Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Rangeela’ is considered as one of his masterpieces. The film shone through for its several elements, be it the beautifully composed tracks by AR Rahman or Urmila Matondkar’s character. Twenty-five years later, ‘Rangeela’, starring Aamir Khan, Urmila Matondkar and Jackie Shroff in lead roles, continues to have a charm of its own. 

In an interview with Film Companion’s Anupama Chopra, Ram Gopal Varma reminisced the film’s shooting, and how it came together. The director talked about the time when he clashed with Aamir during the making of ‘Rangeela’, which shows conflict without any sort of ‘action’ that was prevalent in those times.

Speaking to Chopra about it, the director said, “When we were filming, Aamir felt that there should be some kind of conflict, like hitting Jackie Shroff (who is in love with Urmila’s character too), and things like that to create more drama.”

However, Varma did not agree to this. “I said ‘Aamir that completely defeats the purpose of why we are making the film because the core point for me is the sound of music and whether we can make a conflict story without such elements.'” The director felt that any kind of overt conflict will destroy the largeness of Munna (Aamir’s character), who in the end decides to leave Mili (Urmila) to Raj (Jackie Shroff) for her happiness. 

Talking about Aamir’s reputation, Varma said that it is believed that he is the ‘most indifferent person’ on set. “But I believe he is the only guy who is not indifferent. If he has anything to say, he will say it right in the beginning, and then do his work with complete conviction, unlike other actors who might not say it but do it on set. So Aamir said, ‘Okay I don’t agree with this, but if you’re convinced with the view, I will go by yours.’ And after that he worked with complete conviction.”

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‘Rangeela’ went on to become a huge success. “Once the film became a hit he told me I am so glad I was wrong and it worked. And i said, not necessarily, if I had followed your path it may have been a bigger hit? Who knows,” Varma told in the interview. 

Rangeela was released on September 8, 1995, and Tuesday marks its 25th anniversary.