RGV juggernaut continues

Irrespective of failures, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has never faced a dearth of producers who are ready to fund his films and going by what we hear, the director’s dairy is filled for the year with a slew of interesting projects.

While his long delayed flick, ‘Veerappan’, might see the light of day this year, he is also planning to take ‘Sarkar 3’ on floors this year.

Says a source, “For a long time now, Ramu wanted to track Veerappan’s story from the time he was just a lean, soft teenager to his transformation into a dreaded sandalwood dacoit. He even met Veerappan’s wife Muthulaxmi in this regard many years ago but couldn’t take the film on to sets. While he wanted Prashant Pandey, writer of ‘Sarkar 2’, to helm the project initially, it now looks like Ramu himself would wield the megaphone for the project. He has already begun talks with noted faces like Vivek Oberoi, Manoj Bajpayee and Vishal (Tamil actor) for the film. In all likelihood, it will be made in two parts and he is expected to use flow-cam technology to shoot some of the film’s sequences in the jungle.” When contacted, Ramu indeed confirmed the happening. “Yes, I’m very serious about that project. We are still searching for an actor to play that role,” he stated.

‘Veerappan’ aside, the filmmaker’s immediate assignment would be a women-centric drama which he has been contemplating for a couple of years. The source adds, “He toyed with many names before zeroing in on Lakshmi Manchu; her participation is anything but confirmed. She would be required to perform some intimate scenes for the film, which would be produced by ‘Ice Cream’ producer Tummalapalli Ramasatyanarayana.”

The filmmaker also has two releases, ‘12’ with Manchu Vishnu and ‘Patta Pagalu’ with Raja Shekar, lined-up to hit the screens shortly.