The truth..

Why does Ram Gopal Verma make movies? Answer: Because he likes making movies.

Its sometimes hard to comprehend people like Verma talking about doing things just because he likes to. Does that mean he doesnt like other stuff. No! He probably likes to go home, watch CNN show some crap about the world, eat some dinner, andhra pickle and ice cream with his family more than he likes to make movies. But now, he would be no different than others, would he?

When I first watched Satya back in '98 in Hyderabad with one of my buddies, when movie-watching for me was a way of getting out of the house on your motorcycle, have some chai, get a smoke, I went into the theatre with normal expectations of watching a good, well-directed RGV movie. The buddy I was with, is a die-hard fan of the director and has a lot of information regarding what makes the director 'click' and how he manages to make movies in a non-bollywoodish style. He figures, that Verma has a vision. A vision? Every director has a vision, for gossake! True, but what's different with Verma is that he first envisions the audience getting a spell-binding experience out of watching his movies..other movie-makers might envision different things like distributors queing up, people thronging the movie theaters etc. Sure, Verma also wants people to watch his movies, but its with a different attitude. He wants to make it different for the audience when they watch his movie. I have listened to my friend, buddy talk about things like this for more than ten years. And I believe him.

Satya is the story of a simple man who, after arriving in Mumbai comes to power in the underworld through sheer grit, cleverness and a bit of luck. Verma does not waste time in flashbacks. I have read on one of the numerous fan sites that Verma originally thought of making an action movie, and started off making Satya. I feel he ended up making a different movie altogether. Spontaneous. Nothing is said about where the main protagonist comes from, what makes him come to Mumbai or what drives him inside. All throughout the film, he is projected as a normal, simple human being. Ruthlessness is a misdeamenor. He was probably born with it. The way Verma introduces the characters in this movie is nothing short of sheer genius. They are just a few among the millions, but then they are different..like the director wants them to be. The best part is, you agree with him. You do not understand why and how you connect with the characters in this movie, but you do. The best of them all..Bhiku. Actor Manoj Bajpai made this character look so effervescent and clear that you do not doubt for a moment that he is in fact, a member of the shady group. In spite of realizing the fact that all members of the bhiku gang are hardcore criminals, you begin to connect with them and in certain stages, like them for what they are doing.

One thing you will notice about Verma's performers. They are not great actors, no sir. But they all have wonderfully expressive eyes or the most amazing body language. Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Nagarjuna, J.D Chakravarty, Jagapathi Babu (Gaayam), Abhishek Bachchan and of course, Urmila. All the above listed actors have, in one movie or the other have mesmerized me with their performances..only using their eyes. This is what RGV excels in. You dont need loud, garish costumes, music or special effects to show off action scenes, menace or destructive scenes. Silence, clever lighting and the actor's portrayal of his character using minimal body language can also have the same impact, if not a better one. One other thing, among many is the minimal usage of lighting for scenes. Dark scenes dominate most of the movie's indoor shots. You also get to see Verma's trademark body-mounted camera moving rapidly during action scenes.

Satya's character develops slowly over a period of two hours and the shattering climax brings out the desperation, anger, frustration and ultimately a fitting end. No longer is he, the calm, calculated criminal...he is kicking, screaming, crying and dying to meet his humiliated girl friend. Verma brings out the best in this relatively unknown, untapped actor.

A remarkable effort, I must say, by RGV for making a movie so different yet so close to the heart of Indian movie-goers. Succeeding in doing so, he has proven that he has the talent, resources, technical expertise to make world-class movies which almost everyone will watch and wonder how he was able to do it. That, I think is exactly what Mr. Verma wants. Encores all the way.