Have you been able to make your Aag the way you had set out to do?

Of course it has turned out the way I wanted to make it. That’s because I have taken all the decisions myself and there’s no question of it not becoming what I wanted. We haven’t changed anything. The idea of calling it Sholay was to make it the Sholay of today. If you take the concept of Sholay and put it in a different atmosphere, how will that be? That was the basic idea of the whole thing.

The idea to call the characters Gabbar or Basanti or Veeru was like a tribute because Sholay was where this particular idea of mine originated from. Then we had a problem and things were getting delayed. So we changed the names but as far as the structure of the story goes, it’s exactly the same.

Did all the controversy and the court case leave a bad taste in the mouth?

It happened over a course of time. It didn’t happen overnight. One had to change this and that. It was irritating. I won’t call it a bad taste or anything. At best it was irritating.

Do you think audiences are too protective about classics like Sholay and Don and wouldn’t want them tampered with?

I don’t think so. It’s mostly in the media’s mind. For everyone, it’s just an interesting event that post-Godfather Ram Gopal Varma is now after Sholay. The controversy surrounding it is like the big event of the day or the week or the month. Beyond it, I don’t think anybody cares.

Is Aag as different from Sholay as Sarkar was different from Godfather?

See, Sholay is a thematic story of a cop taking revenge on a criminal and hiring two people for that. That’s the basic plot. But if you technically look at it in terms of whether I have remade the film or not, I believe Rajkumar Santoshi’s China Gate is closer to Sholay than Aag is. So I think it’s just an interpretation. It’s not a remake, it’s an adaptation of the same plot. If you just relook the same events from another perspective, how will it look? That’s Aag.

Is Amitabh Bachchan as Babban the USP of RGV Ki Aag?

Of course… 100 per cent… that goes without saying. Because Sholay and Gabbar Singh are synonymous with each other. So, obviously, if Bachchan didn’t play Babban, I wouldn’t have done the film in the same way.

Would you recast anybody else if given a chance now?

See, the question of me not being happy with some of the casting does not arise because I take all the decisions and I do what in my perspective is best for the film.

A lot will depend on how you reinterpret the memorable moments from the original Sholay…

Moments… that’s exactly what Sholay was all about. I don’t think it worked at the story level. I never cared about the story. Every frame of Sholay is a favourite moment for me. Since I am too close to Aag now, I can’t tell you which moments work. It’s like loving oneself. You can’t love yourself. If you ask me six months later, maybe I will be able to tell you.

We are looking at Aag as this make-or-break movie for you. Is it just another film for you?

For me every film is just another film because I am into the business of making movies. It’s an idea and I have lots of ideas. For someone else’s perception it could be important. Not for me. Yes, it’s important on a personal level because it is based on a film which I grew up on and which formed a big part of my childhood. Now I am associated with a similar film which is out there and people can check it out. And all kinds of people will come to watch it. People who are into Sholay, people who are not so much into Sholay, people who have not seen Sholay… it will be a highly mixed opinion and that will be interesting to find out.

You had said you will run away somewhere far away the day your Sholay would release…

(Laughs) Of course I was joking. I am ready for the brickbats. Brickbats are not a new thing. I mean, last time when I remade my own film Shiva, one critic said: “Ramu is now officially mad.” Now, it can’t get worse than that.

Do you agree with the perception that you are no longer the Ramu of Rangeela and Satya days?

Obviously, I am no longer the same person. I have changed. Now whether I have changed for the better or worse depends upon the person who is saying it.

(Will you watch Ramu’s Aag? Tell t2@abpmail.com)