Filmmakers Ram Gopal Varma and Mani Ratnam are among the most renowned names in both South Indian and Bollywood cinema. In a recent interview with the MPower Podcast, RGV revealed that he and Mani don’t like each other’s films and explained why a future collaboration between them is unlikely.
Ram Gopal Varma says he is not a fan of Nayakan
RGV revealed that he is not really a fan of Nayakan and said, “Mani Ratnam doesn’t like my films, and I don’t like Mani’s films. That’s our relationship. Nayakan, for me, Kamal’s performance was fine and some moments were good too, but overall as a film, I didn’t like it. Not about Nayakan, Mani didn’t influence me. Who influenced me was K. Balachander. In fact, recently I was watching one Tamil/Telugu film of his and I was surprised to see how similar my cuts are. Obviously, because I learned from him. The editing part, dialogue is so similar to mine, which means it came from there.”
Ram Gopal Varma on collaboration with Mani Ratnam
Despite this, Mani and RGV collaborated on Gaayam and Thiruda Thiruda as co-writers, and Dil Se as co-producers. Talking about the collaborations, RGV said, “We like each other as people. I think we both wanted to make our own films. He didn’t listen to one idea of mine, and I didn’t listen to one idea of his. So we made our own films. He has got his unique way and I have my own style. So I think two creatively strong-minded people collaborating, it can’t happen.”
Mani Ratnam and Ram Gopal Varma’s recent and upcoming films
Mani recently reunited with Kamal Haasan for the film Thug Life. The film, which also featured Trisha Krishnan, Ali Fazal, T.R. Silambarasan, Abhirami and more, failed to make a mark at the box office, collecting only ₹97.25 crore worldwide. The filmmaker is yet to announce his new project.
Ram Gopal Varma, on the other hand, will be directing a movie titled Syndicate. Announcing the film, the filmmaker claimed that it would be “the biggest film ever” and vowed that it would “wash away all my cinema sins.” Explaining the plot, he said that Syndicate would be about “a terrifying organisation which threatens the very existence of India.”
