'Aishwarya has proved her mettle in Sarkar Raj'

New Delhi, May 28, 2008

He has not one, not two but three Bachchans in his new movie and filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is hoping that Bollywood’s first family’s star power in Sarkar Raj will obliterate all memories of his colossal flop, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

Ramu insists that Sarkar Raj is neither a Bachchan family package nor a sequel to the successful Sarkar, which flighted three years ago. He acknowledges that last year’s Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, a remake of the blockbuster Sholay, was the biggest flop in the history.

“Casting them (the Bachchans) together was incidental. Abhishek and Mr Bachchan were the first preferences and then I chose Aishwarya.” He says while the movie is inspired by The Godfather, he believes “the uniqueness of my film is my direction along with the performances.”

On Abhi-Ash’s onscreen chemistry, he said, “Sarkar Raj would have been all the same even if the character played by Aishwarya would have been played by a man.”

He believes Aishwarya has delivered one of the best roles in Sarkar Raj. “Aishwarya’s acting has been exploited by most of the filmmakers by letting her pose ultra glamorous. But in Sarkar Raj she has really proved her mettle.”

After RGV ki Aag, was it easy to face Big B and work him in Sarkar Raj, “We are professionals at the end of the day. So hits and flops are part and parcel of our lives.”

About Big B’s statement that he might not work with Varma again, Ramu said: “The onus of giving explanation lies entirely with him.”