RGV reviews Obsession: The Rs 7 crore film that rewrote rules of theatrical success

Ram Gopal Varma has praised the Hollywood film Obsession, saying its Rs 7 crore budget proves that theatrical success does not depend on big stars or lavish productions.

In Short

• Ram Gopal Varma praised Obsession in a lengthy note
• He stressed the film lacked stars, lavish design and foreign shoots
• He called Curry Barker's visual style, editing and sound design path-breaking

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has praised the horror film Obsession, saying its success has challenged the belief that only big-budget, star-led spectacle films can draw audiences to theatres. In a detailed note on social media, Varma said the film had shown that storytelling and filmmaking craft could prevail over scale.

Opening his post with, "Am OBSESSED with OBSESSION.." Varma described the film as an example of how a modestly mounted production could make an impact. He argued that the industry’s assumptions about what brings people to cinemas had been shaken by the film’s run.

Varma wrote, "Till even a few weeks before, the whole industry believed that only big-starred, massive-budgeted, VFX spectacle films would pull audience into the theatres and now OBSESSION reset that BUTTON (sic).”

He said the film had proved that compelling storytelling and innovative filmmaking could work without the commercial elements usually associated with theatrical success.

Pointing to the film’s stripped-down approach, Varma wrote, "No BIG STARS. No GRAND LOCATIONS. No LAVISH PRODUCTION DESIGN. No FOREIGN SHOOTS. No TOP TECHNICIANS (sic)," adding that despite reports of a much higher budget, the film appeared to have been mounted on a modest scale.

"it’s reported budget of 7 cr (Indian) it’s easy to see , it’s pure making cost cannot be more than 70 lakhs minus technical fees considering it’s entirely shot in exactly 3 locations ( two rooms in a modest house, interior of a car AND interior of a small store," he wrote.

Rather than focusing only on the box office, the Satya director said what stood out to him most was the craftsmanship behind the film. He highlighted director Curry Barker’s visual style, editing and sound design, describing them as path-breaking.

RGV also singled out the use of sound, writing, "His cutting on sharp sound effects (a door slam, a sudden laugh, a heartbeat) to create rhythmic punctuation is awe-inspiring (sic)."

Concluding his note, Varma said that while the film’s reported box office performance on a modest budget was notable, filmmakers should study its technical work even more closely.

About Obsession

Obsession stars Michael Johnston as Bear and Inde Navarrette as Nikki. The supernatural horror film follows a lonely man whose wish for his longtime crush’s affection sets off a chain of unsettling events. The film was released in India on May 29.

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