Ram Gopal Varma opens RGV Den to discover future filmmakers: “Film institutes as a system are outdated and working as assistant directors to become a director is a joke”

RGV Den is a place to discover a beehive of aspiring talents from across the board – directors, writers, cinematographers and more.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

July 31, 2023 - 4:35 PM IST

Ram Gopal Varma has opened RGV Den in Hyderabad to discover future filmmakers, writers, cinematographers and more and get them into the film industry. In a detailed Twitter post, he spoke about how film institutes have become outdated and working as an assistant director doesn’t guarantee opportunities.

Ram Gopal Varma opens RGV Den to discover future filmmakers: “Film institutes as a system are outdated and working as assistant directors to become a director is a joke”

RGV wrote, “That’s because of lack of access, and in their desire for work they join the so-called film institutes. Film institutes as a system are outdated and working as assistant directors to become a director is a joke. For instance Shekar Kapoor, Mani Ratnam and me never worked as assistants but that’s still in the long past. I keep meeting so many actors and directors who have come out of the film institutes and I really feel sad for them as I strongly believe that their whole training is so misplaced in the context of how the present day film industry works. The primary problem is that the institutes are blind to the facts that films have metamorphosed from art forms to commerce driven forms. Some students believe that the institute might give them an easier access to the film industry and the industry might take them more seriously than who have not come from a so-called film institute.”

That’s because of lack of access , and in their desire for work they join the so called film institutes
Film institutes as a system are outdated and working as assistant directors to become a director is a joke ..For instance Shekar kapoor , Mani Ratnam and me never worked as… https://t.co/KCPbqpjbim
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) July 31, 2023

He added, “But unlike how one takes a medical or an engineering graduate, I have yet to meet a single filmmaker of any significance who has taken any film institute graduate seriously. One of the things which used to be told to us back then is that in an institute you get access to world class films through its archives. It might have been so in olden times. But in today’s times the net gives every film anyone ever wants to see. Also they used to say that the film institutes give access to film equipment for you to make your debut project film. But today the truth is that you can just with a phone make the film you want to as your calling card to some production company. Then why waste your years and your money?”

He continued, “Also, many times during my interaction with some film institute students, I have seen that they are completely confused. Most of them seem to live in some far off worlds and have some vague notions of the kind of films they want to make. Most of them are influenced by institute recommended cinema like Citizen Kane ,Battle ship Potemkin etc which have no relevance to commercial cinema. Films have always been and should be an expressionist art and in today’s times with the access to technology they are even more so. Filmmaking is about an individuals style of story telling and film institutes corrupt that. RGV Den is a one stop shop for super fast tracking the entire process , cutting down on all the BULL and go straight to SHOOT to KILL.”

RGV Den is a place to discover a beehive of aspiring talents from across the board – directors, writers, cinematographers and more.