Rann is 100% inspired by real life , says RGV

MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; January 21, 2010)

The maverick Ram Gopal Varma can’t help but play with fire. It is alleged that his work Rann, that is based on the electronic media, is 100% inspired by real life. Though RGV hid behind a careful “Rann is a work of fiction, 100% inspired by real life” at a recent press conference, the grapevine says that the film draws specific references to certain politicians, media czars and industrialists.

Rann is a drama that shows the misleading, deceptive and devious side of the news business on the one hand, and the curious, generous and indispensable side on the other hand, in its effort to see which will carry more weight in today’s India.

Of course, what everyone is curious as hell about is who RGV has modelled his principle characters on. The filmmaker smiles mysteriously as he says, “Well you’ll have to watch the film to see the similarities between the reel and the real life characters who people are imagining that I have drawn inspiration from.’’ And though he won’t say it, talk is that in the plot line there is a passing reference to two industrialist brothers who are currently at war with each other.

Anyway, what RGV is ready to throw light on is the fact that he has modelled the character of his protagonist Amitabh Bachchan on the lines of a Dr Prannoy Roy. “When Prannoy launched his channel three decades ago he came with a lot of respectability and More >