रंगीला@30, श्रीदेवी को लगा रोमांटिक फिल्म नहीं बना पाऊंगा: राम गोपाल वर्मा बोले- शाहरुख नहीं, आमिर और जैकी को ही अप्रोच किया था

Ram Gopal Varma’s film Rangeela has once again been released in theaters after 30 years. While talking to Dainik Bhaskar, Ramu told some special stories related to the film. In the conversation, Ramu said that Rangeela first wanted to make a film with Sridevi, but Sridevi felt that Ramu would not be able to make a romantic film. Read some important excerpts from the conversation with Ram Gopal Varma…

Question: When you thought of making Rangeela, I heard that you got inspiration from two people, one was Ramesh, a goon from your area and the other was Sridevi ji. How did the stories of these two influence the film?

answer: What is said about Ramesh is true, but not about Sridevi ji. My film ‘Mast’ was inspired by Sridevi ji. Sridevi’s mother was a junior dancer, she wanted to become a heroine, but her daughter became a heroine. It was to show that every person has a desire or dream to become something. That’s part of the story.

The second aspect was related to the character of Ramesh. And thirdly, the film was influenced by Hollywood classic movies like The Sound of Music and Singing in the Rain. Especially his music and style. This film was made by combining all these things.

“Rangeela” was released on 8 September 1995.

Question: When you were making the film at that time, I had heard that you wanted to cast Sridevi, Nagarjuna and Rajinikanth in guest roles in that film. After all, why was that film not made in that form?

answer : At that time I told two stories to Sridevi ji. His second film was ‘Govinda Govinda’, which was a South film. Sridevi ji decided to do another film. He thought that I had made action films like ‘Shiva’, so perhaps I would not be able to make a good romantic film. Then that project stopped for two years. Later, when I felt like making a film, I thought of making it in Hindi.

Question: Did you also consider Madhuri Dixit for this film?

answer: No. No. I thought of Madhuri Dixit in ‘Drohi’. Which I had made earlier with Nagarjuna. After that when I made this film, after Sridevi only Urmila was in my mind.

Question: When Urmila herself danced during Rangeela, did you feel that she was ‘Mili’?

answer: Yes, because the choreographer had not come that day, I asked Urmila to dance herself. The way he improvised after catching the music, it looked very natural and excellent. Then I understood that she was the “Millie” of our film.

Question: Many people felt that Munna’s role in ‘Rangeela’ was actually for a person like Jackie. Even Anil Kapoor said that he could have played such characters. Then why did you give this role to a perfectionist like Aamir Khan?

answer: ‘The story of Rangeela runs from Munna’s perspective, so it was important for the audience to connect with him. One natural thing to like about Aamir is his soft and dignified nature. When he was shown in a streetwise, fun-loving character, the contrast was very interesting and gave a new color to the character.

Question: The dialogues written by Neeraj Vohra were very relatable and had a completely different style for that time. What do you have to say about this?

answer: Neeraj Vohra and Sanjay Chail both wrote the dialogues together. Sanjay Chail wrote more dialogues for the restaurant portion. Aamir Khan’s character and his style were mostly written by Neeraj Vora. Many scenes were specially written by Sanjay Chhel. Both of them had created the dialogues together.

Question: I heard that the clothes worn by Aamir in the film were chosen by him himself in the market. Was Aamir himself working on his look and body language at that time?

जवाब- Aamir Khan is very passionate and hardworking. He is worried about every little thing in the film, like even a single button of the clothes. They work in great detail and are deeply involved in every aspect of their film. So he had to say “do whatever you want, don’t ask me” because he pays so much attention to everything.

Question: People say that Aamir Khan interferes in direction, did you feel like that?

answer: No, never. If you talk logically then you have to answer logically also. It is the responsibility of the director to instill confidence in the actor.

Question: Earlier, women were mostly shown objectified in films, especially in songs. But in ‘Rangeela’ Urmila was shown in a very different style. Like in ‘Hai Rama’ and ‘Tanha Tanha’. How did you break this trend?

answer: I learned from the classic Hollywood movies ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ that openness doesn’t look awkward if done with beauty and confidence. I told Urmila that if she shows herself proudly and happily, the same feeling will reach the audience. Also, the camera angles, and Jackie Shroff’s expressions, all together make the scene respectable and emotional.

Question: There was a lot of controversy over the way sexuality was portrayed in the film. What did you feel at that time?

answer: There are different opinions on every work. Some people say, girls were shown like objects. These things were there then and are there now also. Everyone cannot be made happy, so one should stick to one’s own thinking.

Question: The ganji that Urmila wore in the song was Jackie Shroff’s. The chemistry between him and Jackie was great, even though Jackie is not generally considered a dancer. How did you bring such magic to the screen?

answer: Jackie is a very instinctive actor. The reason for casting him was to show the difference between his personality, Munna and Kamal. Aamir’s character is a bit insecure, and Jackie’s look, height, and style look very classy and confident. That contrast was the real part of the story. No one else could have played this role in place of Jackie.

Question: There was a parallel story of Jackie in the film, in which Suchitra is his girlfriend and she meets with an accident. Did you remove that flashback scene?

answer: Yes, Suchitra was initially going to do that scene, but later she refused. Perhaps he felt the role was too small. Then I removed the entire flashback and replaced it with sound effects. Jackie talks to Urmila and suddenly an accident is heard. Which shows that it is a flashback. Perhaps such a method was used for the first time in a film.

Question: Aamir had a problem with a scene in which ‘Mili’ is drowning and Kamal is just sitting and watching. Then Munna comes and saves him, was that the scene?

answer: No, there was no such scene in the film. That scene was never made.

Question: When the casting of the film was taking place, did Shahrukh Khan’s name also come up?

answer: No. Never. From the beginning only Aamir and Jackie were approached.

Question: Why is ‘Rangeela’ so relevant even today?

answer: The characters and story of the film still seem real even today. The romantic conflict between a common girl, a struggler and a rich man applies even today. Also A.R. Rahman’s music sounds equally new and memorable even today.

Question: This film received many awards, but it is said that after Aamir did not receive the award, he stopped attending award functions. Your opinion on this?

answer: Aamir was not happy with how the award functions were run. It is not that he was sad about not getting the award, but he did not trust the entire system.

Question: After the release of the film, was there any misunderstanding between you and Aamir Khan regarding an interview?

answer: Yes, there was an interview given to Khalid Mohammed. I was just talking about some technical aspects of acting. But he wrote a headline that could have seemed offensive. Later we sorted everything out by talking to him.

Question: Why did you and Aamir never work together again after that?

answer: There is no special reason for this. The films I made were mostly action or slightly dark type. Aamir can do that, but such an opportunity did not arise. Actually there was no reason.

Question: You have made so many wonderful and cult films that everyone considers you the master of this industry. They hope that you make even better films than them in future. What would you like to tell them?

answer: Now we will see.

Question: There is always something new to be seen in your films. Be it music, dance or style. What new will be seen in the upcoming projects?

answer: I have just completed a film called ‘Ghost in the Police Station’, which stars Manoj Bajpayee and Genelia Deshmukh. It is of horror-comedy genre. The story is about an encounter cop who kills a gangster, and the gangster comes back as a ghost. I want to work on unique subjects that no one has done before, not even me.

Question: You have given opportunity to many new actors. If someone wants to work in your film, what do you look for in them?

answer: I don’t look for any particular face or acting style. I just choose whatever suits the character.

Question: Many actors have been launched from your platform. Is there anyone you thought would become a big name or has anyone surprised you?

answer: No, I don’t judge like that. It is not easy to decide who will go or not. Many times even my thinking proves wrong. Along with talent, timing, subject and many other factors play a role in someone’s progress.

Question: What is your most memorable memory related to the film ‘Rangeela’?

answer: Not any special moment, but shooting the songs was a lot of fun, especially Hi Rama. Its filming was quite new and different. The idea of ​​Urmila’s red dress look was taken from Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula film.