"Sarkar Raj is not being re-shot"- Ram Gopal Varma
When
is
Sarkar
Raj
releasing?
Either
in
the
last
week
of
May
or
first
week
of
June,
depending
upon
the
matches,
exams,
vacations,
etc.
Reports
of
a
delay
are
utter
nonsense.
Nothing
is
being
re-shot.
If
I
needed
to
do
it,
I
would.
But
that
isn't
the
case
with
Sarkar
Raj.
All
of
us—Amitji,
Abhishek,
Aishwarya
and
I
are
happy
with
the
product.
The
film
has
an
added
significance
because
of
the
formidable
cast…
I
guess
when
the
film
stars
the
Bachchans,
people
would
love
to
talk
about
the
product.
But
they're
bitching
unnecessarily
about
Sarkar
Raj.
Something
negative
or
the
other
is
always
being
written
about
it.
The
fact
is
that
post-production
is
on.
We're
ready
with
Sarkar
Raj.
Do
you
feel
that
Sarkar
Raj
has
gone
beyond
Sarkar?
In
terms
of
scale,
scope,
and
span,
it
goes
far
beyond
the
first
film.
Also
it
is
my
first
film
with
a
socio-political
subtext.
And
it's
character-driven.
If
you
take
the
Godfather
trilogy,
they're
all
character
dramas.
Sarkar
Raj
isn't
exactly
a
sequel
to
Sarkar.
In
the
sense,
that
it
doesn't
take
off
right
away
from
where
the
first
movie
trails
off.
So
how
would
you
describe
it?
For
the
want
of
a
better
description,
I'd
say
that
Sarkar
Raj
takes
us
into
another
episode…
in
the
adventures
of
the
Nagare
family"s
life.
The
plots
and
issues
involved
make
this
a
far
bigger
film
than
the
first
one.
Do
the
Big
B
and
Abhishek
have
more
scenes
together?
I
wouldn't
say
more
scenes.
I'd
say
there"re
more
shades
to
their
character.
In
the
first
part,
the
son
Shankar
got
very
close
to
his
father
because
of
a
crisis.
By
the
end
of
Sarkar,
Abhishek's
character
took
over
his
father's
empire.
In
Sarkar
Raj,
they
already
share
a
pre-given
equation.
Is
Sarkar
Raj
inspired
by
events
connected
to
the
Narmada
dam
project?
Not
at
all.
You
see,
any
kind
film
about
the
concerns
of
a
family
for
a
social
cause
will
have
protests
and
political
agendas.
But
Sarkar
Raj
has
no
direct
bearing
to
any
of
the
headlines
recently.
Sarkar
Raj
does
have
political
undertones.
But
it
isn't
a
political
drama.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
it's
about
the
triumph
of
the
human
spirit
and
a
father-son
relationship.
What
about
Aishwarya?
She
plays
a
ruthless
businesswoman
whose
only
aim
is
to
make
money
for
her
organization,
whereas
Shankar
believes
in
using
the
financial
resources
for
the
betterment
of
the
people.
Abhishek
believes
in
making
money
for
the
people.
Aishwarya
believes
in
making
money
from
the
people.
So,
Abhishek
and
Aishwarya
are
dramatically
pitched
against
each
other.
An
interesting
relationship
develops
over
the
ideological
fence.
The
romantic
angle
is
secondary.
Their
ideological
conflict
is
more
important.
Why
Aishwarya?
I
needed
a
very
strong
actor
for
Anita's
role.
Her
beauty
is
so
much
at
the
forefront
that
it
makes
you
forget
her
talent.
It's
hard
to
look
beyond
her
beauty.
I
took
her
on
as
a
challenge.
But
when
she
emoted
as
Anita,
I
was
shocked.
She's
a
truly
intense
actress.
She
understood
the
nuances
of
Anita's
character
completely.
I
was
taken
aback.
Her
intensity
matches
her
beauty,
which
says
a
lot.
Is
this
Aishwarya's
best
performance
ever?
I
can
gauge
her
performance
from
behind
the
camera.
Only
I
know
how
hard
it
was
for
her
to
give
life
to
her
character.
It's
easy
to
impress
audiences
with
drama
and
crying.
Aishwarya
has
no
props
to
support
her
performance.
She
has
brought
out
her
character's
complexities
without
crutches.
In
that
sense,
it's
her
best
performance
ever.
Sarkar
Raj
is
a
family
film
on
two
levels.
Would
the
presence
of
the
Bachchans
together
eclipse
the
film's
intrinsic
merits?
I
firmly
believe
that
once
the
audiences
get
into
the
theatre,
the
characters
will
take
over.
They
won't
look
for
the
Bachchans
or
be
disappointed
by
Aishwarya
not
being
part
of
the
family.