The Telugu cinema, as we know, is divided as pre-Shiva and post-Shiva. It was a seminal and trendsetting film which marked the debut of maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma.
Ram Gopal Varma aka RGV went on to make many classics in the years following the debut of Shiva. Some of those are revered and adored by millions of movie lovers across the country.
Unfortunately, RGV burnt his hands with the remake of classic Sholey. The film titled Aag couldn’t have been titled any better, in hindsight. It literally turned to ashes the career of the filmmaker from which he has never recovered.
Under such a scenario, Ram Gopal Varma came up with another trendsetting revolution. He took up digital filmmaking by the introduction of Canon5D camera. The low-cost productions made by the director did not mean much, but it paved the way for more original and unique content from others. It ushered in a new wave on cinema in TFI and beyond.
Again, after almost a decade, RGV is bringing something likely to be game-changing. He has introduced the ‘Pay per View’ model of entertainment at home. It already exists in the US and other places, but not in India. Legendary Kamal Haasan tried to release his Vishwaroopam through this model, but it never materialized.
In the current OTT filled space, many predict the stars to go this way unless the theatrical release crisis is not resolved soon. Many opine that the Bollywood biggies featuring stars (which recently opted for OTT release) should have opted for Pay-per-view model.
The kind of movies that Ram Gopal Varma is making and presenting to the audience is similar to the experiments he did with the digital breakthrough. People laughed and sneered at those movies, but later it gave life to many others. It could be the case again, here as well. If that happens, RGV will be seen as a trendsetter once more, despite the kind of content he is churning out. Meanwhile, his next, Powerstar, has generated quite an interest.
