I want to see a larger than life Amitabh Bachchan: Ram Gopal Varma

Ram Gopal Varma is all set for the third instalment of his Sarkar saga, featuring Amitabh Bachchan in the lead. Prior to this movie, Ram shifted base to Hyderabad where he made a slew of Telugu movies. Now he is back in Mumbai and all set to storm the box office with the Sarkar franchise. We caught up with the director.

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. He and I have been discussing Sarkar 3 for a few years and we were both clear that we won’t attempt it unless we are very sure we can better what has been already done in Sarkar in 2005 and Sarkar Raj in 2008.

How different will Amitabh be in Sarkar 3?
The last time I saw Amitabh in an angry man’s role was 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 3, my ambition is to portray him as being angrier than ever, for valid reasons of course.

What do you think of some of the recent films that Amitabh has done, like Shamitabh, Teen and Wazir?
Though I myself have created some complacent, soft characters for him in films like Rann and Nishabd, I generally do not like to see him playing an ordinary man. Of course, they were great performances but my problem is that I want to see him in roles that are larger than life.

How do you plan to present him in this sequel to ensure novelty in looks and emotions?
More than anything else, his character will have a very powerful screen presence along with the trademark intimidating stares, shrivelling scowls and memorable one-liners, which are a tradition of Sarkar.

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. They will keep happening and people will keep adapting to the changes. As long that happens, the 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 this ever since I first came in to the industry but the number of films being made kept on going up irrespective of the crise. After this entire hullabaloo about various corporates shutting down, my prediction is that there will be more films made now compared to the last year.