Ram Gopal Varma gears up for third part of 'Sarkar' saga

Ram Gopal Varma, who shifted to Hyderabad and made slew of Telugu films, is back here and is set to storm the box- office with ‘Sarkar’ franchise.

Pic courtesy: Getty Images

Mumbai: Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, also known as RGV, is all set for the third part of his ‘Sarkar’ saga featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the lead.

Varma, who shifted to Hyderabad and made slew of Telugu films, is back here and is set to storm the box- office with ‘Sarkar’ franchise.

Excerpts from the interview:

Why 'Sarkar 3' at this stage of your career?

The point of continuing any franchise is only when the characters create an impact and Mr. Bachchan did that so powerfully in ‘Sarkar’. Amitji and I were discussing ideas on how we should make ‘Sarkar 3’ since a few years and we both were clear that we won't attempt it unless we are extremely sure we can (give) better (than) what has been already done in ‘Sarkar’ in 2005 and ‘Sarkar Raj’ in 2008. So to get the absolutely right content was the reason for the delay.

How different would he be in ‘Sarkar 3’?

The last time I saw Amitji in an angry man's role was only in ‘Sarkar’ 10 years ago and I designed that character from the angry image he derived from his portrayal in iconic films like ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Deewar’ and ‘Bemisal’. In ‘Sarkar’ my ambition is to portray him as being angrier than ever and that of course for highly valid reasons.

How do you plan to present him to ensure a uniqueness and novelty in looks and emotions?

More than anything else, his character will have a very powerful screen presence along with his trademark intimidating stares, shriveling scowls and highly memorable one-liners, which is the tradition of ‘Sarkar’.

Tell us about ‘Sarkar 3’ plot. How would it move forward from second part of ‘Sarkar’?

It's too early to reveal the plot of ‘Sarkar 3’ but it will be much bigger in its scale and scope than the earlier two ‘Sarkar’ films.

Who else have you cast in the film?

There are a lot of characters in the film and the cast details will be shared soon.

What do you feel about the changes in the Hindi film industry during the last few years while you were busy in Hyderabad?

Changes happen every Friday and they will keep happening and people will keep adapting to the changes and as long as people keep adapting changes won't matter.

A lot of studios and corporate houses are apparently shutting down in Bollywood. Do you see a crisis looming in the Hindi film industry?

I have been hearing about film industry's crises ever since I first came into the industry, but the number of films being made kept on going up irrespective of the crises. After all, this exaggerated hullabaloo about various corporates shutting down, my prediction is that there will be more number of films made now compared to last year.

By Subhash K Jha