'Ammayi' is Ram Gopal Varma's next flick, to be released in theatres on July 15. Touted to be India's first martial arts movie, the film has secured a ginormous release in China. In this interview, RGV talks about why he calls 'Ammayi' India's first true-blue martial arts movie. He is all praise for heroine Pooja Bhalekar, an intensely-trained martial arts student herself.
Unlike the regular martial arts movies, 'Ammayi' has genuine stunts that have been shot without dupes, graphics or other frills. I like the stunts to be real. Pooja is highly skilled in martial arts and the character taps into her strengths.
There was a time when my search for bona fide martial artists went in vain. When 'Ammayi' was conceived and auditions launched, I came across Pooja's profile. I liked her skills and got her on board.
As a huge fan of Bruce Lee, I have always been attracted by his onscreen presence. Since women are undoubtedly more beautiful than men, 'Ammayi' is naturally more glamorous.
'Ammayi' will be released on more than 40,000 screens in China. A good chunk of the production works were done in that country. The distributors there were enamoured after watching the rushes.
Pooja comes from Maharashtra. She comes from a middle-class background. I had to cajole her into wearing short clothes befitting the character. 'Ammayi' defies the stereotypes about women. Here is a female lead who wears short clothes and thrashes men.
I couldn't have made 'Ammayi' with a Tiger Shroff, who is not a trained martial artist. With him, you have to rely on VFX. Pooja has done real stunts. She doesn't need VFX. Pooja is not an actor. I was scared that she might injure herself while doing the action scenes. But I was intent on the shot nevertheless as a director.
I am making a film on a dreaded Al-Qaeda terrorist. It is dominated by artists from Middle Eastern countries and will be released in English and Arabic, among other languages.
I don't believe in the North-South divide in cinema. I have never used terms like a pan-world cinema either. Indian cinema produces 1000 movies every year.
