Ram Gopal Varma's two part biopic

Ram Gopal Varma is shooting for India 24/7 (earlier titled Rann) but he's already on to his next film. In a unique gesture, RGV will be shooting the film in two parts but releasing it in different times. Talking about it, Ramu says, "It's a biopic called Rakta Charitra. This will be my next film after India 24/7 and has been inspired by the story of Paritala Ravi from Andhra Pradesh who got assassinated in January 2005.

Even though the actual incidents of the story happened and the related characters existed in south India, I decided to make it in Hindi because I strongly felt that the sheer uniqueness of the story deserves to be told to a much wider audience." Ramu will be shooting the film at one stretch and release it in two parts, three months apart; a first in the history of Indian cinema. "I want to call the films Rakta Charitra: I and Rakta Charitra: II.

I want to make it in two parts because of the sheer drama. The content the story possesses is so incredibly rich that it is not possible to do justice to do it in a film lesser than five hours. Also Ravi's life can be broadly divided into two parts from the time how circumstances created his rise to how he created circumstances that felled him."

Why Paritala Ravi? Ramu says, "He was arguably the most feared individual ever in the history of the blood-ridden faction politics of South India. Ravi, a soft-spoken shy guy, under certain circumstances retreated into the jungles, became a rebel, avenged his father's and brother's deaths, became a folklore legend and eventually a minister in N T Rama Rao's cabinet."

Ramu says he was drawn to the drama in Ravi's life. "It's the most fascinating story I have ever heard in my life. I have read biographies of various people and known the life stories of many highly dangerous men but all those stories pale in comparison to Ravi's life story.

He was a feudal lord, a Robin Hood, a killer and saviour till the day he was gunned down by a death squad allegedly put together by his archrival Suri, who wanted to avenge his father's and brother's deaths, in a bizarre deja vu." When quizzed about which big star would he take for the main lead Ramu says, "I haven't decided that as yet."