In defense of Ram Gopal Verma

It has become very fashionable to diss Ram Gopal Verma these days, but not without good reason. The man's mouth seems as fast as his directing skills. This year we will get back to back RGV movies for 2 consecutive weeks and possibly Sarkar Raaj by the end of the year. A far cry from the time I used to wonder when the next RGV movie would be. But this time, his next release seems to be the most controversial movie yet. Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag, a remake of Sholay will hit the screen on the 31st of August. And it seems as though everyone not associated with the project wants it to fail. After all, how can RGV dare to supplant SHOLAY in the minds of movie goers with his (yet another) underworld film?

It is at this that I take an exception. I think it is time that people need to separate the man from his craft. RGV has always been one to deliver one amazing movie followed by a turkey. His one-two punches are rare. He did, of course, manage to deliver Shiva (the original) and Kshana Kshanam back to back, both of which were amazing. But Rangeela was followed by Daud and Satya and Kaun (a one- two punch I guess) were followed by Mast. We then got Company, which was followed by Jungle. This was followed by Bhoot (a neutral... not bad but not worth viewing multiple times) followed by Sarkar, which I liked. Then came Shiva, the remake, which is one of the worst movies he ever directed. So, looking at the pattern, it seems that we are due for a good movie, which could mean that Aag is actually good. Then we get Darling, which could be bad and Sarkar Raaj, which would be good again!!

But those are only trends and doesn't give any solid proof that Aag will be good. So what do we expect? The producers of Sholay have gone to the courts. They are suing RGV for using Sholay and Gabbar Singh, Veeru, etc. I cant even begin to describe how absurd this is, but I will definitely try. Sholay is definitely one of the most entertaining movies ever. It was a trailblazer and could also be what was the genesis of the cliché Dharam paaji dialogues like "Chun Chun ke maaronga" and "Khoon peejaaonga". But, there are some things one must definitely not overlook.

People may find me being pedantic when I point these out, but please bear with me. The scene where the thakur's family is wiped out is inspired to the point of being copied from "Once Upon a Time in the West" by Sergio Leone. In fact, it is so "inspired" that when Gabbar is about to kill the young boy, they show a close-up of the gun barrel and the gun shot merges into the hiss of a steam engine in which brings the thakur home. This is the exact scene in once Upon a Time in the West. The villain is about to gun down the little boy, there is a close-up of the barrel, followed by the gunshot merging with a steam engine's hiss. The person who gets out of the engine is the woman whose new husband has been gunned down, along with his entire first family. She is later in the movie, helped by 2 cowboys of ill-repute. Then we have the entire attire of Gabbar inspired from the villain in Sergio Leone's "For a Few Dollars More". And of course, the concept of outlaws called in to protect a village from bandits dates back to Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". So, this person, who was "inspired" by all these now sues someone for copyright infringement?

Sholay was definitely not a scene to scene remake of either Once Upon a Time in the West or Seven Samurai. Sippy ensured that it catered to the Indian public and put in elements to make it a wholesome entertainer. Maybe that is how Sippy explained away his "inspirations". But then again, that is exactly what RGV is doing. He has been inspired by a movie and is reinterpreting it in a different setting. So how come now it is wrong?

I personally feel that the entire purpose behind Sippy suing RGV for Sholay has been lost. RGV was sued to ensure that he didn't call his movie Sholay and didn't even release it as the story was copied. But now, he is still releasing it. And he hasn't lost the case yet. He just renamed the movie and the characters so he could release the movie. But still, now, thanks to his publicity and the lawsuit, everyone, even those who were previously unaware, know that Aag is a remake of Sholay. Whether the villain is called Babban or Gabbar, it now doesn't matter. I think RGV has been extremely clever and Sippy has unwittingly brought about even more publicity than RGV could hope for. I am sure that was not the purpose of the lawsuit!!

Coming to the final point, RGV had said that Sholay inspired him to be a film maker. Maybe that is not true, but he is remaking Sholay, not because he feels the original was inferior, but because he wants to pay a tribute to Sholay. He didn't claim, like Farhan Akhtar for Don, that Sholay was a good script which was not handled well. He always maintained that his was a tribute to Sholay. And imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. What is Sippy worried about? RGV isn't trying to erase the legacy of Sholay with her version, nor does he intend everyone to take his as the definitive version. So why is Sippy worried?

Someone mentioned Subhash Ghai's Karma. That's true. Why didn't Sippy sue Subhash Ghai for Karma. That was about a police officer who loses most of his family and decides to recruit criminals to fight the dacoit. It just turns out that the place shifted from Ramgarh to the whole of India, so the dacoit becomes a terrorist and the criminals become soldiers. Hell, towards the end one of them even sacrifices himself to disable the villains!! Where was Sippy then?

I will go watch Aag on 31st of Aug. RGV has let me down a few times, but when he has made good movies, they have been classics. Satya and Company were classics. Shiva, the original, was a classic. Rangeela was a classic. And, as I said before, going by his track record, we are due for a good movie. Aag may just surprise everyone by actually being a great entertainer!!

Later.
Triply