Ram Gopal Varma, the renowned filmmaker, has created many unforgettable movies in his career, one of which is Sarkar (2005).The film was loosely inspired by The Godfather (1972) and was appreciated for RGV’s expert direction, powerful moments, and the outstanding performances of Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.
A standout feature of Sarkar was its captivating background score, titled ‘Govinda Govinda.’ The music became an integral part of the film, although initially, Amitabh Bachchan was not comfortable with it.RGV delved into these details and more during a podcast named ‘Love Of Cinema,’ hosted by Himanshu Joglekar.
RGV shared that he follows his instincts while making films and sometimes, during post-production, he becomes fatigued hearing the dialogues repeatedly.
At that point, the background score becomes a fresh element, and he falls in love with it.However, RGV acknowledged that the audience, experiencing the film for the first time, might find the loudness of the music irritating.
The director admitted that some viewers praised the powerful background score, while others, like the DOP of his film Company, Hemant Chaturvedi, felt overwhelmed and walked out of Sarkar in the first 30 minutes due to the loudness.Nevertheless, RGV is known for using background scores extensively in his films, including Rakht Charitra (2010).
RGV mentioned an interesting interview of KGF director Prashanth Neel, who also employs a loud background score.When asked about it, Neel replied that he doesn’t want to give the audience a chance to talk during the film, a sentiment RGV related to, though it wasn’t his original idea.
Regarding the ‘Govinda Govinda’ theme in Sarkar, RGV recalled that when he first played it for Amitabh Bachchan, the veteran actor was taken aback by the mention of ‘Govinda.’ Amitabh questioned its relevance in their film.RGV explained that Sarkar’s character is like that of Govinda or Shree Krishna – full of tricks, concealing his thoughts, and the theme represented that aspect well.In reality, the theme was initially used in RGV’s Telugu film, Govinda Govinda (1994), starring Nagarjuna and Sridevi, and he loved it so much that he wanted to use it again in Sarkar.
In a later interview with a national media news portal, RGV humorously recounted Amitabh Bachchan’s reaction, mentioning that Amitabh was surprised by the mention of ‘Govinda’ in the theme.
Overall, Sarkar remains a memorable film in Ram Gopal Varma’s career, with its exceptional direction, performances, and the unforgettable ‘Govinda Govinda’ background score.
