'Only Egotistic People Will Take It Personally': Ram Gopal Varma Backs Allu Aravind's 'Who Was Yash Before KGF?' Remark; Takes Dig At Star Power

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has come out in support of producer Allu Aravind amid the controversy surrounding his “Who was Yash before KGF?” remark. Calling the controversy “ridiculously laughable,” Varma explained what he believed Allu Aravind meant with his statement and criticised those who took the remark personally, calling them “highly egotistic.”

Ram Gopal Varma wrote on X, “The controversy regarding #AlluAravind’s statement regarding #Yash is ridiculously laughable because what he clearly meant when he talked about big films with unknown actors and saying he didn’t know of Yash before KGF, even a dumbo should understand that it was in context of the below.”

Citing examples from Indian and international cinema, Varma compared Yash’s rise after KGF to how actors such as Prabhas and Rishab Shetty gained wider recognition through Baahubali and Kantara, respectively. He also drew a comparison with Hollywood actor Marlon Brando, suggesting that while an actor may already be well-known within a particular industry, a successful film can take them to a much larger audience.

Varma then appeared to take an indirect swipe at the importance of star power, writing, “Even directors like Nolan use names only for their acting prowess and not to depend on their stardom ..We all know whether it’s Oppenheimer or Odyssey, they would work as much irrespective of who’s in it.”

Returning to the controversy surrounding Allu Aravind’s comment, Varma argued that only people with inflated egos would interpret the statement personally. He wrote, “It’s only highly egotistic people who will take his statement personally on such a general well meaning thought ..Actually this kind of reaction also explains why they are making what they are making.”

Varma’s post, however, led some social media users to speculate that he was taking an indirect dig at Yash. One user questioned, “You have been attacking Yash nonstop but he is not reacting to you, why?” Another asked, “Did Yash reject any of your scripts?”