Director Ram Gopal Varma has responded to the cases registered in several places in Andhra Pradesh over a social media post he made a year ago. He held a press meet today at Prasad Labs in Hyderabad. He stated that a section of the media is showing undue enthusiasm regarding his arrest. Varma clarified that he applied for anticipatory bail, suspecting that the cases filed against him might be intentional.
Speaking at the press meet, Ram Gopal Varma said:
“We live in a free world. Satire exists everywhere, including the media. Open social media today, and you’ll find hundreds of memes. The post I made a year ago is similar. However, a year later, someone suddenly woke up and filed a complaint against me at a police station. Subsequently, multiple cases were registered in various places across Andhra Pradesh citing this single post. Suspecting this to be intentional, I applied for anticipatory bail.
So far, the police haven’t even announced my arrest. Meanwhile, a section of the media has started broadcasting news questioning why Varma hasn’t been arrested yet or claiming that I am on the run out of fear. Interestingly, these same media houses often run negative programs against leaders and others.
When the police first approached me, I was unavailable. The second time, I asked for more time and even offered to speak virtually via video. Since the COVID era, virtual hearings have been common in many cases. The judicial process concerning my anticipatory bail is ongoing.
Earlier, I announced that I would stop making political movies due to the challenges posed by censorship. Waiting for a year for censorship clearance is frustrating, which is why I decided not to make politically based films.
Whenever I post something, hundreds of comments and memes targeting me and my family emerge. Similarly, cartoons in newspapers often satirize politicians. This has been happening worldwide for decades. The meaning of my post might appear one way to you and another way to me; it’s subjective.
Before the police have even clarified what crime I’ve committed or under which section they’re planning to arrest me, some media outlets are creating unnecessary hype,” he said.
