 |
|
Varma set to unleash Bhoot
HE is an institution in himself. Ram Gopal Varma, better known as RGV, has engineered path-breaking films from Shiva, Rangeela,Satya, Mast in the ‘90’s to Company in the new millennium. Often compared to the Spanish filmmaker Quentin Tarantino in, ‘his relentless exploration of the genre of experimental film, ‘Varma is a brand name today. Varma, who believes in experimenting with each film, is now ready with a supernatural thriller, Bhoot. Varma claims that the film ‘will scare the daylights out of even a 90-year old!’ Presenting a tete-a-tete with the film wizard. In what way is Bhoot distinct from other horror films? Audiences usually
associate horror cinema with a woman in a white saree in a mist-filled
environment, a haunting song in the background and a grandfather clock
ticking away ... in some old house in the woods or a graveyard. But I
thought, ‘What if the film is set in a home, in the middle of Mumbai
city?’ This would be a setting the audience would identify with. To
set horror in a 12th floor apartment, amidst things you take for
granted, say your TV, your lift, this is the newness of the genre I have
explored. A couple move into a new apartment and there is something
happening there. First, the husband believes that it is the wife’s
imagination. Eventually, they come to terms with the fact that there is
indeed something supernormal there. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I am an atheist. I don’t believe in God or Satan. I definitely get scared but fear is a natural instinct and cannot be understood in a religious context. Regarding the supernormal, I am no authority on the subject nor have I had any such experience. So to say that I believe or do not believe in them, both seem stupid. What made you adopt this unique way of promoting the film through a video album? The importance of music is overrated by the industry. The greed for money from music companies, the fear of losing publicity got through music channels, is what prompts most filmmakers to include music. For a movie like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le jayenge or Rangeela, music is imperative but for a thriller like Bhoot there is no need for songs. But I have made videos for publicity sake, as in the West (Madonna’s Die Another Day). People know that the number is not in the film, but it still attracts attention. Why have you decided to stay away from direction? Isn’t it addictive? I am enjoying the conceptualising process more. I do not find going to locations and waiting in between shots exciting. Unless something really intimidating comes along, urging me to direct, I won’t think of direction. Why this certain urge to ‘plague the industry’ with RGV films? Will you be able to balance quality with quantity? Ensuring quality is a very subjective term. It is for the audience to decide whether my films have quality or not. I believe in a certain kind of cinema. A director has limited time. In a year I could make one film. But, there’s so much of talent and ideas out there. To study the sincerity of the ideas and use my position to facilitate the making of these very ideas means more to me. As a director I can understand the mechanics of a project and I feel that I would make a far better producer. LMN |
 |
|
