Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma penned an emotional note on Michael Jackson after watching the biopic Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson. He recalled how the King of Pop shaped his imagination during his college days and said Jackson's death shattered a fantasy he had carried for years. Varma added that he 'hated' the film as it took him back to June 25, 2009, the day news of MJ’s death broke.
'I Hate Michael': Ram Gopal Varma
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter), RGV wrote, "I HATE MICHAEL. After watching MICHAEL film , my memory went back to that horrible day June 25 th , 2009 when I slept late with the television still murmuring like a ghost in the darkness of my room , and as I groggily woke up in the morning and my eyes went to the screen to see those terrible white letters against black: 'Michael Jackson is Dead.' For several long seconds,this must be a nightmare, I thought. Why the hell would I even dream something so horrible? But the banner on the tv stayed and the news ticker kept crawling."
He recalled reaching for the remote and switching channels, only to find every anchor speaking with the same solemn gravity, and that’s when he finally realised the impossible had happened.
Recalls Watching Thriller In Small Video Parlour
He further shared how he first watched Thriller in a small video parlour in Vijayawada during his engineering college days. Calling the experience an invasion', Ram said Michael Jackson changed the way he looked at music and visuals, showing him things he had never imagined possible, with Jackson at the centre of that storm.
He added that he walked out of the parlour in a complete daze, with his heart racing and mind reeling, thinking, "This cannot be a real person. He has to be God, or at least a fantasy sculpted by the gods to bless mortals on Earth."
On Michael Jackson's Scandals
Furthermore, the filmmaker said that in every song picturisation discussion he has had throughout his career, whether with his team or other directors, they always circled back to Michael Jackson’s videos.
Ram Gopal Varma shared that Michael’s scandals and controversies never bothered him, calling them 'background noise.' He said what MJ gave to his senses and soul far outweighed anything a human court or tabloid magazine could ever throw at him.
Varma added that, to him, Jackson was either God or God’s special creation, and that is exactly why he hates him.
'Michael Jackson Betrayed My Fantasy'
"I hate Michael Jackson for dying. I hate him for proving that even he was human. I hate that he too needed oxygen and blood like the rest of us. I hate that his heart could stop beating too. I hate that I lived long enough to see those words on CNN: 'Michael Jackson’s body sent to Mortuary.' He back stabbed me. He betrayed my fantasy," wrote Varma.
Getting emotional, Ram Gopal Varma concluded by saying that he hates that Michael Jackson left heaven and became mortal. He added, "I hate Michael for turning my dream into a nightmare. And I love him more than I can express in words."
