You can brush off superstitions, you can counter the existence of dark forces, you can argue about them in your drawing rooms, but what if it happens to you? It's superstition till it happens to you, noted film director Ram Gopal Verma said. He was speaking at a press conference in Aurangabad where he had come for the promotion of his new release "Phoonk", being touted as a horror movie based on black magic. To a question, he asserted that Indian films lag behind in the global competition only due to unavailability of latest techniques and quality equipment. He said though directors try to give their best, the success of a film is decided by viewers. Speaking on the social effects of his films, the director refuted that his works like "Contract" would encourage terrorists to plan destructive activity. He said though he had handled various genres of cinema, horror films were his passion. He narrated three incidents that inspired him to make a horror movie. "Ever since I realised I was an atheist, I never went to a temple, and even when there was Ganpati puja at home my only interest was in the sweets and that I could keep the textbooks away for three days," said the director who has many popular films like the "Corporate" under his belt. Replying to a question, he said there were instances when something happened for which there were no answers. Ramu said that his new release is based on black magic and claiming about its thrill he declared that any person who will watch the whole movie alone in the theatre will be given a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. He said Phoonk is a scary film. "The fear element is largely due to the subject matter of the film but more than that it seeps into you, makes you question your own faith or non belief and it will create debate within you because each and every one of us would have had experiences related to that," he added. He further said that his film will not spread superstition. The film is loosely based on the Telugu novel 'Tulasi Dalam' by popular writer Yandamoori Veerendranath. "It is not the same story. I was in college when the novel was released and it created a tremendous impact on me," Varma said. Phoonk is the story of a confirmed atheist whose belief systems are shaken up when his loved ones are subjected to unspeakable horrors by forces whose very existence his rational mind refuses to accept. "It is also the story of a fanatical devotee who is forced to turn her back on God in the face of traumatic experiences," he said. When asked that the terror blasts in Ahmedabad resembled a plot in one of his films, he said terrorism is deep-rooted which would not be influenced by a film. "Anything comes out of human imagination. The differentiation comes how you use it. Terrorism is a deep-rooted cause. Whether it is a pick-pocket or a robber or a terrorist, what matters is your intention," Varma said. (PTI) ... read more »