 "Ram Gopal Varma criticizes Indian directors for thinking audiences are ‘dumb’: ‘In Hollywood they make Oppenheimer, we make Thugs of Hindostan’")
Veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who made memorable films like Satya, Shiva, Company, Rangeela, Sarkar and many others, has slammed Indian directors for disrespecting the audience’s intelligence and having an approach for making star-driven films as opposed to Hollywood.
When asked RGV how filmmakers in the West are still making films in old age and upgrading themselves with time and technology, he replied while having a conversation with Galatta Plus, “When you talk about Scorsese, or when you talk about Clint Eastwood, the kind of realism and effectiveness… They’re taking up (interesting) subjects, and getting performances that are top-notch. More than anything else, it is their personal attitude which is reflecting in their films.”
He added, “First of all, we don’t make such films. We think of the audiences as dumb. Basically, the kind of cinema they make, and the benchmark there… Imagine what is the benchmark here. All the big (Hollywood) stars come together and make Oppenheimer. And here, all the big stars come together and they make Thugs of Hindostan.”
However, he praised Aamir Khan for cracking the code of movies and said, “He can do Ghajini and Taare Zameen Par in the same time period. His understanding is perfect.” The filmmaker also lauded Sandeep Reddy Vanga of Kabir Singh and Animal fame for making films that were not made before.
Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, who are lead stars of Thugs of Hindostan have worked with Ram Gopal Varma in the Sarkar franchise, Nishabd, Rann and Rangeela.