Exclusive: Sarkar is not based on Bal Thackeray, only inspired by him, says RGV

Even as Sarkar 3 is to hit theatres next month, Ram Gopal Varma talks about controversies and Amitabh Bachchan.

Your tweets seem to be offending a lot of people…
I think those who show they’re angry and offended by my tweets enjoy them the most. I remember once, after I was threatened and warned for my tweets, a cop called me. I thought he was going to arrest me. Instead, he said he was falling off his chair with laughter.

How has Sarkar 3 shaped up?
I think it shaped up much more intense than the earlier two films, mainly because it has a larger scale and the negative characters are much stronger. You can expect to see a lot of anger in Mr Bachchan, and that obviously comes due to some highly dramatic situations.

What was it like working with him again?
The main difference I saw in him now, after working in so many films is that I suddenly see an additional spurt of intensity in him. That’s not to say that he wasn’t intense before, but there’s a never before seen condensation of energy waiting to be unleashed.

Have you ensured that the franchise doesn’t look forced?
Like there was no connection between Sarkar and Sarkar Raj, here too, Sarkar 3 works as an independent story. It also deals with very complex relationship aspects, which were previously untouched.

Is it hard for filmmakers to attempt real life characters? Even Sarkar is said to be based on Bal Thackeray.
Controversies mostly are blown up by the media. But of course, it works from case to case. Sarkar is not based on Bal Thackeray, but is definitely inspired by him. If a man like Balasaheb can exist, then so can Sarkar.