RGV admits to arrogance after success of ‘Satya,’ vows to return to sincerity in future films

Hyderabad: Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, widely known as RGV, has made a surprising confession on social media about his iconic film Satya and his career. After watching the film for the first time after 27 years, the director expressed deep emotions, stating that he was overwhelmed with tears.
In a tweet on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Ram Gopal Varma shared a personal reflection titled “A Satya Confession to Myself.” He revealed that while watching Satya again recently, he was moved to tears by the tragedy in the film and the journey it represented. He said, “The tears were not just for the film, but were more for the version of him.”
A SATYA CONFESSION TO MYSELF
—— Ram Gopal VarmaBy the time SATYA was rolling to an end , while watching it 2 days back for 1st time after 27 yrs, I started choking with tears rolling down my cheeks and I dint care if anyone would see
The tears were not…— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 20, 2025
RGV compared the process of making a film to giving birth to a child, created without fully realizing the impact it would have. He admitted that he had never fully understood or appreciated the significance of Satya until now. “I ignored the countless inspirations it sparked, dismissing it as just another step in my journey,” he said.
The director also reflected on how success and arrogance led him astray in the years following Satya. He admitted that the success of films like Rangeela and Satya blinded him, and he began focusing on shock value and technical wizardry rather than the sincerity and honesty that defined Satya. “I lost my vision,” he confessed. “I became drunk not on alcohol, but on my own success and arrogance.”
RGV acknowledged that while some of his later films were successful, they lacked the honesty and integrity of Satya. He admitted that he had become so obsessed with moving forward that he neglected to appreciate the value of what he had created. “I became a man hurriedly running so fast, looking up towards the horizon, that I forgot to look down at the garden I’d planted beneath my feet,” he said.
The filmmaker pledged to approach his future projects with the same sincerity he had once invested in Satya. “Every film I make from now onwards will be made with a reverence towards why I wanted to become a director in the first place,” he vowed. “I might not be able to make a film like Satya again, but not even having the intention to do so is an unpardonable crime against cinema.”
Ram Gopal Varma also reflected on how, after Satya, no one asked him whether his future films would be as good. “What’s worse is that I didn’t ask myself,” he said, lamenting how he had failed to set any personal standards for his work after the success of Satya.
He ended with a message to fellow filmmakers, urging them to avoid getting carried away by self-indulgence and to measure their work against the standards they set for themselves. “I want to spend whatever little of my life is left creating something as worthy as Satya,” he said.
Ram Gopal Varma’s candid confession has sparked conversations in the film industry, with many expressing admiration for his self-awareness and commitment to creating more meaningful cinema.