My next film is about black magic: Ram Gopal Varma

Bangkok, June 7 (IANS) After the underworld, Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma is set to focus on black magic in his next film.

"'Phoonk' is all about black magic. I am working with a new team. It's a subject I want to experiment with images and with characters. I can do that only with new people," he told IANS in an interview here.

"Stars have certain baggage because of their stardom and their limitations about how far they can push their character," explained Varma.

"Also, I don't give chances to people, I take chances," maintained the director who premiered his much-talked about "Sarkar Raj", starring Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, at the 9th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend here.

He also showcased his next release "Contract" Saturday.

How is "Contract" different from his other films?

"'Contract' is a basically about underworld-meets-terrorism," Varma replied. "I didn't deal with this link in my earlier films. 'Satya' gave an inside view of the underworld, 'Company' was an overview of its organisational structure.

"In 'Contract', I speak about what can happen when the underworld and terrorists come together on a platform."

The film will be released in July.

Asked how he sourced information for his underworld dramas, Varma said: "I mostly get information from the media. The media keeps reporting about what is happening and I just have to pick pieces from here and there and join it all together.

"I am interested in anything larger than life and people who create an impact, whether negative or positive. I am interested in doing a psychological study of these people," he added.

Lately, the director has been ridiculed for making films like "James" and "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag", but he says he makes film for his personal satisfaction and thus is not bogged down by criticism.

"I don't feel anything (about the criticism). I have a lot of fun while making a film. I enjoy every minute of it. I make films for my personal satisfaction.

"I am a storyteller. I have a story, various actors, situations and locations and I compile them all together to create a visual impact. That is my high in life," Varma maintained.

A lot has been said about three Bachchans in "Sarkar Raj" but that's no big deal for Varma.

"I don't have this sense of achievement that I brought the three Bachchans together. For me, they are three separate and highly professional actors.

"Whether they are in one family or not doesn't make a difference to me," Varma contended.

• Interviews