All has been quiet on the Ram Gopal Varma front in recent months. ?After Naach I wanted to give the audience a break from my films,? jokes India?s most prolific filmmaker. Since the release of Naach during Diwali in November 2004, there has been no Ram Gopal Varma film in the theatres. ?And that?s quite a long layoff by our standards. For heartbroken fans of my cinema, I?ve bad news. The drought is going to continue for two more months. But then there?s a virtual avalanche of our films, beginning with D (an underworld thriller) in April, My Wife?s Murder (featuring Anil Kapoor and Nandana Sen) in May, James (launching debutant Mohit Alaawat) in June and then my Amitabh-Abhishek Bachchan starrer, Sarkar, in July. We?ve locked in July 4 for my Sarkar.?

Varma is currently shooting a long spell of Sarkar in Mumbai with Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan. His excitement is palpable. ?The quality of performance I?m getting out of both of them has to be seen to be believed. Of course, like every director it was my dream to work with the senior Bachchan. But I genuinely believe Abhishek is a better actor than Amitji.?

Right now the senior Bachchan needs another magician to go beyond Black. ?I?m aware of that. I?m not even going there. While Black presents a completely new facet of Mr Bachchan?s personality I?ve tried to recreate the smouldering intensity of the Bachchan?s persona in the early films like Deewaar, Namak Haraam and Trishul.?

So will Sarkar be the first flick out with the two Bachchans? ?I don?t think so,? Ramu is characteristically confident. ?I think Bunty Aur Babli will come first. But does it matter? I?ve never looked anxiously over my shoulder at what others are doing. Why should I start now? It really doesn?t matter to me what Shaad Ali or any other director is doing with the two Bachchans as long as I?m confident of what I?m doing. Besides I think the two films are totally different in mood.?

Varma is also excited about a film Mr Ya Ms that Antara Mali is coscripting. ?It?s basically about a Casanova, played by Aftab Shivdasani, who gets a dose of his own medicine when he?s reborn as a woman. It?s about a man?s mind trapped in a woman?s body. It?s a comedy. Chekravarthy who played the title role in my Satya and was also Sushmita?s costar in Vastu Shastra will direct the film in March.? Didn?t Chekravarthy bad-mouth Varma after Satya? ?If I keep track of everyone who bad-mouths me after working with me I won?t have anyone left to work with,? wryly adds Varma. ?My philosophy of life is to push ahead, not live in the past about who said what. Who has the time??

SKJ