Manisha Koirala in Bhoot Returns

It isn’t easy getting Ramgopal Varma to talk. But once he gets talking, there is no stopping him. Here’s Ramu in a candid chat with t2 on his October 12 release Bhoot Returns.

Does Bhoot Returns take off from where Bhoot (2003) left off?

There’s absolutely no connection between Bhoot and Bhoot Returns. A sequel happens in two cases, one where you are taking the story forward from the first film to the next and second, where the characters are taken forward, as in the case of Sarkaar and Sarkaar Raaj. The only similarity between Bhoot and Bhoot Returns is that both deal with haunted houses. But if Bhoot was about a wife being terrorised by a spirit, this one is about a child who starts experiencing horrifying things. Ultimately, things come to such a situation that her own parents start fearing her.

Have you drawn inspiration from any real-life incident?

I had heard of this case in the interiors of Andhra Pradesh where in this particular house, a little girl kept saying that she could see things that nobody else in her family could. Bhoot Returns is loosely based on that, but I have built on it to tell the story of the horrific events that take place in the lives of a family of three in Mumbai.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I can’t say that I believe in ghosts, but then I am scared of them! So, that’s actually a contradiction! In fact, I believe a little more in ghosts than I believe in god! (Laughs).

You worked with Manisha Koirala in Company 10 years ago. What does she bring to Bhoot Returns?

I have always been a great fan of Manisha’s and, of course, I worked with her many years ago in Company. To be honest, during Company, Manisha and I hardly interacted because it was a big project and there were so many things I was involved with. I have always been an admirer of her work and wanted to work with her since Company. But in the middle she took some time off and wasn’t doing films. When she decided to come back, I was working on the script of Bhoot Returns and she seemed like the perfect choice for the role of the mother.

I think what was most difficult about her role was the fact that a mother, who is supposed to be loving towards her daughter, starts getting scared of her after some time. That was something that Manisha brought to the role beautifully… showing the dilemma of a mother’s heart.

Bhoot was appreciated but your subsequent horror films like Agyaat and Phoonk met with a lot of criticism…

See, my job is to keep making films that interest me. I thought both the Phoonk films had a novel subject, that is the dangers of black magic and I know some people who really liked the film, although the majority didn’t. Even Agyaat was something that really intrigued me… the fear of the unknown that forced the audience to think. I can’t say that I am very proud of these films, but I know that I don’t regret making them.

So you don’t make films for the audience?

I have always said that my job is to make the films I like and whether the audience likes it or not is their business, not mine. The audience is not one single entity… you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Yes, some of my recent films haven’t been liked, but that doesn’t mean that I will change the way I make my films. My taste doesn’t have to coincide with that of other people.

You have also been accused of sacrificing story for technique in your recent films…

I am well aware of the fact that a film doesn’t run on the basis of technique, it works because of its content. I have always experimented with the medium. I don’t agree that my recent films have only been about technique. Department had a story to tell and so did Not A Love Story. There were so many people who loved both the films.

Some call you maverick, some call you eccentric. Do you consciously work towards such adages?

All these are nicknames given by the media. They call me maverick when they are feeling a little kind to me; when they are not, they call me mad! I have been like this all my life… it’s only the last few years when the media discovered me and started giving me these names.

But even on Twitter your statements are very sensational!

Everything I do is for effect. My films… what I say… what I do is all for effect. Even whatever I am telling you now is for effect (laughs). Nothing comes from my heart because as people say, I don’t have a heart! (Laughs)

RGV’s HORROR picks

The Ramsay Brothers film Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche really made an impact on me when I was a kid. That was the first horror film I watched when I was still in school and I was petrified. Then there is The Exorcist (in picture) which is my all-time favourite. Also, Candyman was a film that scared the daylights out of me. In that film, if you say the word ‘Candyman’ five times, he appears and kills everyone. I remember after watching that film, I looked into the mirror and uttered ‘Candyman’ four times, but I was shit scared of saying it a fifth time. I went to bed and I couldn’t sleep because I was scared that I would inadvertently say it a fifth time in my sleep and he would appear!