S S Rajamouli has every right to say he doesn't believe in God, says director Ram Gopal Varma
Hyderabad, Nov 21
Director Ram Gopal Varma has defended ace director S S Rajamouli's right to say that he does not believe in God, saying Article 25 of the Indian Constitution protects the right to not believe.
Ram Gopal Varma's observations come in the wake of a controversy stirred by a statement of director Rajamouli made during the title launch of his film 'Varanasi'. During the course of his speech at the title announcement event, Rajamouli had said that that he does not believe in God.
Taking to his X timeline on Friday to pen his thoughts on the controversy, director Ram Gopal Varma wrote, "In the context of all the venom being spewed by the so-called believers on @ssrajamouli, they should know that being an atheist in India is not a crime. Article 25 of the Constitution protects the right to not believe.So he has every right to say he doesn’t believe as much as the venom spewers right to say they believe."
The director went on to add, "Now coming to the dumb argument that 'If he doesn’t believe in God why does he show God in his movies?' By that logic, should a filmmaker become a gangster to make a gangster film, become a ghost to make a horror film?' And the gob smacking truth? Despite him not believing in God, God gave @ssrajamouli 100 times more success, more wealth and more fan worship than most believers will ever see even in one hundred lifetimes."
Ram Gopal Varma then went on to draw conclusions from his statements. He said, "So either, 1.God loves atheists more than believers 2.God doesn’t care 3.Or maybe… … God isn’t there sitting with a notepad taking notes on who believes and who doesn’t? So if God has no issue with him, then why are the self-appointed god mongers getting blood pressure and ulcers?"
Stating that the the real problem wasn't Rajamouli's atheism, Ram Gopal Varma said, "The real problem is he succeeded without believing in God… and that scares the ones who miserably failed even after praying like MAD. So the believers should stop defending God because it’s like insulting him , as if he is a weakling needing their protection. The truth is that Rajamouli being an atheist does not reduce God. It only increases the insecurity of those who think faith will collapse the moment someone stops believing. So relax. God is fine. Rajamouli is fine. The only ones suffering are the people who can’t understand either of them."
The director concluded his post saying that while God would add another huge fortune to @SSRajamouli‘s already overflowing bank balance through #Varanasi, the 'losers can cry their hearts out with jealousy.' Bottom Line is is it’s plain jealousy masquerading as belief in God...Jai Shri Ram."
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I respect Rajamouli's right to his opinion, it's disappointing when successful people make such statements that might influence young minds. Our culture has always been spiritual at its core.
As someone living in India for 5 years, I find this debate fascinating. The constitutional protection of atheism shows how progressive Indian democracy is compared to many countries. RGV's arguments are logically sound.
RGV's point about filmmakers not needing to believe in what they portray is spot on! Do we expect horror directors to be ghosts? 😂 Rajamouli's work speaks for itself - Baahubali was epic regardless of his personal beliefs.
The real issue here is why people get so offended by others' beliefs. Live and let live should be our motto. Rajamouli has given us incredible cinema - that's what matters most.
While I appreciate RGV's defense of free speech, his tone seems unnecessarily provocative. There are more respectful ways to discuss religious differences without calling believers "venom spewers" or "losers."
In India, we've always had space for both believers and non-believers. From ancient Charvaka philosophy to modern constitutional rights, atheism isn't new to our land. Let
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.