Ram Gopal Varma is back in Bollywood after a two-year break with Veerappan, releasing this week. The break that Ramu took during which he “psychoanalysed“ himself has done him good. He feels rejuvenated, has become more systematic and is now particular about the subjects that he chooses to make movies. What of course hasn't changed about the man is his indomitable spirit, outspokenness and a penchant for controversy. Over to Ramu...

You left Mumbai in 2013, but you've constantly been in the news.
I guess it's because of my outspokenness. I went away from Mumbai at the end of 2013, but I was on twitter all the time. When it comes to social media, it doesn't matter where you are.

Your tweets often give rise to controversies. Do you say things just for effect?
Yes, I say things only for effect. What is the point of saying something if it's not for effect? You can't just be blabbering for no reason. Effect is nothing but the fact that you are trying to draw attention to something that you feel. It may be an opinion that I want to voice at that point of time.

In recent times, you seem to have taken on everyone from Rajinikanth to Shah Rukh Khan in your tweets...
That's not true. People just accuse me of saying things about SRK or Rajinikanth. Everybody believes that to become a superstar, you need to have six packs, you got to be tall and have a handsome face. Rajinikanth doesn't have any of that, yet he is the biggest superstar, which means he has proven everyone wrong. I meant it as a compliment to him; how does that amount to demeaning him? Similarly about Shah Rukh. I believe that superstardom is about being oneself in a movie, and all I said about Shah Rukh was that he should be himself in his movies. This is something I have told him even when I've met him. In fact, Shah Rukh is more charming in person than he is on screen. Now I think in my case, because of the reputation that I have developed, people tend to read too much and look for things that I don't mean.

Coming back to your film, you first made Killing Veerappan in the South and there were protests from certain quarters there. How did you deal with them?
When you make a film on a real life character or a realistic situation, there is bound to be controversy. I knew I was within my rights as a filmmaker and there were people who supported me in making the film and tackling the issues.

Why did you think of making a film on Veerappan?
In the late 90s when I was shooting near the jungles in Tamil Nadu, I heard about Veerappan for the first time. It sounded strange that a man was operating from inside the forest with a few people and was terrorising the police of three states. That fascinated me, but I was not able to zero in on a particular aspect. Then I happened to meet some people who were involved in the operation which killed Veerappan. That's when I decided to make a film from the point of view of the people who actually got him killed. Sachiin Joshi saw the film and he liked it, but he felt that in Hindi we should make it even more elaborate.

Veerappan again reflects your love for dark characters.
Basically, I'd call that intense. Even in the case of Rangeela, it's unlike any normal love story. There's a certain seriousness. The characters are realistic, put in real space and time, rather than exotic sets and things like that. I get interested in intense subjects, which are not necessarily dark. I'm interested in larger-than-life characters, those that are radically different. For example, on the road when the signal is on, I'm always interested in the guy who breaks the red light.

So law-breakers interest you more?
Yes, because that's anti-establishment. Anything that goes against the flow is what creates drama and that is required for films. I'm interested in stones that disturb still water.

Is there a deeper reason for this penchant for anti-establishment?
Like I have said in the past, I'm a criminal at heart and because I don't have the guts to be a gangster, I live out my fantasies this way (laughs). But seriously, I am like a naturalist who studies animals. If I study King Cobra, it doesn't mean I want to be one. But probably I would know more about King Cobra than he would about himself.

You mean you know gangsters better than they may know themselves?
I think so because I look at them and study them on a very objective level. I like to psychoanalyse people. Of course, I don't mean it from a medical point of view. I took a break from Bollywood for two years because I wanted to psychoanalyse myself.

What did you conclude about yourself?
I realised that I'm not as much of a psycho as I think. But then again, I don't think a mad man will ever realise he is mad! On a serious note, I honestly needed that break. I wanted to look at myself from the outside. I wanted to analyse the way I was operating for the last few years. There were various factors, but one factor predominantly was my arrogance which caused all the failures. Arrogance is nothing but you taking certain things for grant ed, taking whimsical decisions assuming that every decision of yours will work. Choosing subjects without checking and rechecking the validity in today's context. Yes, I am like a wild horse, I am impulsive and that comes naturally to me, something I don't want to curb. But now I have tried to put in a system in place which can con trol me.

Are you are a changed man now?
When somebody asked me, 'Have you changed?', I said, 'Yes I have changed, but it could be for the worse!' I feel rejuvenated today. It's like I went through a personal psychological detox.

So, would you term Veerappan as a new beginning for you in Bollywood?
Definitely. It's a special film for me which has an interesting subject and it has given me the opportunity to do a lot, in terms of direction, actors' perform ances, sound, design, locations. It is going to be very different for the audiences.