Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

The megalomaniac Ram Gopal Varma now admits that he made a mistake attempting to do a Sholay Remake. We had hope he could have realized his folly earlier to spare all those poor souls who were subjected to this movie.  Here are some excerpts from a recent interview of the director.

Do you feel you went wrong somewhere with Aag?
I did go wrong. The one person I must have made supremely happy is Ramesh Sippy! I’m very happy to make him happy, because he made my life. I watched Sholay again last night. It’s fantastic. I must’ve been nuts to attempt it. All my impressions of Sholay over the years went into making Aag. Now, I ask myself, ‘If someone else had made Aag, how would I as a Sholay fan react?’ I’d probably hate it as much as most people. The original is too deeply embedded in the public’s psyche.

Were you prepared for this sort of backlash?
I can’t say it was entirely unexpected. When you attempt to remake the most revered film in Indian film history, you’re going into the realm of sacrilege. Everyone, from friends to well wishers to people who didn’t care a damn either way, warned me I was headed for trouble. I expected extreme criticism, but I didn’t expect such a low box office opening. I don’t know if it was because of the title or because of the film’s look. People felt the film looked like it was made in the 1970s, but I wanted to make a 1970s film! One way of looking at it is homage to the decade. The other way is to see it as outdated. It’s a question of perception.

Aag is your career’s most vilified films.
I’d think so. The baggage of expectations was too much. Brickbats were rained because people saw this attempt as an upstart trying to tamper with a classic. The backlash isn’t personal. Sometimes, criticism against a film rises in a wave, all in one voice. I don’t think people sat down and conspired to trash Aag.

What do you think is the reason for the backlash?
They hate my guts for having the audacity to remake Sholay, but I’m used to being hated for what I do. Only this time, the volume of protests
 is higher.
What do you mean?
I am constantly ridiculed for everything I do. Everyone has a mind and a tongue and the right to use it. I think humans get pleasure from attacking others. No one has time to get personal.

What about an SMS that said you should learn filmmaking from former assistants like Madhur Bhandarkar and Shimit Amin?
All of us have an opinion on everything under the sun. If someone feels I should learn filmmaking, they’re right in their own way. When Kisna failed, critics said Subhash Ghai should enroll in his own film institute. Ridiculing people is a form of entertainment. At least I’m entertaining people more with their comments on Aag than I did with the film! Critics should thank me for that and give me a 5-star rating for providing post-release entertainment.

Maybe the volume of work goes against you.
I don’t agree with that. I don’t do anything apart from make films, so I can’t take a break just because people want me to make lesser films. In any case, I don’t think people care if I make two films or 20 a year, as long as they like what they see. But who knows what will click? When I made Satya,