Naach looks interesting and as a huge plus he is directing himself
http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.ph ... nt_id=8561
Analyse this
Bhawana Somaaya
Posted online: Friday, July 16, 2004 at 0000 hours IST
Everything he experiences in real life is translated on screen. And everything he portrays on screen is discussed thread bare in the media. Consequently, there is very little about Ram Gopal Varma that readers don’t know about. And contradictory as this sounds, the filmmaker only exposes that much about himself that he would want the world to know. In a rare defences-down mood the director analyses himself as a son, sibling, friend and filmmaker.
As a son
As a child I wasn’t a good son. I’m still not a good son in the traditional sense. Perhaps I’m too selfish to be virtuous. Very early in life my mother learnt to leave me alone. She couldn’t figure me out and this was evident in her eyes. Sometimes I sense the same expr-ession in my eyes when I’m dealing with the rest of the world. I was always a dreamer. At the dining table, if mother tried putting things in my plate or communicate with me, I looked upon it as an invasion in my creative space. She could not understood my resistance because her other children never reacted the same way. But then, I was a strange child. There were days, I only ate rice... and there were other days, I only ate vegetables. There were mornings, I’d wake up and refused to go to school. And there were nights, I’d keep awake till dawn, reading books.
I wasn’t a good student. I failed twice during my education. The first time, when I was in the 10th standard and later, during my entrance exams for engineering. And both the times, there was no remorse. I fail to understand why I didn’t feel the slightest concern for my poor parents who had put their life’s savings together to afford my college fees. On the contrary, there was a false pride of standing apart. Today, the implications don’t seem as serious but at that time my parents were devastated!
In a strange way, I was detached from all anxieties.There were no insecurities about money. I never seemed to need money and when I needed it, it had a mysterious way of appearing from nowhere. My bohemian ways exasperated my mother. In my growing years she has hit me with everything she could lay her hands on - belts, chappals, sticks yet nothing could transform me. With my father there was hardly any interaction so there was little room for disagreements. Only once, when I told him I wanted to become a filmmaker, did I see him gasp! He said nothing to me but I overheard him tell an uncle that he feared that I was going mad. Father served as a sound recordist with ‘Annapurna Studios’ in Hyderabad for years and watching show business from close quarters, he felt concerned for my sanity. I could have taken offence to his complete lack of confidence in me but I didn’t. We never broa-ched the topic again. I was used to being on my own. My isolation confused most people who found me odd. Over the years I’ve tried to become social but it hasn’t helped.
As a sibling
I am the oldest of the three siblings. After me is my sister Vijaya and following her, my younger brother Shekhar whom we call Koti at home. While I was a restless soul driven by fleeting obsessions - at one time dogs, then butterflies, then kites, then english dictionary and finally cinema, Koti my brother was a stable, solid as a rock guy. Sometimes I feel that I found happiness only when I found films. That’s when I made peace with myself. My siblings made peace with life much earlier. Vijaya, both, then and now remains an extension of mother. She represents authority and wisdom but we communicate better today than we did in our younger days. I’m still not the traditional brother that Koti is to her ... I don’t make periodic phone calls inquiring about her family. I don’t remember her birthday or wedding anniversary, but she does and I feel humbled by her concern. Both mother and she take immense pride in my success. They are so selfless that I almost feel undeserving of their affection. I make up my mind that the next time they come visiting me I’ll spend quality time with them but everytime it’s the same story. I never do. Everytime, after the initial inquiries I’m at a loss of words to pursue conversation. For me emotions are reserved for cinematic experience. When I’m happy I hear violins. When I’m angry I hear drums. It’s unfair but I don’t give as much importance to life.
As an employer
I expect minimum fuss from my staff as the head of the department. In the morning when I come to office and they greet me, I’m not sure how to respond so I just disappear in my room. I’m not an attentive boss in the sense that if my staff has a problem, I expect them to resolve it on their own. I don’t have the patience to emotionally baby-sit people. I cannot fake concern, cannot feel compassion about the 100 odd strugglers who come to meet me every day. All stories in any case are similar, what makes them different are the characters. One look at a newcomer and I know whether he has the spark or not. Ours must be the only office in the film fraternity that works round the clock. The office never downs its shutters. People are free to come and leave whenever they want as long as they are responsible and result driven.
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As a filmmaker
It’s only after I turned a producer that I realised that I have great organisation skills. It’s only after I launched my own company that I discovered, I’m enjoying producing much more than directing. Alfred Hitchkok has said a beautiful line somewhere. “The film is ready. Now I have to just shoot it.†The physical time of shooting a film is not the most interesting part of filmmaking. When I can control the entire operation sitting in my office, I don’t have to be present on the sets. The real magic on celluloid happens in the pre and the post production. I’ve often said that I dont’ make films to make money. I need money to make films. I’m not in movie business for the same reasons as other produces.
Success to me is not the recognition other people give you but the power to do what you want to. In my mind, confidence is when I can conquer all my fears. Today, the audience identifies with me more as a director than as a producer and I’m fortunate that there is no creative conflict in me between the two roles. Overspending is never an issue if it is for the betterment of the film, mine or somebody else’s. The problem is that most of the time, people confuse material with craft.
My film Satya, for instance, is rich in material but simple in technique while Bhoot has no material but excels in craft. For me, the latter was more challenging than the former.
As a friend
I have no friends. I don’t know how to define friendships. The only interactions I have are with woring partner. I tell my writers and actors not to make a deity out of me. “Use me to reach your goal, just in the way I use others to reach my goal,†I don’t know why but the complications always add up somewhere in the process of building an image. Always, somehow there comes a time wen the actor starts believing the image and expects a new equation from me, his creator.
And when I’m unwilling, the alienation begins. That is why when a film ends, so do the associations. It has happened so many times,with so many actors that I’ve stopped reacting. I don’t mourn break-ups. I’ve never felt deprived of not having friends. I have my books, computer, televisions, cinema. If I’m low, the last person I want to be with is a loved one.
At that time, I’m not seeking solace but reason. I don’t need someone emotional who says, “main hoon na...†but someone rational who will make me see the problem more clearly than I do.
In the coming six months Ram Gopal Varma’s production company `Factory’ is planning seven releases. One for a month literally. Varma discusses how these films were born.
GAYAB
Producer: Factory
Director: Prawaal Raman
Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Antara Mali
Release: July 2004
Everybody dreams of the possibilities of what they could do and get away with if they were not caught... Or better still if they are invisible. Gayab is the story of a loser bestowed with extraordinary powers for a day. Unlike Mr India my hero does not use the powers to fight social evils. He is more self centered. He uses the fortune for himself. He does all that he has dreamt of and never got the opportunity. It is a film about hope.
Galtise/Jaan Bujhke
Producer: Factory
Director: Jijy Philip
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurthy
Release: August 2004
A nagging wife can destroy the quality of a marriage. The film is the story of one such marriage where one day, in the course of an argument, the hero kills his wife. The question is, did he do so intentionally or was it an accident. The answer is only the hero can tell. Having agreed on the premise. of the film, we began shooting without having decided on a concrete end. When we were nearing completion I got an idea. Why not shoot two endings - one, where he murders his wife intentionally and the second, where it is by default and leave the decision to the audience. The two films should be released, simultaneously in the multiplexes, so that some may want to see both the versions. It is the first time a filmmaker in India or abroad has attempted something like this. And I feel the audience is ready for it.
NAACH
Producer: Factory
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Antara Mali
Release: September 2004
It is a romantic story between a struggling actor and a choreographer. The novelty of the film is in the manner in which it is shot. It is reinventing the form. And the fact that it tells the story of show business is projected in the body language of the actors. And for those who may complain that it is one more film about the cinema world, I want to clarify that films are never made as backdrops. They are mad on characters.
VAASTUSHASTRA
Producer: Factory
Director: Saurav Narang
Release: October 2004
It is a horror film. Ever since I made Raat almost 20 years ago, I’m trying to make another horror film where I’m able to rectify the mistakes. To an extent I was able to do so in Kaun and later Bhoot but some imperfections persist. After this film may be I will be satisfied and not need to make another horror film for 20 years.
JAMES
Producer: Factory
Director: Rohit Chauhan
Release: November 2004
Suddenly one day I realised that we have stopped making action films. The chocolate hero has sabotaged the action hero. Call it coincidence but around this time I bumped into a very good looking model. He was introduced to me while I was eating at a restaurant. I was watching him from a low angle shot and I was kindled with a desire to make a hard core action film. Next day, I had my production design ready and the following month we were getting ready to go with the film on floor.
Boo
Producer: Factory
Director: Not yet decided
Release: November 2004
Darna Mana Hain was a satisfactory experience but the concept of weaving six stories in a film wasn’t a seamless one. I’m a stubborn director and don’t give up on ideas till I’ve given my best shot. Boo is an attempt to master the seams in Darna Mana Hain. Hopefully the audience will like it.
D
Producer: Factory
Director: Pravin Sawant
Release: December 2004
When you make a film you sometimes wonder where the character comes from.. where was he dwelling before the film began. D is a sequel to Company. The film traces the origin of Mallik. What was he doing before he transformed into a don. It traces his journey from annonimity to crime.
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