Ram Gopal Verma(RGV) is not popular these days.He has been involved in litigation about his version of'Sholay'.His role in the aftermath of the 26/11 attack in Mumbai circa 2009 has been questioned by the filmy & non-filmy press.Yet this man was something of an institution for some 15 years.He brought modernity to Bollywood with'Rangeela'.With this film,the industry gained the insight that good costumes,stylish mounting and synchronized dancing can add value to a movie and add to its box-office sales.Thereafter we saw the launching of the RGV film factory that churned out many new projects with new ideas and of course RGV's muse Urmila Matondkar as the leading lady.Thus we had'Mast' about a film actresses' strange life,'Nach' about dance,'Bhoot' about ghosts,'Jungle' about a Veerappan like forest brigand and many others.RGV launched many new directors like E-Niwas,actors like Aftab,Manoj Vajpai,Fardeen Khan was given a new lease of life.He made a film like'Satya' with practically no stars and a lot of fresh faces and it became a hit.There was a time in the 2000s' when RGV could do no wrong.Then,he made his version of'Sholay'.The movie was an unmitigated disaster and it bombed at the box-office.Then he was seen taking a tour of the Taj Hotel in Mumbai after the terrorist attack along with then CM of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh.The media tore him to shreds for this.
RGV introduced a new kind of thinking.He promoted new ideas and new paradigms of film-making.He explored art,the supernatural,Mumbai's underworld,human psychology,politics as subjects for his films.In an industry that is accused of being repititive and formulaic he brought innovation and imagination.He promoted thinking out-of-the-box but with an eye on the box-office.Indeed he is a dream merchant and yet was never a showman but someone who painted pictures in his films like an accomplished artist.This is his contribution to indian cinema.
