Ram Gopal Varma On Why He Thought His Joke On Getting The Corona Virus Was Funny.

Ram Gopal Varma, what made you pull such a tasteless prank?

To start with it was April Fools day and I made the joke on myself and not on anyone else and I also clarified that it’s a joke within a minute of the first tweet.As per the trolls their hypocrisy is evident in the fact that there are 100 times more Corona jokes being shared on the social media compared to the serious news about the same. That’s an open secret.

Do you think laughing about the virus makes it easier to bear?

Definitely.The philosopher Nietzsche said , ” Man is the only animal that suffers so much that he was compelled to invent laughter as an antidote ” . This is why even mainstream newspapers always put cartoons on the ongoing crisis .A sense of humour is the best way to fight depression

How do you view the current pandemic God’s revenge or manmade calamity?

I doubt it. The reason is unimportant because in either way it’s not in anybody’s control .I see it as a rude reminder of the fragility of our system.

Would you be tempted to make a film on it?

I actually wrote a script on it long back and announced my intention to make it in a tweet which I put out on 10/6/2018 .You can see that it’s eerily similar to the present happenings)

How do you spend your time in quarantine?

Watching films ,documentaries and editing my new martial arts film ENTER THE GIRL DRAGON apart from studying the unbelievable things happening across the world

Which books and films do you recommend?

The true-life things happening right now seems more gripping than any film or a book. I would rather recommend Life than Art .

What do you see as the major ramification of the virus for the film industry?

Whether it’s for the film Industry or with any other Organization I think human beings will eventually adapt to any situation no matter how dire .

How do you think we will get back on our feet once this is over?

It will be difficult but we will get back for sure.

Tell us about your Chinese project?

It’s a martial arts film which I have been wanting to make forever ..Shooting is nearly over

Do you see China as a bigger threat to India than Pakistan?

I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories and I think it’s too early to go on a judgmental spree