Amitabh Bachchan and Ram Gopal Varma – the superstar and the filmmaker, have done altogether eight films, of which one is incomplete and unreleased. The association began with Sarkar in 2005, followed by a horror film titled Darna Zaroori Hai (2006). The next two films, Nishabd (2007) portraying Bachchan attracted to a young girl and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007), embroiled Bachchan in a web of controversies, both from the critics and his fans.
Sarkar Raj (2008) featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai salvaged the actor and the filmmaker, and the duo was back together again in Rann (2010) and later in Department (2012).
I meet the filmmaker and the actor to chat about the franchise and to find out what keeps them together.
Q: Jaya Bachchan says that Amitabh Bachchan is a bad habit. When a filmmaker works with him, he wants to work with him again and again. Would you agree Ram Gopal Varma?
Ram Gopal Varma: Absolutely, I agree with Jaya ji a hundred percent, that Bachchan is an addiction. I had been watching all his films and never knew that that one day, I would work with him. Then Sarkar happened and again, I never believed that I would be making a franchise. But then that happened too and in between together we also did some indifferent films (Laughs).
Q: What about you Mr Bachchan? What compels you to Ram Gopal Varma cinema?
Amitabh Bachchan: What attracts me to any filmmaker is always the script, the message of the film, my character and the rest of the packaging. My association with Ramu began with Sarkar and he was honest enough to tell me that he was inspired by The Godfather and wanted to make a film on the same lines. Working on Sarkar and later on other films, I got acquainted with his style of shot taking, his sparse sets and shaded lighting. He is also known for his distinctive background score and though often criticized for over use of it, Ramu is convinced that it’s necessary to emphasize what is going on in the story.
Q: A franchise spanning over a decade is a long time. How much has your association changed from Sarkar to Sarkar 3?
Ram Gopal Varma: During Sarkar, I was quite obsessed with the script and therefore very rigid about what I wanted. And Bachchan, like a true professional, submitted to my vision of the character. In the following two films, what was surprising for me was that even though so much time had gone by, he was able to get a grip on the character on the very first day, which is admirable! It is easy for me because I am the creator of the situations and am consumed by it. As an actor, he is engaged in multiple activities and has to determine his own markings and measures to portray the time gone by. So his creative process I feel was tougher.
Amitabh Bachchan: Not really because I had the support of the director and I always had a reference point for the three films. During Sarkar we knew we were recreating the ethos of The Godfather in an Indian setup, and in the following films, I had the prequel. So if ever there was a conflict, we knew we could go back to the premise and recheck.
I would say we definitely became more comfortable as an actor and a filmmaker in the subsequent films. Earlier Ramu was more rigid but later, he was open to suggestions. We’ve had many healthy discussions on the sets and when I emphasized the importance of sometimes elaborating a scene or an emotion to rule out ambiguity, he was receptive, which I appreciate greatly.Amitabh Bachchan, Actor
Q: In all your interviews, both of you emphasize that the franchise is less about the mafia and more about palace politics.
Ram Gopal Varma: It is because what is happening outside is for all to see. But what is happening within the house, only the family knows. It is this complex, intricate web of relationships that make the fabric of Sarkar and the scene that best describes the power play is the dinner scene in Sarkar Raj, where the son (played by Kaykay Menon) has an argument with the father (played by Amitabh) and everyone is uncomfortable and how the women of the house try to diffuse the tension. So eventually, it is about authority and how it is communicated.
Amitabh Bachchan: Sarkar for me is more than a film. It is about power, but more about perceptions and vulnerabilities, about how somebody in authority can be pressurized by what is happening in his domesticity. It is possible that a leader who has to make crucial decision, that affects the wellbeing of a nation, is affected by something that happens within the family that morning. The question is, will this affect his decision and state of mind? To come closer to what happens to us actors, very often we have to sing and dance on days that we are sad, and shoot crying scenes when we are happy! We do it nevertheless, but would our responses be different in contrasting situations? I think so.
Q: That’s a rare insight into an actor’s psyche. Do you often go through creative conflicts between the actor and the man?
Amitabh Bachchan: Not always at a conscious level and not invasive most certainly, but observations persists. Let me recount a rather tragic episode that occurred with our veteran actor Mehmood. Many years ago, his wife delivered a still born baby and he was carrying the child in his arms, walking out of Nanavati Hospital to the car park when somebody from the crowd shouted, ‘Oye Mehmood, comedy kar ke dikha’. Can you imagine what Mehmood was going through at that time?
The point I am making is that actors, rather most people in authority, are dependent on others for communication and this usually travels through a hierarchy and by the time the information reaches the source, a lot has altered in tone, attitude and interpretation, which is why the actor, and in this case Sarkar, is always vulnerable.Amitabh Bachchan
Q: The tagline to your poster says ‘Angrier than ever’. Is the concluding part more violent than the previous films and do women have a significant role to play?
Ram Gopal Varma: Anger has nothing to do with violence, because anger can be internal. Subhash Nagre has internalized his anger and does not show his emotions. But yes, he is passionate in his public gatherings and the dialogues in Sarkar 3 are more, both provocative and volatile. The new actors in Sarkar 3 include Jackie Shroff, Manoj Bajpayee and Ronit Roy. The women, irrespective of the length of their roles, are significant to the narrative and Sarkar 3 has three prominent players – Yami Gautam paired opposite Amit Sadh, Rohini Hattangadi and Supriya Pathak, who plays Subhash Nagre’s wife, and who continues in all the three films.
Amitabh Bachchan: Supriya and Subhash are the only two characters who travel through the franchise, and of course, the grand child Chikoo, who transforms into Amit Sadh for the third round. Supriya is Sarkar’s soulmate and conscience. What he does not share with anyone, he shares with his wife at the end of the evening, and it happens naturally as they prepare to retire for the day. It is a wonderful relationship, sensitively portrayed and which emphasizes that no matter how powerful a man, he needs to unload as well, needs to share and process his thoughts, and there are very few people he can do it with, probably only one, his wife, who is his strength and his alter ego.
(Bhawana Somaaya has been writing on cinema for 30 years and is the author of 13 books. Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya)
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