Someone has entered the industry, sir.
He is playing with everyone. He is not sparing anyone.
He is saying whatever he wants.
If we question him, he says that's how he is.
You have to do something, sir.
Is he being supported by anyone?
There will be no one to shield him.
He will arrive alone.
Devil. No one can emulate him.
He was born with a cycle chain in his hand.
His name is Ram Pandu. Call him here.
"We have a Botany class. We have a matinee show."
"Which one should I vote for? Tell me, pal."
"We have a History lecture. We have a mystery movie."
"Hey, pal. Which is the best?"
"Attending the Botany class is boring."
"Resting is better than the rusty History."
"Watch the movie with songs and fights."
"Those movies will have break and disco dances."
For everyone, he is Ram Gopal Varma, RGV.
For me, he is the Devil. - The Devil!
So, I will address you as 'Devil', Ramu.
Okay. - Okay.
Yeah.
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Associate sponsor, 'Telugu Matrimony'.
I address him as Devil because...
Generally, a virus never catches the viral fever.
Yeah. - You had a fever once.
The doctor gave you medicines
for a week. You had them at once. - Yeah.
How is that possible?
What is that body made of?
What happened to your organs when you had them at once?
The doctors prescribe a medicine course.
Morning, afternoon and evening... Whatever.
Would my fever reduce in an instant if I took all the medicine at once?
That was my idea.
I am not a doctor. So, obviously, I don't know.
However, I had the courage
because that doctor did tell me to take them at different times,
but he never warned me not to take them all at once.
He didn't warn me not to take them all at once in any condition.
He didn't warn anyone I knew, either.
I thought, I would take a chance.
In my life, I keep taking chances.
It actually worked.
After that, I told the same to many doctors.
None of them were surprised it worked. That shocked me more.
It's only for you. - Yeah.
It won't work for anyone else.
When will you make a movie for your audience?
In my life, I have never made a movie for anyone else.
A few times, because of my good fortune or theirs,
they liked them. Many times, they did not.
Your first few films
were for the audience. - Never.
It's a simple thing. During 'Shiva', a movie like 'Muddula Mavayya'
with Balakrishna and produced by S. Gopal Reddy was out.
At that time, did anyone think that a movie like 'Shiva'
would succeed?
So, I always made everything I thought.
I made the movies I wanted to watch. I never did it for the audience.
I always agree that you like to enjoy your journey.
But in the beginning, those 7-8 films you made...
Those were totally... Well, it does not mean they were commercial.
There was a lot of stuff that everybody loved.
Everybody was blown over by 'Shiva'
including me. I called you during the interval
and said the movie was unbelievable. - Yeah.
So, if we keep the new techniques and style aside,
you went the commercial way and they were huge successes.
After that, it felt that you were making movies
just for yourself.
See, this is what I learnt in my life.
No one listens to others' advice.
They will ask you a question, but won't listen to the answer.
I said all my hit movies were accidents
and flops were intentional.
The reason is, if I knew how to make a hit movie,
why would I give a flop?
Would anyone be foolish enough
to make a movie that the people wouldn't like?
Ramu, what I have understood is that even the legal system
has a hidden affection for you. - Yes.
So, everybody has a soft corner for you.
People love you for some reason.
There are so many reasons.
Everyone likes you for different reasons.
I always say if I sit with you for ten minutes, I will become like you.
That's how powerful you are.
'The ideas that killed 30 million people.'
That was your first article that was published
and reached Mr Ramoji Rao. - Yeah.
And he called for you and discussed it with you.
I am sure he was so impressed that he called you over.
That's something really memorable in your life.
Yeah. - But he didn't give you a chance
to direct movies.
Yeah. - Is that true?
See, he didn't call me.
What happened was that my father had no faith in me.
So, obviously, I needed an access into the industry.
At that time, Mr Ramoji Rao was producing very different movies
like 'Pratighatana' and 'Srivariki Premalekha'.
So, to get access to him...
There used to be a paper called the 'Newstime'.
I wrote an article named 'The Ideas That Killed 30 Million People'.
It was about how Hitler used the concepts
of the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche
and formed the Nazis and gave way to the Second World War.
After it was published, I made someone recommend
it to Mr Ramoji Rao saying it was written by me.
After that, I got an appointment with him.
I asked him to give me a chance to direct.
He said he would make me a columnist.
Why did I want to direct?
He said I was inexperienced. I said,
'Sir, a director needs to be clear about his vision.'
'He has no connection to the technical aspects and experience.'
He didn't accept that. That's it.
So, after that, once 'Shiva' was released,
the one who got me an appointment
with Mr Ramoji Rao, told him that I directed the movie.
What else do I say about it?
Did you write
that article to reach him? - Hundred per cent.
If I didn't do anything to make him take me seriously,
why would he do it?
And then, 'Shiva' happened.
Yeah, of course. 'Shiva' was... It was my first trial.
After that, I met Suresh Babu. - Okay.
The next phase of my journey
was my video library. - Oh.
Okay, after that... - In the video library,
we started creating a lot of contacts.
Surendra... - Yes.
Sarathi Studios, Shashibhushan... I made contact with many technicians
and producers through my video library.
We met before you made 'Shiva'
and I started working in the movies. - Yeah.
At this Annapurna Studios, if I remember in that corner...
I was asking you and you told me.
I mean, you told me to try. It was worth trying.
You asked me to try it. That's what he said.
And then, 'Gaayam' happened for me.
He came with a fantastic project.
Mr Mani Ratnam and you wrote the screenplay.
I know, that day a lot of people were pressurising you
to take up some other hero. - Yes.
Also, financially... They said the budget wouldn't work for me.
They said I didn't have a huge market.
They said another hero could bring in more revenue.
Even when they pressured you, you stuck to me.
You were sure that I was the person for it.
That's when we confirmed.
And, Rama, thank you very much. My voice...
It was you. You opened up my voice.
'You have to clear this area by tomorrow morning.'
Right now, I am feeling shocked.
It's because many people say that even now,
your biggest asset is your voice.
In those days, people didn't like your voice.
It was one of the biggest mysteries for me or anyone.
Your voice had bass. It suited your personality
and height. Very few people have such a baritone voice.
Yes, I am lucky. - It's like...
Amitabh Bachchan, Raza Murad...
Your voice fell in the range of their voices.
So, why did the people... Even now, it's mysterious to me.
Maybe, at that time, your voice wasn't like the other heroes.
They must have thought of it as weird. I don't know.
At the beginning, I asked you generally
about what I needed to do, my body language and what I should do.
Then you said one thing.
'Don't do anything. Sit over there. I will take care of it.'
That's what I did in 'Gaayam'. I didn't do anything.
What I remember is... In this movie, there was a song...
"Won't you have mercy on your companion?"
While working on that song, I took your close-up shot
and asked you to express the line...
"Oh, is that it?" You looked at me seriously. And then,
you nodded twice and shook your head once. Right?
"Won't you have mercy on your companion?"
"Isn't it already cold?"
After that, I felt this is how a director's actor behaved.
Either the actor is just feeling
or he is listening to the director.
Both of them work in this context.
I don't remember if you did that, I remember your question.
I don't remember it.
So, it's something you remember about me.
Again, many people tell me that I did great in 'Gaayam'.
I always say that people should understand the point
if the actor did well or the director did well.
Many people... Actually, it's the hard work of the director.
All the credit goes to the director. For example, 'Anthahpuram'.
At that time, my entry was the director's choice.
It was that screenplay.
Even if it had been anyone else, people would have whistled.
Soundarya had to be saved.
So, the director's talent is underestimated.
So, I said this clearly about 'Gaayam'.
'I didn't act at all.'
'Ramu told me not to do it. I didn't do it.'
'I couldn't have done anything better. That was it. Done.'
But I got the name for it and that is the biggest milestone in my life.
There are many things we need to talk about.
But before that, we are going to introduce someone else.
To be honest and to live an honest life,
one needs to have self-respect.
To say something or to hear others' criticism,
your self-respect becomes an obstacle.
Your self-respect stops you from lying
or smiling like a crook.
I know I have a lot of it.
The one next to me is filled with it.
I know someone else who has
a lot of self-respect.
Let's welcome the number one director of Hindi cinema,
Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
Why didn't you give me a bottle of vodka?
Does it mean Sandeep is an amazing director and I am not?
I always say that I am a drunkard and I drink vodka.
Sandeep has never said that.
But, sir, that's whiskey. - Here... Whatever.
It's the effect of cinema.
What is that?
In his movies, the heroes drink. So, we did this.
Oh, is that so? Okay.
Sandeep, he just said that you had self-respect.
What did you mean by 'Self-respect'?
I meant that all three of us had it.
What I feel is that Sandeep's words feel like a slap.
Through his decisions,
he kills the respect of others. That's not self-respect.
What I can't forget is...
There is a popular critic in Mumbai.
He destroyed that person.
That is it. I mean that person
had built the self-respect over 30 years. He destroyed it.
He didn't even touch that person.
Look at how silent he is.
How did your friendship or closeness evolve?
We are close.
First of all, Sandeep and I don't consider each other friends.
We don't have time to love ourselves. How do...
I have friends from school and college.
I mean, not as few as Mr Varma has.
What do you mean? Oh, I got it. - Yeah.
In that way. Okay. Okay.
I am self-obsessed, sir, but not as much as you are.
Generally, if the other person is not intelligent,
you don't talk to them. You don't have the patience
to listen to nonsense.
Naturally, we assume that he is intelligent.
So, you two gelled with each other.
Plus, there are a lot of common creative ideas and thoughts.
I don't like intelligent women and foolish men.
Don't you? - I keep myself away from them.
You keep saying that things go wrong when women speak.
So, you don't want to listen to them.
So, you prefer to speak to those who are not intelligent.
Yeah. After all, I am intelligent.
If the other person is intelligent, there will be a clash.
I have known Ramu for a long time.
What about Warangal? How was it, Sandeep?
It was good. Until the 8th standard, I was in Warangal.
After that, I moved to Hyderabad,
a residential school. - Yeah.
My fan, Ravi, was your classmate. - Yes, sir. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. - He was one year my senior.
Did he tell you our childhood stories?
He told me a few. If you tell us the rest...
Yeah... I don't know, sir. After that...
After the 12th standard, I studied physiotherapy in Dharwad
and I left for Sydney to study at a Film School.
After I returned, as usual... I went to meet everyone.
Finally, I produced and directed. It's a simple story.
What about your girlfriend? That's important to know.
Why do we need to talk about it? - At school.
At your school... We know a few things.
So, tell us about it.
All of us have such childhood stories.
Why don't you start, sir? I will follow.
How can I do that? - I know all about him.
Everyone has a story from their co-education schools.
Is it mandatory?
Okay, pals! - Hello, Mr Jagapathi Babu.
This is Kranthi. Hope you are doing fine.
Sandeep and I... We are best friends.
We have been friends since kindergarten.
He is like a brother from another mother.
I want to share a few incidents.
But the ones that are closer to my heart...
If I reveal them here, it's going to be a sensation.
So, I want to keep them for another time.
But I want to share one incident. It's a memory.
When we were in the 5th grade in school,
he liked a girl.
So, after school, while she would go home in the rickshaw,
he used to follow her
on his bicycle, you know.
So, it went on for a couple of days.
So, one day, when he shared it with me,
I wanted to surprise him.
I started chasing him.
I followed him without his knowledge.
So, when he was cycling next to the rickshaw
that girl was taking home,
I overtook him and cut his path.
He lost his balance and fell down badly.
After seeing him, the girl laughed out loud.
I thought he would feel insulted and was dreading his reaction.
He surprised me.
He stood up, got his bike
and caught up with the girl in the rickshaw again.
Then he wanted to perform a few feats.
So, he stopped holding the handle of the bike
and was trying to do some feats.
But the one thing I noticed
was that the girl was impressed with the attitude he displayed.
Just wanted to share a funny incident that happened.
Okay, Sandeep. We will meet you soon.
I am sure half of it was exaggerated.
I don't see it in his character. I think so.
I truly fell badly from my cycle. - Okay.
It could be true. He was...
There is a small issue here.
When Sandeep fell, his expressions would have been different.
If we think about the way his friend described it,
he must have had a different expression.
That's the difference in narration.
So, I feel his face wouldn't have conveyed the same.
Why are you deciding for everyone?
Isn't that my job? That's how a director works.
If you tell us about that girl
and her expressions...
Look at Sandeep. He is smiling so lovingly.
At that age, it was a huge insult.
I was aware as I was in the 5th standard.
He is more advanced than I am.
Indeed... - So, then...
As far as I know... - More than I am.
He was my close friend. So, I shared it with him.
I fell down when he cut my path.
I still remember it. It was the rainy season.
My uniform was soiled.
So, she laughed at me. I overtook her and rode the bicycle hands-free.
So cute.
The reason I rode the bicycle hands-free was because I was aware
of losing my dignity and feeling insulted.
You were too mature. - It was something, sir.
Sir, don't you have such stories?
I was a silent lover. I would stay afar...
Wide... I would look at her in a wide shot
using the zoom in my mind. Not like him...
Silence is dangerous. - I don't know about that, but yeah.
Today, to surprise our guests,
we will play a special AV.
Can you guess what it is about? - How can we do that, sir?
Give us a hint. - Okay, pals, once more!
'Forty years.'
'Hasn't it been more than 40 years since we last spoke?'
'At that time, you were just 16.'
'We knew each other for a year.'
'That too, for a few hours... We spent a few hours together.'
'However, your impact on my life was great.'
'I don't know much about you.'
'Arrogance. You were too arrogant.'
'You didn't value anyone. You did what you wanted.'
'You questioned everything.'
'This surprised me a lot.'
'I know you love watching movies.'
'Now, you have created a history that can define'
'the Indian cinema'
'as before Ramu and after Ramu.'
'Still, I see no difference between'
'the Ramu I met and the Ramu you are now.'
'You have not changed, Ramu.'
"Oh, Lord Brahma..."
"Why did you put me in this mess?"
"Oh, what a beauty she is!"
Your research is unmatchable. - Yes.
How did you dig up about these things?
You were just bragging about self-respect.
We are exposing you altogether.
A devil. A demon.
An animal. Both of them are laughing at each other.
It looks adorable.
Who is that? - Those were the days when I was in love with a woman.
Now I love all the women. - Oh my god!
Oh my god!
Obviously
I'm not sure if that's an improvement or not.
I am with you. I love all the women.
I will follow you.
Narrate the story, sir.
There is a lot of pain in your voice.
Story.
Yes, I was very close to her.
What more do I say about her?
She mentioned a few hours.
A few people...
I might like them for months.
I might like them for days or hours.
Even for seconds.
But I will love them with everything.
The time varies, though.
Every second. - Yeah.
There is a lot of pain and also affection in his voice.
Yeah. - That's how he is with everyone.
What does that mean?
'Kiss me. Wrong number.'
There are many interpretations of it.
If you want to convince a person
in any other way
or show your love, or whatever it is. It is 100 percent.
To convince someone,
the other person should have the intelligence to be convinced.
Otherwise, it is just noise.
You are talented in every way.
I know that very well.
Sir, but the flow of dialogue which she said...
Why are you stuck at that point?
No. No. No.
I want this to continue. - Look at Sandeep.
Come on. - Sandeep.
No one must have loved him that deeply.
There's not an ounce of curiosity.
Ask him. Ask him more questions.
I am not bragging about myself.
Over the years... I am obviously much older than you.
When there are so many people
involved over the years.
Obviously, you will become numb to it.
Correct.
I think you did less than half the things I did.
You are all married people.
So...
But the way the dialogue sounded...
Yeah. - There is a lot of longing in the voice.
He is directing me now.
I am not. I am just stating the truth.
What about Saraswathi teacher? - Ah!
She was definitely my first love.
I might be in the seventh standard.
She was my English teacher.
When she was 80 years old...
I was done with school and everything.
I called her when she was 80 years old.
She lived in America.
I told her she was my first love.
But it is not the type of love you think.
This song is being played at the wrong time.
"You are the dream of my life."
Sandeep did all the naughty things.
There are many such things.
Tell me, sir. - He cast me for Gaayam.
After that, there was a song shoot.
Urmila is in the foreground. I was behind her.
I asked Ramu what I was supposed to do.
He asked me to come closer.
He said, 'Look at the camera. What do you see?'
I said, 'Urmila'. He said, 'Who would look at you? Who cares?'
How does that make sense, Sandeep?
He called an actor.
Why did he put me in the frame? He did.
Did he have to call me and tell me about it specifically?
He was simply pulling my leg.
I have a follow-up question.
Can I ask Sandeep?
Sandeep, when you saw Gaayam
did you watch it for Urmila or Jagapathi?
I watched it for you, sir.
Good! Good!
Super!
I was in fourth class when the Shiva movie came out.
My cousins and seniors at school
were talking about the Shiva movie.
I remember watching Shiva in the theatre.
I remember a few effective scenes.
We used to listen to this.
The next movie of Ram Gopal Varma is Ratri.
Ram Gopal Varma's Gaayam.
The ring was Ram Gopal Varma's film.
Everyone, watch the movies for Ramu. - Yeah.
I was telling him the same thing.
Satya movie created a madness among everyone.
I have gone crazy halfway through Shiva.
Yeah. Yeah. - He took the steadicam out to the streets.
Firstly, all the men
watched it for Urmila. Women watched it for me.
I should give myself some credit.
I think he thought I was talking to Urmila for a long time.
I don't know what? He actually thought back then.
He walked by.
He said, 'Jagapathi, come here'.
He walked me to the road.
He was blabbering about something.
We walked for five minutes. His car was following us.
He talked all sorts of nonsense. He got into the car and left.
He left me in the middle of nowhere.
I am a hero.
I can't imagine myself in that.
You must have done it, sir.
Really? - I think you could have done it.
He must have forgotten about it.
Genuinely. - No. No.
I don't know.
I do silly things.
But I don't want to be known as silly.
Walking with you and randomly getting into a car and leaving.
You did get into a car, Ramu.
What I think is
if you are talking to Urmila
I wouldn't want to take you away.
You think that's why you feel that.
You must not have heard what I said.
That could be it.
I must have talked about an important scene and left.
The important thing is...
You are thinking of something else.
What happened there was different.
How could you leave me in the middle of the road?
I might have added a few details about Urmila.
But this happened.
Apart from this, he caused a fight between me and Urmila.
He came to me and asked
'Why don't you get along with Urmila?'
I said, 'It isn't like that. I didn't gel well with her.'
'I don't particularly like her. Neither do I hate her.'
He insisted I give him an answer.
I stuck to my word.
He took me to Urmila and said he hates you.
She questioned me about it.
I don't know why he did it.
I got fed up with all the questions.
What he ultimately said was
'I won't shoot the shot until you say I like Urmila.'
How is this fair? This is the first.
This sounds like me. - Of course, it does.
It is you. - Okay.
It still resonates in my ears.
This is direct proof.
How is this a direct proof?
After that, I was done. I waited for a while.
I said, 'Okay, Ramu. Listen to me. I hate Urmila.'
'I hate all the people you like.'
'I hate Ram Gopal Varma.'
'Do what you want to do.'
He said, 'I like this'.
How do I deal with this man?
How did you feel about everything back then, sir?
Gaayam was the movie that followed Shiva and Ratri.
How was it for you when he was directing you?
Was it intimidating?
His personality and all. - No, not at all.
It was the most chill work.
Because
he knows what he wants.
When the director knows what music he wants
he used to be satisfied with one take.
I insisted on another take. But he said that was fine.
He knows what he wants.
There is no reason to be intimidated.
No way would a good director be intimidating.
He is the coolest director I have worked with.
He finishes all the shots super fast.
Gaayam was a dream come true.
It was a dream come true for me.
I love the movie The Godfather.
The way I was portrayed in the movie
back in the day, when I had a few flops
and how it really boosted my career.
I was registered as a hero from the movie Gaayam.
I will not praise you the way you are praising me.
Keep that in mind.
I didn't praise you.
It is a praise if you have to explain why it isn't.
Put your intelligence aside.
He used to light the rockets inside the house when he was a child.
How does that make sense?
How can the rockets be lit inside the house?
I love disruption.
When things are too cool, I want to disrupt things.
That's my basic behaviour.
I'm not sure how you interpret it.
I have a super example for that, Sandeep.
He called Venkat Akkineni for lunch.
They were up discussing all night.
He called his wife the next morning
said 'Venkat was supposed to come here last night, but he didn't.'
I must have done that.
Sandeep, is Arjun Reddy a biopic of yours?
No, sir.
I just remembered something.
Sandeep, what I wanted to ask you
is that the scenes in Arjun Reddy
Are any of the scenes
in Animal, based on your life? - No, sir.
You are showing it in your movies.
Why would you do it if you don't fantasise about it?
What are you talking about?
Let's take the ice cube scene from Arjun Reddy.
Yeah. - Or Animal. - That's what.
Hero roams around naked.
Such scenes are portrayed in your movies.
Do you feel...
You look calm and decent in the outside world.
You look like a saint with your get-up.
If I can't express my fantasies
I will make others do it.
I don't know, sir. I could be thinking of it subconsciously.
I am sure. You do.
He is actually a mix of Ranbir Kapoor
and Arjun. I feel that way.
Sandeep, was yours a love marriage? - No, sir, arranged.
But you love love stories. - I've made only three films.
You are letting the world see different facet of your personality.
Shall we take a look at your image during school and college days?
You mean, at home? - Patience is virtue.
Brothers? - Hi, Sandeep.
We met for the first time 27 years ago.
I vividly remember. We were having anatomy practicals
and you were the last person to get enrolled.
We became good friends in no time.
It's hard to talk about college memories.
Because you hardly attended classes.
So, it's more of memories
that I have a few from either canteen or mess,
or outside the library.
I just want to tell you that I'm super proud of all that
you've done and become today.
Wish you success and you will achieve many more things in future,
and you reach greater heights.
She was my classmate, sir.
But she's not in touch with me per se. How did you reach her?
That's what I asked him, too. - Yours was something else!
He thinks so, too.
That voice modulation is living rent-free in my head.
Sometimes, I imagine, what if I was your classmate?
I wish one of us was a female...
Sandeep is bring up that voice modulation again and again.
Something's brewing in his head. He wants the voice to be identified.
Nothing's brewing in my head, sir. There was no curiosity in you!
You're absolutely right? - You thought so too, right?
Yes, that's right. But I didn't give much thought to it.
All your protagonists are alpha males, right?
Yes, sir. Well, characters with leadership qualities
will always be interesting for audience to watch
than timid guys. It comes out inadvertently, sir.
Either women love you or hate you to the core.
I think so, sir. I have heard of it. I mean, some people
hate me with no reason. - Correct.
But all your heroines have a strong character.
What is your take on that?
When we are showing a point of view of the hero,
no matter how strong the opponent is, it won't get registered.
That's one of the reasons they fail recognise their strength.
Yes. - But very few people identify the strength in those characters.
When things aren't shown from their point of view, this happens.
Very true. Very, very true.
Let's talk about ragging during college days.
Were you a ragged or were you used to rag?
I never ragged anybody and nobody ragged me. - Okay.
When I joined college, seniors tried to rag me.
I said, 'No doubt seven of you can beat me black and blue.'
'But I'm going to take revenge'
'on each one of you separately and leisurely. Please go ahead.'
Wow!
What about ragging at your... - I was a victim of it.
It was a strict ritual in Karnataka.
Didn't you use the ideas in 'Arun Reddy' and 'Animal' then?
There was this tremendous confusion, sir.
SDM Engineering, SDM Medical and SDM Dental...
We were sort of scared what's going to happen the next day, you know.
That was damn serious...
But that was fun after a period of time.
I was scared in the beginning.
The college was in a different state.
Let's see the visuals. Brothers!
Hi, Sandeep. How are you?
My name's Srinidhi Joshi. I'm a physiotherapist.
We have been friends since our college days.
I had never seen a junior, who was so interacting
with his seniors and as well as his juniors.
A fun fact of Sandeep is...
He would never let any senior rag any of the juniors.
He would come and say, 'Let him go, he's just a kid.'
'What are you doing? Come on, let him go.'
The fun fact is, when I tried to rag Sandeep for the first time,
he came across as a very serious person and he...
He pretended to be very afraid, but then...
As soon as I started talking, he started laughing.
And we both started laughing.
That's how I know Sandeep as a junior.
More than a junior, over the years, it has just been friendship.
In the exam, I was assisting the external examiner.
The external examiner came and instead of asking about the topic
or the questions related to the topic,
he asked Sandeep what is the insertion of biceps.
The biceps muscle.
As soon as he heard the question, he walked out.
I rushed out and asked him, 'What happened, 'Mava'?
We both used to call... And Sandeep calls everybody 'Mava'.
In the typical Hyderabadi accent.
And when I asked him what was the problem, he went,
'These people are crazy.'
'How can he ask me this question? I'm a third year student.'
'I was really pissed off. So I walked out.'
Since then, we've been on and off.
He went to do cinematography in Australia.
I've been in touch with him since then. I was actually at that time...
Preparing to go to the US.
We spoke with each other every other day. He did cinematography.
Then he came back to India.
He was looking for a break in film industry.
You know, film making.
But I was like... We used to talk about it a lot.
I have a lot of good memories with him.
No bad memories at all.
I love you, Sandeep.
You are a great person. I wish you the best in your career.
Sir, actually, we can make a film
on Viva Rooms in medial colleges.
What is a Viva-Room? You have this external Viva, right?
External viva, internal viva... - Yes...
I had an issue with an HOD.
He failed me for two years in a row.
It happened in the final year, not in the third year.
The moment you enter the room... I mean, once you're experienced.
Based on the external examiners behaviour, you can tell...
I knew no matter how well I perform, he's going to fail me.
That was second or third attempt.
No one asks a final year student questions about biceps.
They are for first year students. I knew the outcome. So I walked out.
That was news in the college.
No one had done that ever in the college. It was a very big deal.
Probably, that's why he still remembers it.
It was very sweet of you to save your juniors from ragging.
I did that... Because I was a real victim of ragging, sir.
Your personality and the films that you make
are poles apart.
That's not what I actually said. Because this is a family show.
He used euphemisms.
I vividly remember this, sir.
I regretted it a lot.
If I had answered that question, I would've cleared the exam.
If you fail, then you have to wait for six months.
A 4.5-year course took me about seven years to complete.
My parents insisted on completing the course
before going into film making.
'If you don't complete then there's no point.'
So, I was waiting to complete and get into the industry.
That was a painful period actually.
You have to sit in the class whether you're interested or not.
And the attendance has to be about 90 percent.
Attendance 90 percent. - Yes. They were very strict!
I had only 20 percent.
At one of time, juniors will start calling you sir.
I had a privilege of sitting with those
in the same class, who called me sir.
The same people started calling me dude.
I have gone through this.
I became my juniors classmate.
That's in human nature, you see.
I received my convocation with my sub-juniors.
Generally, parents attend convocations.
I never called my parents.
I didn't feel it was an achievement. So, I was all alone.
Was there a girl named Preethi in the college? - No, sir.
It was a fictional character. - Are you sure?
I'm sure.
Ramu, did you ever fail in college. - A lot of times.
Really? As a student...
I failed once in tenth grade, intermediate and Btech.
Did you really flunk in tenth grade? - Yeah!
Yes!
Why was he so delighted? - I was not.
Failing in tenth grade back then... - Was it so difficult to fail?
I didn't know that... - That's the impression, sir.
I took supplementary exams to clear the subjects.
Well, you became an engineer and he is a doctor.
I'm not an engineer. I just went to an engineering college.
Did you complete the course, sir? - Yes. I scored only 35 percent.
Even after graduating as a civil engineer,
I still don't know a thing about cement concrete mixture.
I mean, that's a comment on the educational institution.
Doctor? - I never practised, sir.
I just graduated like him.
But why did you do physiotherapy?
Sir, back then there were very few options, you see.
Oh? - Medical, dental, physio,
homeo and so on, you see.
I would've opted for Ladies specialisation under physiotherapy.
You two got married first and then turned into directors.
What were Rathna's thoughts about you becoming a film director?
See, nobody believed, including her, that's because...
Nobody knew much about film directors, you know.
Everyone thought I was being taken for a ride, you see.
And some even thought I will be replaced or fired, you know.
But somehow I completed the film.
Obviously, they were all shocked with the result of the film.
What about you, Sandeep?
After our first anniversary, I got an office to work on Arun Reddy.
I started the prep work without telling anyone about the story.
My dad saw the rushes after a week...
I mean after the shoot. He said, 'I didn't know you knew so much.'
Well, they invested money, you know, blindly.
My wife didn't know a thing about the story either.
The day before the teaser launch, I recorded it from a desktop.
You know, with my phone. And then, I showed it to my wife.
She was in a state of shock after seeing the teaser.
They invested in your film
because there was too much money. - No, not at all.
That's not the reason, sir. - What was it then?
I mean, they had no choice.
They had no choice and they were okay with losing the money.
Because they thought someone might offer him a film after this one.
All right.
But did you have some guilt? Most of the times things don't work out.
There were phases, sir. I had guilt, fear and so on.
And then, 'Baahubali 2' released.
According to me, 'Baahubali" interval is the greatest interval ever.
There's no match to it, you see.
I came back home, started my editing system
I started watching the interval of my film.
I was terrified.
When you see the audience cheering for you... - Yeah, I know.
He was peeing in the interval scene. I was terrified.
If you watch it again in two days, it will track you to that point.
It will build up to that.
It is not an independent scene.
I used to have fear and guilt in those phases.
By the time the teaser was released, I was sure this character was liked.
Yeah.
The common point between you is your music sense and its peaks.
You have your music in your mind before you even shoot.
It happens very rarely.
There were scenes that truly justified the music, even in Gaayam.
We took those montage shots.
See, my basic inspiration is RD Burman and Ilayaraja.
There are a few music directors.
Jerry Goldsmith. John Williams.
With those influences, my music stays in that tempo.
Reference points.
Sandeep's music is truly original.
Especially Animal music.
I think there are no references points for that.
I think it is coming from within his personality and what he wants.
Whereas I was very trained by a specific music style.
What about you, Sandeep? What inspired your music?
I feel that getting an RR prior, when you are playing it in the set
you will spend less time. You will not waste time.
When the music is playing, you know where to end.
We know that a mid-frame is enough and we don't need a wide shot.
I realised it while I was doing Kabir Singh.
I wasn't equipped with much during Arjun Reddy.
RR was done prior.
With Animal, 80% BGM was ready before we began the shoot.
Now, even with Spirit, 70% BGM is done.
It will be easy, sir. I think we can save a lot of time.
If you count the number of days, I think
we will save at least six days in production. - Yes.
You heard the reaction for Spirit movie with Prabhas.
How is your relationship with him?
I can't ask for more, sir. He is superb.
I know. I agree with you.
I haven't faced anything so far
where I realise he is a big hero
which remains as a veil in between. It was nothing like that.
He is very transparent. He is very sweet.
Superb to work with.
We will start the shoot soon. I will be able to talk more then.
Ramu, I remember one thing very well.
You always say, 'I will lead the way and people should follow.'
'I am a leader.'
I never said that.
I will make it simple.
There was a particular time when I had a flop.
I ran into a producer.
I was in Prasad's Lab.
Sir, you are a sound technician.
With a good story, no one can beat you.
He said that to me while walking next to me.
I listened to him for a while.
He is walking right next to me matching my pace.
If you are walking, I won't do that to you.
I told him to understand the difference.
I know what I want. I could fail at times.
I will worry about my flops. Why would I care about yours?
To make it even simpler
I will deal with my life. You worry about yours.
You are always straightforward. What don't you like about Animal?
Main story.
I don't like the father-son relationship.
I told that to Sandeep too.
Sir told me what he didn't like.
The scene about licking the shoe. - Yeah.
I thought it was inconsistent.
Anyway, but the main point is
I never connected to the father-son story.
I was fed up with Anil Kapoor.
I lost my impression of the hero for sucking up to him.
That is just my opinion, sir.
But I differ with the millions of people who saw the film.
I don't know what they liked.
For example, many people find the underwear scene
problematic.
They question the movie.
A girl I know asked if they saw Animal.
She said the underwear sequence was a crack.
We all had to keep quiet.
She was open, Ramu. Honestly, a lot of ladies
like it on the inside, but they don't express it.
They worry about what people might think if they express.
Which Ram Gopal Varma movie do you not like?
Let it be anger or sadness.
What movie made you think about why he did it?
Nothing up to 2011.
Even though 'Naach' and 'Run' were a flop, I liked them.
After 2011, I don't think sir... - You must not have seen them.
25 years, right from Shiva.
We all loved whatever he did.
He promised you a solid comeback film.
Will you live up to your word?
Only time can tell. - We need it at any cost.
What I think is
sir has a solid projective parabola.
It happens one day.
You are at your peak.
There's nothing to top it anymore.
That's why he might not be interested in anything else.
I don't know. That's my analysis.
Fine. Fine. - I have seen... - Yeah. Yeah.
You have seen a high that no director has seen.
I feel that. - Can I point something out?
If anything, if anybody in this industry...
There are a lot of comebacks for heroes.
It has been done and proven. Not the same for the directors.
Once you lose three to four films
it is challenging to have a comeback.
If anybody can do it, it is he.
He managed to create Shiva back in those days.
Now he can direct a far better movie in this age and time.
He is the only person I believe who can come back strong if he wants to.
Yeah, that's what I say.
But he mocks me. He says I swear.
I am working on it.
Comeback doesn't have a definitive timeline.
Even if I die, people would say
'He would have done it if he were alive.'
I don't want people to say that.
Ramu, before that, Jayasudha commented.
You say you like Sridevi on camera.
But when someone asks you directly, you say you like Jayasudha.
She wants some clarity.
I love Jayasudha very dearly.
There is a reason why I can say that confidently.
The second woman is dead. She can't question me.
Rapid fire round brought to you by the Jar app.
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I will ask you five questions back to back in this round.
You have to answer honestly.
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you can win 25,000 Jar gold.
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The Jar app will give these 25,000 Jar gold to charity.
Let's start the rapid fire.
Okay, Sandeep. - Let's start with sir.
Why me?
Why? - Just like that.
I want to see how he answers.
If you had to remake Gaayam, whom would you cast? -I won't do it.
I know. I expected it.
Your tweets are more famous than your movies. Do you believe that?
I tweet a lot, but I don't check who is watching them.
I don't know if they are famous or not.
Rajamouli. Sandeep Vanga.
Whom do you like among them? - Sandeep.
Sandeep, if you were a hero, which character would you choose?
Arjun Reddy or Animal? - Arjun Reddy.
If you have the power, what would you like to erase from your mind?
Social media or movie reviews? - Movie reviews.
If you want to gift something to RGV, what would it be?
We can't gift him anything. - We can't.
Even if I work hard on making something,
he would ask why I did it.
You both have a black and red combo.
It is a similarity.
Arjun Reddy. Shiva. Gaayam. All those movie posters.
Any particular intense interest on the colour scheme?
I would think that the common point is intensity.
It reflects in different ways.
Darkness aspect about the character
or the emotional intensity of the subject
will be associated with these colours.
I think that could be a common factor.
That's my point of view.
I didn't observe that consciously.
But just to emphasise the colours, that's my opinion.
Ramu, generally
if you portray... I wouldn't even say that.
What others see is the negative dark side of Ramu.
You always say it.
But we always discuss this.
I always say you have a soft corner.
You do have a lot of affection which you don't show.
Will you never show it? Or decide against it?
Whom do I shower my affection?
You take care of the family.
You get lunch boxes from your mom which you happily eat.
You take care of Revathi.
All these things are counted as affections.
If a producer has an extreme loss in a movie
you give them other movies. You call the distribution's office.
You help them out.
That is a gesture.
Ruthless selfish people won't do all of these.
They won't even think about others.
I am not very sure if it comes under the same thing.
My mother sends me lunch.
I will also eat all sorts of junk.
I don't give that importance to food.
I don't glorify mother's food.
I am an incredibly selfish and a self-centred guy.
In context, you have to quantify what you are doing, right?
There needs to be a measurement.
If you love someone, how much do you love them?
I do the minimal thing.
But fundamentally, I am a very self-centred guy.
No, you are open about it. Everyone is selfish.
If I know someone, I speak what I truly feel about them.
I don't particularly care or follow up about them and their lives.
There is no concern.
It was random. - Now that's too much.
You might perceive it as,
'Hey, he has done it for me.'
'He has given me such good advice.' I don't see it that way.
So, what is that one quality
that a new director shouldn't learn from you?
Huh! Should not learn from us?
That's a very interesting question, actually.
If there are mistakes
that are very obvious in me as a director,
if I can see something in myself,
I can tell them not to do that.
But since I don't know what it is, I can't answer that.
Hmm.
So, over to Sandeep.
What we shouldn't be learning?
Sir, too much of micro-management.
If we try to avoid it,
most of the departments would get the best of the guys.
Passion... It could be too much passion as well, right?
Yeah, yeah! That could be a reason, sir,
but because of micro management, sometimes, things get delayed.
Yes. - In my view,
any new director should learn only from Sandeep.
They shouldn't learn from anyone else.
Keep me aside. Not in the race.
I am not in the scheme at all.
Uniqueness in him...
He can create a super, larger-than-life film
without spectacular VFX, production value...
He can generate the same thing in close-ups.
No other director in India can do it.
100-150 million rupees
for hero's elevation scene or introduction scene,
they do all that stuff,
Sandeep, in 'Animal', when the hero steps out of the classroom,
he comes back in with the close-up of a machine gun.
That was an elevation scene.
That was the first time in my life
that I stood up and clapped in a theatre.
And along with me, everybody in the theatre.
That was it.
To put it in one line,
only when you don't have ideas would the production cost be higher.
When you have the ideas, you'll be Sandeep.
Very good.
What is your opinion on Ramu?
Since I heaped so much praise on you,
you should say at least one or two lines
in return... It is not what I am asking for.
Sir, actually...
I keep meeting him regularly.
Yes. - Every time I meet him, I keep saying,
'Sir, I don't believe it's real sometimes, meeting you.'
My admiration for Mr Ramu is very big, sir.
Maybe since you are asking about it suddenly,
I couldn't put it into words, but...
I mean, I must've seen 'Satya' about 50 to 60 times.
I revisit most of his films a number of times.
I learnt editing from his films.
'Satya' taught me editing.
Even if I haven't worked under him,
Mr Ramu is my guru.
In many things.
So, he taught you a lot. Today's Teacher's Day...
Yeah, it's not Teacher's Day, but in a way, he is my teacher, sir.
If I had a student like Sandeep,
I would've quit teaching.
No one can teach anyone anything.
Everyone gets influenced,
or maybe gets impressed, or...
In data collection, it could be some books or some films,
there are many things, obviously.
But eventually,
you are taking all that
and making it your own, and adding your own interpretation to it.
So, between 'Satya'
or say, 'Shiva'
and the movies Sandeep makes, there's no connection at all.
Whether the characters, or the subject matter,
whatever it is, you know...
I feel it is truly original,
which is the reason he has hit that higher mark, you know.
So, I...
Don't respect the term 'teacher'.
The reason is,
whenever you see, in life,
an engineer becomes a great engineer.
A doctor becomes a successful doctor.
A businessman becomes a big businessman.
A teacher doesn't become anything.
Have you ever heard of one successful teacher?
If he doesn't know stuff, what is he going to teach me?
If you call someone a 'teacher', I find it to be a disrespectful word.
If I was Sandeep's teacher,
why am I not able to make
as big hits as Sandeep? How can I be his teacher then, Subbarao?
So, what he should say
'Satya' is my teacher, not Ram Gopal Varma.
'Satya' is a film.
See, there are great films.
No great filmmakers.
So then, you can learn from a film.
Because in the end it's a product.
There's no relation
between the product and the person who created it.
There could've been then. Even then, I could've made it without knowing.
But I surely can't make it now. Not able to do it.
So, the term 'teacher'
is not quite apt.
So, if this episode goes on air on Teacher's Day,
it will be its misfortune.
Even if you haven't asked me,
Sandeep, I would like to tell, knowing Ramu,
I mean, because I know him very well as a friend,
as a director, as a maker, and a creator... he created cinema.
Starting from 'Shiva'.
I'm really proud to have him as a friend and a director.
Don't call me friend. I am nobody's friend.
I am your friend.
But he is feeling it, sir. - Yeah.
We are friends who fight a lot.
Now we are fine, but we fight at night.
Let's begin Country Delight presents
'High Five with Zee5', real answers only.
Some questions, Ramu.
I will ask the questions and I will answer them too.
Because I know you inside out. I will guess the answers.
What keeps you going in shoots?
Tea with milk, or coffee?
Your answer will surely be Black Coffee.
If you hadn't become a director,
according to me, you would've been a godfather.
If I hadn't become a director, I would've died.
Because other than this,
I get bored of everything else in life.
You have worked with three heroes.
Who is the hero you would like to repeat?
Vijay, Ranbir. Both.
What's one combo you can't resist?
Ghee with rice, or ghee with dosa?
I'm sure, ghee with rice.
What's the duration of 'Spirit', Sandeep?
I will try to keep it under 3 hours, sir.
For a change,
I would like to ask Sandeep a few rapid-fire questions.
Okay, sure, great. Why not?
Is Rajamouli better or are you better than him?
Obviously, Mr Rajamouli is better.
Don't be so over-modest.
Do I look like an idiot?
No.
I said you are better than Rajamouli.
I said that. So, I am an idiot then?
No, no, sir. It's not like that, sir.
It's your feeling, sir. My feeling is...
Sir, in rapid fire,
you should answer instantly. - I answered immediately.
Don't give an explanation. - I said that I am not.
So, can you keep a hand on your heart and say
that Rajamouli is truly better than you? Say it once.
Yes, he is.
It feels like you had a heart attack.
I am saying it, sir.
Mr Rajamouli is a better director than me.
Why do you say that? What's the reason?
In one of my movies, I had this minor CG work.
For that, the CG
went to and fro about 500 times.
Then, I thought,
'How did he make a film with housefly and everything?'
Oh, in that way. See that's a quality. - Yeah!
It's a different matter.
See whoever the director is,
in my view he should think to some extent,
'I can make it better than everyone else'.
If you don't have that belief, you can't make it.
Yes, that's also true.
Before making that first film, we do have that feeling, sir.
When this scene comes out on the screen... - Definitely,
while I was making 'Shiva', I thought
I could make it better than all the reigning directors
at that time.
If they could make movies better than me,
why would I come into this field?
Why would there be any motivation?
So basically, you meet so many beautiful girls and all that.
So, did you feel like you made a mistake by getting married early?
No, sir, I didn't feel that way. - You didn't? - No, sir.
So, you are Lord Rama?
I thought you'd ask only one rapid-fire question.
Then I thought...
Sandeep, you ask him one rapid-fire question, no?
We can't win, sir.
He will enjoy it in the end. We won't.
We don't have to win. Let's just enjoy it.
Shiva or Satya? - Shiva.
Urmila or Antara Mali? - Urmila.
Nagarjuna or Ajay Devgn? - Nagarjuna.
Nagarjuna or Amitabh Bachchan? - Amitabh Bachchan.
There can't be anything beyond Amitabh Bachchan.
I have never seen such rapid fire.
Can we both ask rapid fire to you?
Oh, my Goddess! I am in trouble.
In 'Gaayam', in your place, if there was someone else,
would it have been a bigger hit or a smaller hit?
100% me. - What do you mean?
It should've been me. - You are the right choice.
Do you think I too feel that way?
Why else would you have cast me, instead of someone else?
Even if you see, 'Gaayam' for me,
you think Nagarjuna would've been better,
or Venkatesh or Jagapati, in 'Gaayam'?
No, sir. I liked him. Yeah.
That was new, after 'Peddarikam' and all that.
The fundamental mistake here is that,
we are conducting the rapid fire,
especially centring around you.
Since you are right in front of us,
we have to say everything in your favour.
No, no, no. - If Sandeep and I hang out together later,
then maybe, we would...
No, no.
You both have changed way movies are made in our country.
I want to ask you questions related to style.
To talk about these questions,
shall we go to the Oaksmith Style Studio?
Please come then.
Ramu, in your view, when does a hero look stylish?
When he doesn't have any style.
When he is holding a machete or when he is giving the heroine a flower?
Machete.
Who is the most stylish heroine among those you've worked with?
Urmila.
Sandeep, if you have to choose 'Arjun Reddy' or 'Animal',
who looks more stylish?
'Animal'.
Among the villains you have seen who is the most stylish villain?
Amrish Puri. - You thought he'd say your name?
Okay, that's it. It's over.
On behalf of Vijay JB Infra Pvt Ltd,
Ramu, I present you this powerful Hanuman's idol.
Sandeep.
To elevate your style further,
from our fashion partner, 'The Arvind Store',
Yeah! Thank you. - A gift hamper for you.
Shirting, suiting, readymades.
You won't get these anywhere other than in Arvind Stores,
in the world.
'Jar App', savings tip of the day.
Don't start spending
right after getting the salary.
Save some money first.
To make sure you don't miss it any month, automate these savings.
After that, if you spend the rest of that money,
you will have some safety net in difficult times.
Shall we meet again in the next episode?
Signing off, with me, Jagapati.