Exclusive | Ram Gopal Varma explains why he no longer likes Ajay Devgn, Mohanlal’s Company: ‘My knowledge of underworld has vastly increased’ | Bollywood News

Although many Indian filmmakers have crafted gangster movies across languages over the years, it’s doubtful that anyone else has had as significant an influence over the genre as Ram Gopal Varma (popularly known as RGV). From his directorial debut, the Nagarjuna-starrer Shiva (1989) — which is gearing up for a re-release now — to Antham, Satya, Company, the Sarkar movies, and the Rakta Charitra films, RGV has experimented with the gangster subgenre several times in his career, though not all of his ventures were successful.
Nonetheless, movies like Shiva, Satya (1998), and Company (2002) became benchmarks, influencing and inspiring many directors and their subsequent work. However, the filmmaker, known for his unfiltered nature, has revealed that he didn’t like Company, widely regarded as one of his finest movies, when he revisited it recently. RGV also named it as a film from his repertoire that he would remake if given the chance. During an exclusive interview with SCREEN, he said, “I would like to remake a film of mine. Remake in the sense, I would like to take its subject and make it again, and that movie is Company.”

When asked if this was because he feels it could have been a better film, RGV shared, “Yes. The reason is that my knowledge of the underworld has vastly increased in recent years. I didn’t have that kind of knowledge when I was making the movie. It was like taking headlines from newspapers and turning them into something. So, when I look at Company through the lens of what I know about it now, I feel it looks too surface-level. I can make a far deeper film if I were to do it today.”
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He mentioned that after being inspired Satya upon watching it for the first time since its release, he began revisiting his films that are considered iconic. RGV shared that Company, in particular, didn’t impress him. Stating that he never used to rewatch his movies previously, he said, “This new habit started after I saw Satya 25 years after it was released. It evoked something in me, and I’m able to do that. So, whichever film I think has been iconic in my career, I tend to revisit them now. For example, I recently saw Company and didn’t like it. I saw Shiva and loved it. I saw Sarkar (2005) and felt it was so-so. The reason why I felt that way about Sarkar was that during the re-release of The Godfather (1972), I saw it again. Thus, my understanding of what I should have made with Sarkar increased.”
Watch SCREEN’s exclusive interview with Ram Gopal Varma here:

Starring Mohanlal, Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles, Company was inspired the life and activities of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his D-Company. On the other hand, Sarkar, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay Menon, and Supriya Pathak, was inspired director Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster saga The Godfather, widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.
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Anandu Suresh is a Deputy Copy Editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn’t limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express’ news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at anandu.suresh@. … Read More

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