Ram Gopal Varma (or RGV as he’s popularly known) might be regarded as an eccentric today, thanks to his unpredictable Twitter banter or his foray into absurd projects like low-budget erotica. But what’s undeniable, or rather unbelievable for today’s generation, is that RGV was a cinematic auteur in his own right with the writer and director dominantly shaping the crime, noir, thriller (and to an extent, horror) genres in Bollywood and South Indian cinema for a good part of 1990s and the 2000s.
And let’s not forget without RGV, Bollywood wouldn’t have been blessed with cinematic talents like writer-director Anurag Kashyap (who famously worked as a co-writer on Satya) and actors Manoj Bajpayee and Urmila Matondkar. Here’s a look at RGV’s best movies and where to watch them.
RGV: A Master of Crime
Varma burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with the critically acclaimed film Shiva (which you can stream in both Telugu and Hindi). Starring Nagarjuna as the eponymous college rowdy, this gritty, realistic portrayal of college politics marked a departure from the typical romantic dramas that dominated Bollywood at the time. Varma's raw and unfiltered storytelling style immediately set him apart, earning him both praise and criticism.
One of Varma's most noteworthy contributions to Bollywood is his groundbreaking work in the crime genre. Films like the criminal underdog story Satya and the Dawood Ibrahim-influenced gangster drama Company were instrumental in introducing a new, edgier narrative style that focused on the dark underbelly of society. The use of unconventional camera angles, intense character studies, and a stark portrayal of urban realities distinguished Varma's films from the mainstream.
Politics plays an equally integral role in most of his crime thrillers with Varma not afraid to put the finger on the authorities and bureaucracy to justify the actions of his morally gray gangster protagonists. Some more Varma crime classics to stream include the cop drama Shool and his Godfather remake Sarkar.
RGV: Dated but influential Horror veteran
When it comes to horror movies, RGV’s best horror movies to watch include Bhoot, Raat, Darna Zaroori Hai, and Phoonk. These would seem laughable in today’s standards with some forced jumpscares and overly melodramatic performances but remain influential in Indian horror’s formative stage.
But that doesn’t mean that Varma didn’t know how to build up atmospheric tension. Some of his horrors, in fact, are boosted further with his regular collaborator Urmila Matondkar’s spine-chilling acting. A case in point is the criminally underrated Kaun, a home invasion thriller that stars Matondkar as a paranoid woman trapped in her mansion on a rainy evening.
Recent Career Inconsistency
With his disastrous Sholay remake (Aag) and strange forays into pornographic movies, RGV is subjected to much ridicule. His career might have indeed been more inconsistent over the years but this doesn’t mean that he has lost his touch. Some 2010s RGV movies to watch include the two-part gangster thriller Rakta Charitra and the historical fiction The Attacks of 26/11.
Why is Satya Ram Gopal Varma’s best movie?
Satya subverted the tropes of an average Indian crime thriller and made the genre darker and more realistic than ever. Delving into the struggles of small-town immigrants in Mumbai and the inner workings of the metropolitan city’s underworld, RGV and Kashyap’s quotable screenplay was coupled with some career-making performances by JD Chakravarthy as the titular character and Manoj Bajpayee playing his criminal ally Bhiku Matre. For anyone into 90s-era Indian cinema, Satya remains an all-time classic.
Where can you stream Ram Gopal Varma’s filmography?
You can watch Ram Gopal Varma’s movies on Netflix, Prime Video, Eros Now, and various other OTT platforms.
