Ram Gopal Varma: 'Who will stop me? No one can'

The irrepressible Ram Gopal Varma gets going - refusing to be bogged down by flops and failed relationships.

Love him, hate him, you can never ignore this phenomenally talented director who, somehow, keeps coming up with duds every once in a while

He's a man of many faces. Or masks. A controversy provocateur on Twitter, the director of the unforgettable Rangeela, Satya, Company and Bhoot, a vendor of a score of Titanics at the ticket counters and yet an irrepressible optimist (he lately announced Sarkar 3 with Amitabh Bachchan), he is Indian cinema's Mind Boggler No 1.

Ram Gopal Varma, at the age of 54, can be infuriating yet erudite. Detecting a complicated maze of a mind, I set out to understand RGV's heart and mind. Here are snatches from our freewheeling conversation:

On childhood

I had a normal childhood in Hyderabad, but I was an abnormal child. I would never do my school homework. My mother (Suryavathi) would beat me up a lot with chappals and a leather belt. so, I was either a bad child or she was a bad mother. Not surprisingly, I flunked my tenth standard exams twice, and repeated my Intermediate college as well as BE Civil Engineering exams. I'd hang out in Hyderabad with street gangs. I was smart enough to remain at the back of the fights with fists and hockey sticks. If I saw our gang was getting thrashed, I'd make a run for it.

On education and discipline

I looked forward to the social science classes because of our teacher Miss Saraswati. I would just gape at my first crush. She taught us English also. Still, that couldn't arouse my interest in Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. The first book I ever read was James Hadley Chase's No Orchids for Miss Blandish. Who needed studies when I could read of interesting women like Miss Blandish? I'd be glued to the novels of Frederick Forsyth, Ayn Rand, Stephen King and I was insanely crazy about Mad magazine. Sometimes, I felt I was Alfred E Neuman, but I could never put on a permanent smile like he did.

On the influence of Bollywood movies while growing up

I started watching Hindi films a bit late, beginning with Yaadon Ki Baaraat and then the Amitabh Bachchan movies. I believed exclusively in commercial potboiler cinema. So, naturally, I preferred the gorgeous Zeenat Aman to the grief-stricken Guru Dutt. And when I caught up with Mughal-e-Azam, I found it tacky compared to Sholay.

TOUCHSTONE: RGV says he's watched Sholay about 30 times, and it continues to be his single point of inspiration

On the Sholay obsession

I've seen Sholay about 30 times; the last time was in 2001 - that's 26 years after it was first released. As a director, I understand techniques better. In fact, I was amused when I was told that Gabbar Singh's den, as it was shown, was located right behind the Thakur's haveli, just a stone's throw away. And, yet everyone was hunting high and low for Gabbar Singh. But that's cinema; masterpieces just happen because every element falls into place. like the script, performances, technique and music. Do me a favour: don't remind me of my remake of Sholay, or I'll throw you out of the room!

On surviving flops

Believe it or not, I still have the freedom to do exactly what I want to, the way I did as a child. The psychology of violence intrigues me. I'm mentally tough but not physically. After over 25 years of filmmaking, I'm bursting with energy; there are 1,000 movie ideas playing around in my head. The aim is to make as many of them, get on the road, have fun and get away with it. My flops don't discourage me. There has never been a question of who will let me make another film again. The question is: who will stop me? No one can. I knew that from the moment I okayed the first shot for Siva.

On marriage and separation

I haven't yet understood the meaning of true love. Miss Saraswati was a schoolboy's infatuation. After that, I fell in love six or seven times. I must have been 25 when I got married. Obviously, at that point, I thought marriage was a great concept. But I disagree with that now. I feel that commitment and one's feelings are subject to change with time. I have never loved anyone 100 per cent. That is my fault entirely.

On friends

I don't have any genuine friends. I'm not genuine friendship material either. Like I wasn't marriage material. I prefer to be a lonely old man than to be a lonely old husband. I don't need love or concern. I can't stand fake affection. If I'm feeling unwell and someone says, "I hope you get well soon", I dislike that person - for reminding me that I can get sick.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com

• WKND