Ram Gopal Varma claims media dangerous.

Comments [ 9 ] By Pooja Kabra | 05 December 2008 | 2:46pm

Ram Gopal Varma's presence at 'Taj' after the terrorist attack became hot news in the media. There were reports in the media that he was planning a film on the terrible terrorist incident that happened and since he was casting Riteish Deshmukh in it his dad Mr.Vilas Rao invited him to visit the site which understandably created an outrage among various concerned.

The director blogs on his site and gives a clear explanation as these reports are completely false.

What happened was

On that day I went to meet Riteish to discuss RANN my new film with him which incidentally has got nothing to do with terrorism. As we were talking Riteish said that his dad was going to Taj and he wished to go with him. So since I was with him I accompanied him there. Mr.Vilas Rao has never been formally introduced to me and he didn't even know that I was with Riteish as me and Riteish were in another car.

As far as Riteish is concerned his information was that the areas we might be able to see are the ones where the investigations have already been completed.
By the time we reached Taj there were more than 60-70 people there including Police officers, some Government officers and Hotel staff. In that whole crowd I doubt Mr.Vilas Rao even noticed me.

Yes, I was amazed that I got a opportunity to see the place where such a horrendous incident happened and I would like to know which person in the entire country would not have been curious to see the place.

Now my question is, what is it that which could be affected by me being there? If the Officers there thought that there will be a breach of security or I will see things which I am not supposed to see, they would have stopped me. And if they did stop, why in the hell would Mr.Vilas Rao force them to let me in. The reason why they did not stop is as simple as this is because the areas we were shown were where the investigations were already completed and footage of which was already shown thousands of times on the media. In fact I saw far lesser there than what I already saw on TV. So why does me seeing broken glasses, broken tables and bullet riddled walls which the whole country has seen a thousand times on TV create an outrage. Here's why.

After seeing the footage which ironically was shot by Mr.Vilas Rao's own team and given to the TV Channels, the media minds started speculating on my presence there and developed conspiracy theories and to support their speculation they used slow motion techniques, putting red circle around me and putting a flickering arrow marks pointing at me. Added to this a voice over of their interpretation of why I was there and why Mr.Vilas Rao took me there completed the story which resulted in the understandable outrage.

Even assuming for a moment if I went to research there for a film I am planning what possible information will I gain as a filmmaker of seeing lesser than what I have already seen on TV? In all the footage one saw of our so-called terror tour, was there a single visual of the place that the people have not already seen on TV? Research for a film can't happen by visiting crime scenes as I am not some forensic scientist. Research can only happen if I have one-to-one conversations with investigating officers after they complete their investigations which might take months. Some News channels even went to the extent of saying that we were disturbing a crime scene. If that is the case, isn't it the job of the investigating officers to stop us. They didn't because like I said they were only showing areas where investigations have been completed.

I find it shocking that in the wake of such a terrible incidents happening in the country, the media can waste so much time and telecast hours and subject the people of the country to something as inane as some filmmakers presence at a place which for the life of me I can't understand how it can affect anybody or anything in comparison to what else is going on.
Media makes us believe, not necessarily by intent, that only they have the interest of people in their hearts, and due to that people tend to believe in them blindly. This is a classic example of the blind leading the blind. Outcome of this can be many times ridiculous. As per some Media peoples suggestions even if remotely this episode can affect a Government's standing, I find that almost as dangerous as terrorism.

If people who attack the unarmed are defined as terrorists then Media at various levels with their coercive methods and insinuations are very similar. A terrorist attacks the mind and kills the body, the media attacks the mind with its interpretations and kills a person's spirit with its insinuations. In a way I would say that Media is more dangerous than terrorists because they do it under the guise of safe-guarding values.

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Date: 12/19/2008 1:03:15 PMkavya.b
poor RGV
i dont understand wat was his mistake there
this media wantedly make much fuss 4 which thereis nothig actually
Date: 12/10/2008 6:24:23 AMxantia
Bollywood lies are more dangerous than media.
cont.. But if Shah Rukh Khan has said all those utter lies, knowing fully well the contents of the Koran, his intention was simply to misguide and deceive the kafirs. But Khan should know that kafirs today are not so ignorant about Islam as they had been 10 or 20 years ago and it is not so easy to fool them now.
Date: 12/10/2008 6:21:50 AMxantia
Bollywood lies are more dangerous than media.
In a press interview on 6th December, Shah Rukh Khan, the renowned Bollywood film star, told dark lies that the Koran does not inspire terrorism. He told the press that he has read the Koran and it does not contain any verse that instructs to kill innocent people. Nowhere in the Quran does it says that ''jihad'' will lead you to ''jannat'' (heaven)... Unfortunately, now two versions of Islam exist. There is an Islam from Allah and unfortunately, there is an Islam from the Mullahs, said the superstar. On the contrary, he said, the Koran says that if anyone hurts another man, he hearts the entire humanity and if one heels another man, he heels the entire humanity. In fact, Khan has quoted the verse (5.32) of the Koran that reads “…whoever killed a human being, except as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all mankind; and that whoever saved a human life shall be regarded as saving all mankind.” It should be pointed out here that whenever Koran uses such lofty humane words, it should be understood that this humanity is confined within the Muslims alone. Koran has no headache to save the lives of the kafirs (non-Muslims) or doing any good to the kafirs. According to the Koran, kafirs are to be slain wherever they could be found.
So the verse (9.5) of the Koran says, “Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters (i.e. kafirs) wherever ye find them, and take them (captive) and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is forgiving, Merciful.” Furthermore, through this verse, Koran declares that for the kafirs in a dar-ul-Islam (or a Muslim country), there are two alternatives, either Islam or death.
Today, only an ignorant person, unaware of the contents of the Koran, can say that Islam never preaches terrorism. But ...
Date: 12/6/2008 5:29:20 AMradhika_21
i agree that the media makes things look worse than they are but i don''t agree with rgv!
Date: 12/5/2008 7:27:04 PM~*puja*~
I agree that the media does have a tendency to make a mountain of a mole hill, but the issue I believe that many people have with the situation is that he was there at the Taj, when he had no right to be there! The whole world wants to know what happened inside the hotels during the attacks, but we''re not all there looking at everything during an ongoing investigation. Even thought the police said it was ok to go inside, it still not necessary given the current emotional climate...

RGV is in the wrong here, and instead of understanding why people are angry, he''s gonna blame the media and call them terrorists! Now whose making a big deal of the issue?
Date: 12/5/2008 4:34:29 PMA_Fallen_Angel
I agree Media is scum, they''re bunch of crook. They lie, they cheat and they have no sense of responsibility for anyone. And they get away with anything. I don''t think that freedom shouldn''t be given to anyone except proper authorities i.e court.
I personally think it was overrated the incident. I am personally taking side RGV now.
Date: 12/5/2008 4:20:26 PMJess.
i strongly agree...after what happened how could they start blaming and accusing film directors? can they not see the damage in front of them!
Date: 12/5/2008 10:20:45 AMzubram
Response from NDTV
Ms Barkhadutt declared that she will reply the questions from the viewers. When I sent a comment that was not even published - only comments were published which are praising her! Why RGV should visit what will be the positive affects narrated in my blog zubram.wordpress.com. It''s high time Channales dethrone themselves from holistic place above the entire Indian population.
Date: 12/5/2008 8:00:28 AMgawker
he still doesn''t get it, does he? the public anger was at the fact that our cm, instead of coming out strongly against the attack, and doing something for the victims of the attack was seen taking his son and his colleague sightseeing to a place they would never have been allowed to go on their own.

he would have gained more respect if he''d just said - sorry, misjudgement i was at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people.

he comes out looking even more *out of it* comparing the media to the terrorists.