Ram Gopal Varma: Taking real-life trait, making it into a story is an exercise I truly love

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has spoken about how a gangster’s intense emotional outburst following the death of his brother left a lasting impact on him. Ram, who will be seen in the next episode of “The Rana Daggubati Show”, shared: “It struck me how, for gangsters, power defines everything—even grief comes out as anger. Taking a real-life trait and making it into a story is an exercise that I truly love.” Varma revealed that his iconic film “Company” was not inspired by infamous underworld dons but rather his own rift with filmmaker Krishna Vamsi. He stated, “Whether it is the underworld or a film company, the ego wars remain the same.” In the upcoming show Rana will be having conversations with filmmakers S.S. Rajamouli and Ram Gopal Varma. Working in Rajamouli's Baahubali, the Rana and the director ares seen reminiscing about their experiences through the journey of the two-part pan-India magnum opus. Reflecting on its impact, Rana said, “It took a decade of my life—an entire era. We only understood its true value after we finished. We were doing our best work, inspired by the best things we’d ever seen. It hasn’t been the same since.” Rajamouli spoke about how his ideas are formed, explaining,

“The books you read, the films you watch, the discussions that you are involved in around you—all of it builds up in the form of lava and bursts as an idea at the right moment.” Personalities that inspired S.S. Rajamouli shared that it was Senior NTR, Kurien Verghese & Lal Bahadur Shastri. “I hold a high regard for Sr. NTR, not just as an actor but as a director; he is really path breaking. His impact as an actor is so profound that, at times, his work as a director feels almost overshadowed.” Created and hosted by Rana Daggubati, The Rana Daggubati Show is an eight-episode unscripted Telugu Original produced by Spirit Media. With a stellar lineup of guests, including Dulquer Salmaan, Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Sreeleela, Nani, Rajamouli, and Ram Gopal Varma, new episodes drop every Saturday. The fourth episode is set to stream on Prime Video on December 14.