Ram Gopal Varma Cries, Says Feels Guilt With ‘Satya’
MUMBAI, (ANI) – Ram Gopal Varma’s iconic crime drama ‘Satya’ returned to theaters on January 17, sharing screens with Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ and Ajay Devgn’s ‘Azaad.’
The gritty masterpiece, starring Manoj Bajpayee as Bhiku Mhatre and JD Chakravarthy as Satya, has achieved cult status over the years. To celebrate its re-release, Varma shared an emotional note reflecting on the film and his career since its release, admitting to being “drunk” on his success at the time.
In a heartfelt post on his X account, Varma described watching the film again for the “first time in 27 years” and how deeply moved he felt, with “tears rolling down” his cheeks. These tears, he explained, were not just for the film itself but for the journey and challenges that followed its success. Varma candidly admitted that the acclaim from films like ‘Satya’ and ‘Rangeela’ “blinded him,” leading to a loss of creative vision.
“By the time ‘Satya’ was rolling to an end, while watching it two days ago for the first time after 27 years, I started choking with tears rolling down my cheeks, and I didn’t care if anyone would see. The tears were not just for the film, but more for what happened since. Making a film is like giving birth to a child originating from the throes of passion, without truly realizing what kind of a child I am giving birth to. That’s because a film is made in bits and pieces without one really knowing what’s being made. When it is ready, the focus shifts to what others are saying about it. After that, whether it’s a hit or not, I move on, too obsessed with what’s next to reflect and understand the beauty of what I myself created,” Varma wrote on X.
“And I cried in guilt for my betrayals of all those who trusted me due to ‘Satya.’ I became drunk, not on alcohol, but on my own success and arrogance, though I didn’t realize this until two days ago. When the bright lights of a ‘Rangeela’ or a ‘Satya’ blinded me, I lost my vision. That explains my meandering into making films for shock value, gimmick effects, or to showcase my technical wizardry, among other equally meaningless pursuits. In that careless process, I forgot a simple truth: that technique, at most, can elevate given content, but it can’t carry it,” he added.
Varma concluded with a message to filmmakers: “I truly mean this as a wake-up call to every filmmaker who gets carried away in self-indulgence due to their own state of mind at any given moment, without measuring it against the standards set by themselves or others. Finally, I took a vow that whatever little of my life is left, I want to spend it sincerely and create something as worthy as ‘Satya,’ and this truth I swear on ‘Satya.'”
Written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap, ‘Satya’ is widely regarded as a game-changer in Indian cinema, blending gritty storytelling with unforgettable performances. The film also featured Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal, Shefali Shah, and others.
