (till now),
“Public ko development nahin entertainment chahiye“.
RGV’s case may be an example of the events when creative people try to handle everything on their own, production, marketing and direction and hence talent is diluted and this dilution is visible in every field then.
In the begining story and content remain the driving force and a director reads a material and is impressed and wants to show this tale in visual manner and though his craft is weak but he has already made a film inside and only shooting remains and audience can connect with that involvement but later he develops his craft but goes away from the stories of people and start making films on any idea and thus start a decline.
This can be a difference between indian cinema and hollywood kind of cine industry where directors pick up stories from good books. Afterall first connection is between writer and reader. Director converts this connection, between director and audience.
Story can not be neglected.
and then his insitence on making films on everything under the sun.
Amitabh Bachchan’s age does not permit to play a character based on Gabbar Singh and that too when physical fight is there. A sholay like film can not be created keeping an aged villain in the central place.
Films on Lolita like plots are always failed and will always be failed because of obvious psychological reasons. To read is another thing but to see is an entirely different thing. Out of respect we may call Kubrick’s Lolita as classic but its also a very bad adaptation of the book and its nothing in compared to the book.
So Nishabd was a bad idea and story was not convincing and therefore screen play was so weak.
He should make films on subjects which appeal to him first as a reader and then as a director.
RGV appears as so intelligent man in his writings and interviews and his sense of humour is at top in these mediums but same is not seen in his recent films.
Writing work has become weak in his films and he must take care of this factor.
Its true one can not take care of all the sayings of people as people have to say something or other all the time. But he was in a position to make quality cinema and he has lost his position himself. people may be ready to invest money in his projects as he says that 15-16 people’s films are seen and he is one of them but he has seen the changes. Time is never same. and general audience will not make a difference between films made by RGV, produced by RGV and past time has proved this so he has to be sensitive towards this fact.
I am beginning to wonder if the fans love RGV’s movies more than the guy himself… anyways… fun interview…
Great effort Pnu,KK and Vasan! You guys must have had to take a day off to conduct this interview and send the post.
Look forward to more of such stuff!
Will go through the tapes tonight. Next time you meet RGV, take Sudhir along
somen/wasan/kk
this was lovely…
u guys did what any newschannel would luv to do….
awesome!!!!!
candid as ‘can’ be….
luv the part where RGV calls KK ’sir’ he has nooooo idea what he has done!!!!!!!!!!!! ehehehhe
and pnuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
u da maaaaaan!!!! eheheh
however i wish u had taken out ur talwar a bit more and bit early (in hindsight)…. u beat them all mate!!!!!!! ehehe
twaaatally kewl
…true RK sir…thanx for this!
..DPac, yeah pnu shud get ‘PFC rapist of the year’ award for his words…hehehe!
Great inyerview
Inspite of looking like a gargoyle RGV is one of the sexiest men in India.
oh ..i wish this conversation never stopped….
this is the best interview of any film personality ive ever seen….fantastic stuff….
well done phoenixu, kk and vasan……..
@ Rk
“Public ko development nahin entertainment chahiye“.
this was indeed a fantastic line…….
i got to to tell u this as i feel this abt u from ur comments and blogs….
u must be making films…and if u r not then i think u should…
I cannot believe this … RGV QUOTE ” My craft has improved vastly, but my subject matters have declined”…
I’ve never seen him this candid ever!!!
Damn!!!
I am going to watch this space again from my home computer – my ofc blocks youtube!!!!
Till then – The guerillas of PFC are at it again!!!!
congrats guys and what a dream it is to talk to some one who did Shiva and created a character like Bhavani!!!!
PNu, Vasan, KK this was FANTASTIC !!
RGV has had a real candid discussion with u guys..
Loved his “OSO is a real honest film line” I don’t know how u guys would have controlled ur laughter at that. And the comparison of OSO & Singh is King to udipi restaurants – Priceless !
Wish it were a little longer..but very good nevertheless.
@ Arun Prakash:
//Next time you meet RGV, take Sudhir along
Dude..u wanna get me killed or wat
@RGV
You need good writers, old man. That’s the only thing you need. Sack all the yes men/women. For a change make a film WITHOUT your usual techniques (crazy camera, disruptive background score, stock characters etc). Just tell a great story, tell it simply.
All your recent films feel the same: the hero creates trouble for caricature gundas, caricature gundas send assassins to kill hero, hero defeats assassins…and so on till caricature goondas are destroyed at the end.
Sorry for sounding patronising, but you were/are one of my favourite directors, and it’s very difficult to digest your creative downfall, especially the horrendous Sarkar movies.
I still feel it’s just a phase and you will surprise us with a great film.
Best of luck.
In the first video, the pause after the statement ”My craft has improved vastly, but my subject matters have declined” look at his face – RGV has just realised what he has said! It’s that “oh no” moment (what did I just say?) and then he becomes that pseudo guy again – “But then the question is what is craft?” That’s why he has stopped making honest films He has stopped being honest! Great work Phoenix!
Satya, Kaun, Jangal, Company, Sarkar, Sarkar Raj and Ab Tak Chhappan (Exception-Rangeela)–all done well on BO. I want RGV to notice that in all these movies his women were fully clad. Ther were no camera angles kissing curves of the human body that was seen in all other movies(Daud, Pyar tune Kya Kiya, Gayab, James, Shiva and others).Its high time he should give it a thought. If people watch movies to see their heroine exposing, Satyam Shivam Sunadaram and all Mallika Sherawat movies would have done wonders on the BO.
I still refuse to believe he’s a spent force…waiting for a miracle to happen that brings back true RGV days.
Pnu, KK and Vasan: well done!!
He’s clearly a sport. Not sure whether it’s indifference. He seems keen to hear you out no matter what you throw at him.
I liked the part where he says if he knew he’d lost it, then he’d have found it. That was an intelligent retort. Also his take on marriage was quite original. NOt sure where all that intelligence was in his last 7-8 films.
awesome job you guys…KK/pnu/Vasan…damn cant watch it at ofice..lekin raat nein dekhoonga…
A very disappointing interview to say the least..
All you tigers sitting at this side of the fence with sharpened claws and bare teeth keep giving the impression like you are ready to rip apart anyone you encounter. And when the moment comes, you too become timid lambs the moment you enter other person’s den.
You guys had an opportunity to strip down the guy naked instead you fall into the trap and come out with a PR exercise than a genuinely tough chat. We have seen enough of that please. How are you any different from others?
RGV comes across too pompous for his track record. He thinks he has mastered style and does not bother to see Indian films because they put him off for their lack of style as per his high standards. Too bad he has become a victim of his own creation. To overwhelm style with form. Maybe it’s about time he started viewing and making movies for content for a change.
And his argument too falls flat that the moment you’ve realized you’ve lost it, that means you’ve found it. Well just because you’ve realized you’ve lost your wallet does not mean you’ve found it. Yes you may keep on behaving all is great till you realize it’s gone. And it’s worse with most of our filmmakers. They are not ready to realize they’ve lost it even when the back pocket seems much lighter than before.
sorry I meant Ramu ‘overwhelms form with style’ and not the other way around. A typo. At least I realized it. haha
hahaha… what more can i say
guys the particular review he talks about on PFC is not by Sudhir Nair but a particular review written by Siddarth pillai
http://passionforcinema.com/sarkar-raj-get-him-while-hes-down-cause-hes-gonna-come-back-with-a-magnum-and-then-you-gotta-ask-yourselfdo-i-feel-lucky-well-do-ya-punk/
you will know why he enjoyed reading it
It was fun and utter bullshit at the same time
the funniest line was….my craft has vastly improved….priceless…nothing like a man who takes himself too seriously and tries to show he doesnt…he’s like ed wood….
#sonali….Ab Tak Chappan was directed by Shimit Amin…its wonly a factory production
wow .. was fun for sure !! Sure if he knows he has lost it , he can find it .. xD
benchoddd..every fucking time he defends his actions by saying that he tried this or he tried that…our we like guinea pigs or something ….i mean despite of Aag/ Darling/Sarkar Raj debacle we go to watch Contract cos of faith in him..and yet again he disappointing…and over that he’s got guts to call Phoonk his best effort so far
I love this….
My respect for RGV has gone up a few notches after this.
I have heard of spontaneous acting – but his spontaneous film making and continuous unchecked improvements (offcourse his assistants not reminding him where he loses track) is something he can channel in a different way and create something more raw, gritty and unexpected. The overall tone of the interview was rather good. I liked it.
KK VAsan Somen..good work guys..we are proud if you..Scoop material
Phoenixnu I cannot see the videos….look like they are not loaded…
@Madhu, YouTube may be blocked at many work places… ie. if you are trying to see these videos from your workplace
Bang on….yes I am…:)
I really hope that he overcomes his “biggerst failing” and sticks to what he really wants to do. I am sure he would come out with a success.
roark
LOL at your guinea pigs remark. Just imagine how cruel the guys is, how many of us he has killed with his senseless experiments and is still figuring out his basics. Your anger is totally justified.
thnx guys. kk n vasan sat on d edit through out the nite and made it what it looks like now….it was so so so long!! and ya a big thnx to Ramu…imagine kjo, slb or nikhil advani in his place…they wud hav killed us then n there!
bestestest post on PFC so far.
Roark!!!!!!! sorry dude………he’s better than tht lameass Rand kid, no offense here.
#Abhay K
Sorry, my mistake…but hey, it had so much RGV influence that one tends to believe its been directed by him:)
phoenix, kk, vasan – thanks heaps for this!
well done guys. u took one for the team, and the team shall show its appreciation in some Coelhoesque way.
very entertaining, but one thing is obvious. the guy’s a total bullshitter and i for one have no hope in any of his future movies unless he does some real introspection and works with good writers. his body language is super-defensive with a few bouts of aggression when he jabs his pen thru the air at vbkkpnu.
everything he says makes me think that his earlier films cherished by all were a fluke, but can someone be that lucky to somehow accidentally make rangeela, satya, kaun, company, jungle, and produce some good movies?
It seems unlikely. So the only thing to conclude is that he is delusional and combined with some PR exercise of attributing his earlier success to luck and happenstance.
He says that he was always like this. That he gets distracted easily. He focusses on the one thing that inteersts him, and gets carried away. If the director does not have a strong overall vision of the narrative, the film is doomed to fail because films are shot out of sequence. How do you calibrate an actor’s performance to the tone and mood you’re setting if you don’t have a clue about the overall picture? If that explains why his recent films look like they’re made by an amateur, and he claims he was always like this… why didn’t we see even a trace of this in Satya, Company, etc. Hell, even Daud for all its faults had a unity of tone that reflected in the choices. It was a miscalculation, but atleast there was a calculation!
He is trying to shirk responsibility by constantly saying that he is still the same. It’s the people that have changed, and he makes so many excuses for that. For example, Company came out 7-8 years ago as he was telling vasan, and he must have been in a different frame of mind then. It is a valid hypothesis, except that it is easily disproved. Cinema is subjective blha blah blah, but by any metric, Company is a superior film to Sarkar Raj (or Contract from what I hear).
The day he finds it difficult to make movies cos no one will give him money, and the day we the audience stop watching every new release of his in hope that he will deliver, is the day he will do some true introspection, and not just dole out sound bytes.
RGV is a hack & he had us all for a while there.
Sad but true.
It was one heck of an interview…
Even I liked the line in his blog… “I would go on and make movies rather sit in Barista drinking endless cups of Coffee”…
Man… this guy got attitude…
Too good interview…
Even I liked the line in his blog… “I would go on and make movies rather sit in Barista drinking endless cups of Coffee”…
Man… this guy got attitude…
The sad truth is that there is such a dearth of quality cinema in India that people clutch at straws and glorify anything that even remotely resembles competence…thus the RGV hype…
is he bankrupt now?
how does he make money with dud after dud…
Here’s some more (and some repeated) RGV bullshit .. on Bombay Talkies.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=34485
guys do read his take on the media….
i think he is the most entertaining blogger in town….
http://rgvarma.spaces.live.com/?_c11_BlogPart_BlogPart=blogview&_c=BlogPart&partqs=amonth%3d8%26ayear%3d2008
And here’s what Karan Johar has to say about RGV on www.mynameiskaran.com …
p.s. Just to clarify, I don’t hate Ram Gopal Varma. Hate is too strong an emotion to waste on anyone or anything. I regard some of his work and I’m indifferent to others. He’s no friend of mine and will never be, but I see no reason to bear any animosity towards him; the poor fellow can do with some love. This is my reaction to a series of questions I’ve been asked about the status of my emotions towards him recently. Happy Independence Day!
@ashwin
Not that blog entry is what I call entertainment. Cheers !
Sorry .. I meant ..
Now, that blog entry is what I call entertainment.
happy independence day one and all……….
mitul
sure he is
this was rocking stuff guys !! Really good stuff !
“i don’t promise anything. … because from the way I pitch the phillum, from the title to whatever I say … by the time you come in, you have problem with the table, with the chairs, the light, the color of the walls, everything is a problem” – great restaurant analogy!! “i never took my phillums seriously, ever since I started. others took. what can I do about it?” (gotta love that slight South Indian accent!! :D)
This interview has restored some faith and respect in RGV that I lost in the last few years. I think I probably will give Phoonk a watch, which I wasn’t planning to earlier.
You know, there is a pose during the interview when I saw flashes of Dawood. And I thought why hasn’t this man ever been casted as Dawood in any movie … Did anybody feel the same?
Who are these KK, Vasan? I know Vasan blogs in PFC. But, how do they get to meet RGV? In the interview, it looked like RGV knows them very well. Are KK, Vasan film makers?
Thanks for getting him to speak candidly. But I feel he is still too stubborn to change. He needs good scripts but he refuses to see it.
RGV says he never grows up… that he was the same always. Trouble is…WE GREW UP! Tis like picking up that gud ol’ comic book u’ve read umpteen number of times and suddenly stare at it for long hoping it would turn into TOLSTOY or somethin.IT WONT GUYS… BUT HE WAS THERE…HE DID THAT AND GOT OUT. JUS LEAVE HIM ALONE. MORE N MORE OF HIM IN LESS AND LESSER TIME IS SURE TO MAKE HIM REALISE HIS MIRROR IS FALSE…!
SATYA… WAS AND WIL BE THE BEST ENTERPRISE IN MOVIE MAKING IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN CINEMA. SHOLAY GO TO HELL…I DONT MEAN AAG..THE OLDER SANJEEV KMR CARTOON MOVIE
Arvavind – that was the BEST comment wrt RGV
1. Guys you know what, this looks like some cheap imitation video of U.G. Krishnamurti. who’s U.G? He’s a …. well people say he’s a philosopher, great thinker etc., but he says he’s just a dog barking and is not interested in preaching anything.
Mahesh Bhatt says U.G. Krishnamurti is the most influential person in his life, like guru types.
here’s a video of U.G, even Mahesh Bhatt is in there trying to converse with him.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvQiDIjzvQ
(also checkout the 2nd and 3rd part of the video, ul find them in related videos section)
more videos,
http://in.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ugktv
(this user seems to have uploaded a lot of stuff)
for mooree, u can search for him in youtube. interesting stuff. and ofcourse, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppaluri_Gopala_Krishnamurti
UG is something else, there is honesty in him. Im not even comparing rgv with him, out of scope and question. i dont even know rgv knows who UG is. he could use some of him though.
2. This rgv video is so much full of pseudo-intellectual bullshit.
whatever he says, the truth is that he *needs* attention. he cant let himself be ignored. i think that it scares him to be ignored. but he talks as if he doesnt really care and doesnt take anything seriously. whereas he puts in effort to get attention.
I’m not talking to rgv here, but so many of those people who ‘fall’ for his shit.
For all the worshippers, think about this, would rgv be the same person if he was not popular and powerful? NO! he can afford to be like this only bcos he has power, and he just cannot lose that power or his mode of existense will collapse. He will do anything to remain in power.
If some roadside asshole speaks to u like this, would u listen? hahahhaaa. no! and rgv knows it. I hope ur getting the point here. His theories and philosophies that u consume everyday are nothing but a system that he designed which justifies the way he wants to live or operate or think. it applies to everybody. it doesnt at all mean that theyre even close to being right or wrong.
he doesnt claim that he’s right. he even says he’s bullshit and doesnt know anything and he doesnt take anything seriously. But that’s just trying to disassociate himself with the responsibility of his words or actions, he becomes free of responsibility. its an easy mode of escape. thats it, it doesnt mean anything esle. doesnt mean anything mahaaan! lol. dont fall for it.
ive seen a guy like this in some small town, he’s a religious baba, with lot of followers. lol.
Anybody who is seeking attention is weak, take it from me. Or, he could be trying to help somebody. the more u need attention, the more insecure u seem to be.
3. Talking about rgv as a filmmaker, i dont think what he lost is the craft or touch or whatever etc. What he really lost seems to be the respect for the audience. respect for the viewer to be precise. thats the fukin problem that i have with other fukin filmmakers who treat the viewer like shit. they take the viewer for granted. they just try to manipulate and exploit him.
well, when wong kar wai forgets about the viewer and loses himself in the love for filmmaking, i dont complain. as a viewer i see his love on the screen and feel great. rgv, when he says that when he likes a shot that he shot, sometimes he goes along with the excitement that it generates in him and forgets the script etc., it just sounds funny. cos it doesnt appear so in the film when im seeing it. his films are just repelling. all i see is a continuous insult/disregard/neglect/disrecpect for the viewer. thats all. i guess its just self-indulgence without love and/or respect. if wong kar wai makes/made love with cinema, rgv is raping it, hes ‘using’ it up. and i dont think this is a matter of perception.
in fact, after i saw sarkar, shiva, sarkarraj etc., i got fed up with so much manipulation and disrespect from the maker that i started to love watching the amateurish short films online. they had honesty, they had dreams.
aravind..
yeah looks like you are one of the rare kinds that appreciate the AAG sholay more than the ’sanjeev kumar cartooon movie’. Maybe you should watch umpteen number of cartoon channels available in India for kids like you to know what cartoons are. All film enthusiasts and filmmakers in India swear by Sholay for a variety of reasons, be it sound, visuals, camera work, performances, characters, background score or music. Yes it does have influence from a lot of other films, but all films do at one level or the other, even your ‘best enterprise in Indian cinema’ Satya. So show some respect to a film that did to Indian film buffs what Godfather did to others elsewhere.
amir.r.jaffar…
sir,
for starters… i hate cartoon movies and thats none of anyone’s business i guess..!SHOLAY…to me was a doordarshan film meant for kids to think that dacoits are cartoons so that they don fear them no more… I never said AAG is a great film. Infact, it isnt a film at all. It is black money burnt on the silver screen.. ‘ALL FILM ENTHUSIASTS IN INDIA SWEAR BY SHOLAY”…. WOW! HOW I WISH UR DREAM CAME TRUE! KTINE AADMI THE?…. SARKAAR MAINE AAPKA NAMAK KHAAYA HAIN…. ARRE OH! SAMBA…so naive. IN MAKING SHOLAY THE ICON OF INDIAN CINEMA…read HINDI CINEMA…WE LOVE TO BELIEVE WE MAKE GREAT HINDI FILMS… !
GUYS… DONT TAKE A MIKE..OR A CAM TO A GUY YOU DONT WANA WATCH AND MAKE HIM TALK AND THEN READ BETWEEN LINES AND MAKE A CARICATURE OF HIM..!
DEIFYING AND DEMONISING PERSONALITIES ARE THE TWO FAV PASSTIMES IN INDIA AND THE FILM BUFFS ARE NO EXCEPTION…
Nywz… LIKE I CARE…TO ME ….
RGV IS A FILM MAKER WHO HAS GIVEN ME CINEMATIC EXPERIENCES I CHERISH! LONG LIVE RGV…MAY MORE MIKES AND CAMS FOLLOW HIM AND KEEP HIM IN BUSINESS
THNKS
RGV manages it once again,create ripples out of nothing,and cons PFC,pls join the gang,the entire media n PFC are no different for RGV
RGV understands the power of the gab..but will it make for good cinema??
Why are folks so hard on RGV? The man seems to generate such hatred when he is far from the worst director in BW. At least his movies rather they succeed or not get folks talking unlike most of the brainless crap churned out by these banners. It amazes me that there was more love shown on this forum for the crapfest that is SIK than for Sarkar Raj which at least had a plot and good performances even if the execution was flawed.
I’ll take a Ramu movie any day over the regurgitated formula movies that become hits nowadays.
aravind,
Hey Kiddo..
go watch Bachna Ae Haseeno and God Tussi.. they are playing at a theater near you. I’ll pay.
next time think twice before opening your mouth and sounding stupid.
Sholay was made much before your parents even had any plans of conceiving you. You don’t even have a perspective in place as far as they are concerned. Just stick to your movies of this era. Chances are you’ll sound intelligent voicing your silly comments on them.
and RGV might not be reading this, so it’ll be better you go stand outside his office with your tongue rolled out and finger pointing to his ass. You’ll stand a better chance of him hiring you assistant on remakes of GO, AAG, SARKARS, CONTRACT et all.
Goodluck.
aravind.
sorry bro. didn’t intend to get to curt with you. You are free to appreciate and depreciate whatever you wish. Hopefully in time you’ll realize what I am trying to say tho.
Cheers and regards
wow! was thrilled to the core by dat….bring em on…amir uncle….i don need to work as an assistant with him coz m busy makin ma films…RGV wont be reading this! OH MA GOD …WHAT A DOWNER..!ARRE ..YAAR…I WAS WRITING ALL THIS ONLY SO THAT HE GIVES ME A CHANCE TO DO WHAT YOU THINK HIS ASSISTANTS DO … AND WHAT WERE THOSE FILMS YOU WERE SPEAKING ABT? GOD..TUSHI…TUSSI… WHATEVER… I DIDNT EVEN KNOW FILMS LIKE DAT EXISTED …
ITS FUN HOW YOU KNOW WHEN I WAS BORN TOO! NYWAYZ…
GABBAR SINGH KEHKAR GAYA..JO DAR GAYA..WOH MARGAYA…
sorry bro…
i only say what i mean. NO HARD FEELINGS EITHER
This is what Shushant has to say :
http://www.silenceonthefloor.com/?p=126
Q.How does the Industry work? Does it believe in holding on to every scene and working with bound, set-in-stone scripts?
A.There is no fixed pattern as such really, in the Hindi Film Industry. Some chose to work with bound scripts, while some prefer to keep it flexible. Very often keeping it flexible works better. For example, Ram Gopal Varma never uses bound scripts…the script of Satya was written on the sets. Sometimes bound scripts may be limiting. While shooting the actors may come up with clever improvisations, the director may come with some creative changes, inspiration can come from anywhere.Ultimately it depends on the Director and what he is more comfortable with
RGV was RGV. When ppl write about RGV here there is a lot of venom in them, in person it disappears.
RGV sure can theorise very well.
Is it all honest is the question.
RGV isnt about SARKARs and AAGs and CONTRACTs and all the non BOLLYWOD TYPE hindi cinema to follow.
Kshana Kshanam, Raatri, Govinda Govinda,Anaganaga oka roju, deyyam, gulabi and ofcourse Shiva…(Shivaa shivaa shivaa…vaademi devudaa?)… Thats RGV …RAM GOPAL VERMA…!!
Hi,
Ramuji, I come from ” land of the rising sun ” (not Japan) it is Assam .Spend a lot of time in remote tea gardens.I have a few ideas and wanted to share with u.
My cell is 09718222446
Thanks
Khairul
For all rgv haters I wish you (shit is king * khnh) * 100. You deserve it. LOL. Guys give him a break otherwise chopra/mehras/johars would have killed us long time back.
Amir where does the venom come from , sour grapes
or no grapes. Seriously why are you taking him or self so seriously. Suggestion please join the khan clan, you will be safe, mint money.
Kalki mentioned it the best about wong – respect for the audience when you indulge in private pleasure. Sometimes it makes sense, most of the time, it sucks. Dabba – struck the point pretty well.
For all people questiong his honesty and him as person when the person is not nearly as pompous as the freaky judges on the tv shows – please show your work(whatever profession where you have guts to fail and try and keep trying)
He was good, sarkar trio were not such bad movies except for irritating background score. Worst lot were the ones focussed on titilation or lack there of. But again each to his own.
He (Mr.R.G.V) is the Michael Jackson of Indian Cinema! We revel in watever he does and says ..its a treat always!
hey guys,
for all of you who think RGV has lost it..well, i guess he has now found it..yes, with PHOONK!
was lucky enough to be at one of the screenings(courtesy a friend working with the man)& must admit its a well made film, well written, very well shot & believe it or not but it’s very emotional also! (RGV & emotions??)
the first half is taut & has it’s scary moments(one scene is superbly executed & will scare the shit out of you..that’s the RGV we all like)..the second half is very high on emotional content..one can easily connect to the family’s trauma as they deal with the unexplainable situation(black magic)in their own ways..
the casting is brilliant, the lines spoken very real & the perfomances are superb!
the lead actor(sudeep) is natural & the little girl(ahsaas channa) is just brilliant..rest of the cast – amruta khanwilkar, ganesh yadav, zakir hussain, lillette dubey,
k k raina, jyoti subhash & the little kid brother are good too..also the perfomances of shyam(site superviser),
laxmi(maid) & mani(driver) are noteworthy..perfect casting!
camerawork is excellent, editing & sound design is good..BGM is good too, but could have been better..
well, now talking of RGV’s direction, as i had mentioned in the begining..he has found it! really!!
i guess he finally searched it in the lost & found department in his head & got out PHOONK!
3 1/2* / 5*
P.S – had a few issues with the film, but dont want to spoil it for others..as you cant miss this one for sure..wish you’ll a partly scary & mostly emotional watch!
Great interview. Wish it could have been longer!
phoonk ****, mmj ***, mgma ** by taran adarsh..
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2008/aug/20slid1.htm
Ram Gopal Varma says, Hi! Everyone, I am Ram Gopal Varma here, please shoot your questions.
varun asked, why are u churning out trash after trash
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Well, since I don’t have your brains.
bhoot asked, dear ramu sir, why are you fascinated with bhoot and superstition stories?
Sholay asked, Your sheer talent is definitely unmatchable, but please give an explanation to Ramu Ki Aag which became sucha big black mark.. All your fans were so desperately waiting for it to prove that Sholay can also be remade, but it was made in sucha pathetic way.. Did you direct it urself or was it soemone else?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I was responsible for every frame of the film. And if I knew that it would be going so wrong obviously I would have corrected it.
DilPat asked, The one thing that has been astonishing regarding your career has been the ‘lack of consistency’. Shiva, Khshana Kshanam, Satya, Rangeela, Kaun, Bhoot were top notch, while some of the others have lacked some of the basics to hold interest (Basics of screenplay, script coherence are not adhered to). I simply fail to understand why…Any reason?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I am trying to figure that out myself.
farhan asked, r u not fed up with the flops u make… u have brain use in proper way make good movies rather crap
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Thanks for the fantastic advice. I will be obliged with you for the rest of my life.
Vikky asked, Hello sir, Tell me abt ur future projects ??
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I am making a film on the media. For details log on to my blog, www.rgvzoomin
Dabba asked, We have watched Bhoot, Satya, Company, Rangeela in theatres and the rest on TV. Bhoot was good. Vastu Shastra did not do well. Neither did Contract. What can we expect with Phoonk?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, You can expect what you feel like expecting but I can’t expect to give what you are expecting.
AV asked, I think your Phoonk is inspired from “Exorcist”. Any comments
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Exorcist was about demonic possession whereas Phoonk is about black magic. But yes, the emotional angst of the families concern for the child has a resemblance with the Exorcist.
radhika hyd asked, can u compare Bhoot and Phoonk? which is better?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Bhoot kind of fear is what makes you jump out of the seat whereas Phoonk kind of fear will seep deep into you and make you question your own belief systems. As far as which is better, that’s best answered by you. For me, Phoonk is far superior.
vipul asked, why u r not replying my questions?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, because they are not worth it :-)
sac asked, hello Sir i have heard that if anyone watches phook alone in theatre he will get some reward is it true sir?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Yes you can check for the details on rediff.com
subhra asked, Do u feel responsible to your audience when u turn out a trash and waste their hard earned money?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Yes, but I feel even more responsible for the crores of rupees and more than a year of my time spent than their paltry two hours and Rs 100.
analyst asked, RGV please stop making craps. Instead donate the same amount for the development of poor,it would be much appreciated. By the way where do you get these money to make craps like RGV ke Sholay, Phoonk and such kinda shit stuff?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, From the same guys who will never give you five rupees.
heavybison1 asked, Who’s been the best actor uve directed so far?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Ehsaas Chana, the little girl in Phoonk.
karthik123 asked, what inspired you to make “Aag”:-)
Ram Gopal Varma answers, A little arrogance and loads of stupidity.
harsha_kalyan asked, did u ever fall in love?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, 3,736 times
hmmm asked, You are RIGHT BRAIN Dominant person like Mani ratnam, A.R.Rahman, Tendulkar etc., Am i right
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Your question seems to be coming from a wrong brain.
vamsi asked, Hi Ramu, Don’t you think its time for some one of your stature to venture to project our ancient Indian culture through art. Today the society has forgotten our heroes such as Lord Rama,Lord Krishna or even great saints like Swami Vivekananda, one looks around now adays and there are no role models
Ram Gopal Varma answers, That’s a fantastic idea you gave me. I will soon make a film on myself.
BhardwajAgain asked, Is Phoonk scarier than RGV Ki AAG?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, It is funnier.
Sanjog asked, How is Phoonk different from other horror films? People love to watch comdies to releave their stress and tension. In this scenerio do you think people will give good response to Phoonk? Give me one good reason why should I watch Phoonk?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Fear is an emotion everyone is scared of, but most will be dying to feel it. It is the same reason why people would want to ride a rollercoaster. And Phoonk has plenty of it.
suman_dubey asked, I am from Vijyawada. Are you really from Vijaywada? Also tell me the future of script writer in Bolyhood.
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I am from Hyderabad but I did my engineering from Vijaywada. The script writer of Bollywood is highly unlikely to be from Vijaywada.
kat_harry@rediffmail.com asked, Is this movie is a copy of Telugu “Tulasidalam”?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Phoonk is somewhere between inspired and copied.
sandviro asked, Hi, is the Film Phoonk similar to a old Hindi Horror Film Jaadu Tona..Promos of your New Film looks similar to the old film.
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Actually, Phoonk has been taken from quite a number of old films, old novels and various experiences that I have heard from people.
electric_ron asked, How do you handle all the negative criticism? AAg made your fan forget all your masterpieces!!
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Positively. I thank you very much for forgetting so that now I can make a fresh batch of master pieces.
Chinmay asked, hello sir, does the film make any conclusion abt black magic????
Ram Gopal Varma answers, No because the whole point of the film is that it is a superstition till it happens to you.
alluris asked, Dear sir, my advise is you do not compromise on quality…there is different between earlier RGV and current RGV…why?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Because somebody did black magic on me.
Ram Gopal Varma says, Goodbye everyone. If you don’t like Phoonk you will find me in the Versova graveyard. Just come if you dare.
Ram Gopal Varma answers, Because I think I was a ghost in my past birth.
pinkee asked, hulo sir.are u really sure tht phoonk is a daaammn scary film?if its not and ur anonuncement gets wasted…what will you do?
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I will Phoonk everyone.
sam1ly asked, Hi Ramu…All the best for your new film, i would like to know is there any spat between you and sanju
Ram Gopal Varma answers, No. We are doing a film together very soon.
aarthi asked, Why did u choose black magic as the theme of the movie.Did u ever see any of the these in ur real life
Ram Gopal Varma answers, I didn’t but I met quite a few who claimed to have the experiences.
You guys have no PASSION but to Bitch RAMU..
so thats what Passion for Cinema is all about…
plain CRAP…
nothing comes from you straight its all painted in the way u see it and want to show…wonder what ethics u live by!
29 films?? did you count the telugu films??
“I feel even more responsible for the crores of rupees and more than a year of my time spent than their (audiences’) paltry two hours and Rs 100″
RGV should be banished to a deserted island for showing utter disregard for the paying audience. Someone should remind him that his crores come from these people who go into theaters giving him the benefit of doubt every time. Soon, as is already apparent, he won’t have any audiences left.
People are supposed to improve on their craft after having gained so much experience. This guy has gone down with every new film of his. It’s about time he got that huge chip off his shoulder and took some time off for introspection and left the gullible audience alone.
Entertaining as the interview was, the least you guys representing a film website could have done was to make sure the camera was steady and the sound was clear. hiring a decent PD and collar mics isnt that expensive.
good content though!