In the midst of some never before scenes unfolding on the screen tucked away is the little sequence where Machiraju is finishing up his meal when Bhavani barges into his house in the climax of 'Siva' and in a casual, clinical and chilling manner washes his hands off (literally and figuratively) from all things Bhavani - the best exhibition of realism in a movie that crackled and popped with flourishes as this. That sequence could had been played in any of the many ways prevalent during that time - a) Bhavani rushing into Machiraju's house only to find him leisurely waiting for him in a sofa b) Bhavani running into Machiraju as he is about to step out of the house c) Bhavani entering the compound of Machiraju's house only to find the main door locked. Each of these tried and tested and well-worn out options would have delivered the same intended effect that Machiraju is out of Bhavani's reach for good. Instead the choice of having Machiraju at the end of his dinner, clean up and then systematically proceed to sever the relationship with a fugitive on the lam is a well thought one, one that focusses not just on the end result, but every little event that leads up to it. This is what is a directorial choice. As against the oft held belief that realism is all about the moment, it is in fact everything around it - the environment, the interaction, the mood, the build up and the tone. Though in the end it is the behavior of the character that takes the cake, the frosting around enhances the setting. Siva yanking out the cycle chain might appear the most realistic reaction for all the blood boiling provocation and hence might be entitled to all the applause. But overlooked over the thunderous ovation is the slow burning lead up to the moment - the incessant teasing and heckling, the boorish behavior of JD, the helplessness of the system and finally, the mounting frustration of Siva. Teasing scenes by the villain were dime a dozen till then and so were the eruptive reactions of the hero against an impotent system. But never till that point in telugu movie history had so much minute attention been paid to the 'cause' than the 'effect', so that when the 'effect' finally comes about, it comes across fully realized, justified, and above all, very realistic. It wasn't the first time on Indian screen when frustration had found a voice and reaction had been quite realistic (Govind Nihlani's 'Ardh Satya' lays claim to that fame), but it certain was in telugu, and the man who stripped away all the extraneousness from the true emotion and presented it pure and raw, the man who is credited for bringing the much needed credibility to the craft of direction, and the man who truly ushered in the changes that are completely responsible for the current vibrant state of the Hindi film industry - Ram Gopal Varma.

The mark of a man is not just how successful he is in his trade, because success, among other things, is a product of time and place, something the maker has no control over. Lack of competition can bring about success, timing of the availability might bring success, both of which have nothing to do with the actual quality of the product. And the converse is also true. A product's reception is not always dependent on the quality of it. The real mark of a man is thus not the success/failure, but the influence he exerts on the future, his effect on future discourse and dialogue and thought process. That is the extent of it, nothing more. So when the hero is pushed back and back by a villain who gets more and more in the face, and there is a little pause, a beat, before the hero launches into the villain, to cause a collective spike of the adrenaline of the audience, thank Varma for it. When the usually loud comedian shuns off his physical humor and demeanor, takes the high road and mellows down in his dialogue delivery and behavior, and (magically) generates more humor than before, thank Varma for it. When action involves more of sound design, fast editing, disconcerting background music, and other technical details much more than the usual fist cuffs and crunching bones, thank Varma for it. When upcoming directors (not just in telugu) feel confident of tackling off beat subjects in commercial formats across different genres, and more, deliver resounding results at that, , thank Varma for it. The man has certainly influenced Indian cinema more than he is given credit for, solely because of the (unfortunate) fact that he does all the talking now for his movies instead of how it was the other way around before. There was a time during the 90s and 00's when he fearlessly and relentlessly tackled subjects that lurked on the peripheries of the mainstream and made them into cultural flash points and talking points. The transition of his career from wonder to shock ot revulsion pretty much mirrored the underlying theme of his choices, from 'Siva' to 'Satya' to 'Siva 2, and Satya 2'. Regardless, RGV represents an important fork in Indian cinema, when realism ditched the parallel movement for good and hitched a ride in the commercial cinema, making it all the richer and better for it.

Orson Welles was in his early 20s in 1941 when he made what is acclaimed as the greatest American movie ever made, 'Citizen Kane', as his debut feature. And he spent the rest of his life chasing, trying and failing to live up to that lofty standard he inadvertently set. A similarity can be found Varma's career post his sensational debut. That is not to say he hasn't made 'better' films, tackled far more complex and interesting themes, pushed the envelope, with varying results, on the ever evolving and ever expanding role of technique in story telling, it is just that the earth shattering impact of 'Siva' was so huge that he is (unfairly) held against near impossible achievement with each of his outing, and that simply is an unwinnable situation and untenable proposition. In a field that thrives and survives and depends on judging, he is always judged the harshest, and in some backhanded way that is the honor and regard accorded to the truly moving film of those times, 'Siva', a movie that replaced 'entertainment' with 'engagement' as the true barometer for quality, and the man who dreamed that up....in his 20s....Ram Gopal Varma.

Cont'd in the next part - Siva.

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