WHERE is the old Ram Gopal Varma? The 2005-release Sarkar was the last delightful watch from the maverick filmmaker. His Aag debacle was immediately followed by Darling, another directorial disaster (we haven’t yet forgotten last year’s torturous Shiva).

Now, The Factory is unapologetically ready with its next venture Go, directed by debutant Manish Srivastav (the uninspiring lead cast, comprising Nisha Kothari and newcomer Gautam, almost tempts us to write off the film ASAP).

But since the failure of Aag, his most extravagant project and remake of Sholay, Ramu seems to have realised self-defence won’t cut. “I have reached the bottom,” he says at the music launch of Go.

Besides announcing a number of films like Cobra, Time Machine and Dhyey, one wonders whether Sarkar Raj, that stars the Bachchan family, will be half as good as the original. “You will see the old Ram Gopal Varma if and when he comes back. My precision becomes non-issue when a film fails,” he says. “After Aag’s release, I got an interesting SMS that instead of remaking Sholay, I just made it. I agree to it.”

However, despite confessing with his characteristic candour and quotable quotes, Varma once again proved that he cannot accept criticism in the right spirit. “Forget critics. All I am bothered about currently is sympathy for my cast and crew.” He also refused to admit that he’s dependent on scriptwriters like Anurag Kashyap (Satya), and that has affected the quality of his films. “I don’t work with any writer for more than two years,” he says. “Besides, writers are just executing my vision.”