Ram Gopal Varma on films influencing violence in the society

Ram Gopal Varma on films influencing violence in the society. The shocking attack on two class 10 girls in Andhra Pradesh attracted huge outcry among public and many started blaming the filmmakers for the excessive violence that is influencing people in real life.

In the midst of all this, Ram Gopal Varma cme up with a powerful take. He posted"Blaming films for rise in violence is like , blaming Ramayana for rise in kidnappings".

However few netizens didnot support him. They reacted with the following comments.

Stop pretending cinema has zero social responsibility by bringing in historical references. That's not going to wash away or lessen your role. Some of the most cruel and gruesome murders are made to look so chill and heroic in movies that even our 8-year-olds are growing up like monsters.. It's time you guys take some shame and responsibility for what you put out there and do your part in curbing this.”

“Nobody is saying films directly cause crime but pretending cinema has zero influence on society is equally stupid. Cinema shapes perceptions, normalises behaviour and influences what audiences celebrate.”

"I tend to disagree. We become what we consume. People underplay how deeply media, in all forms, shapes behaviour & choices. This is due to a psychological blind spot known as the 3rd-person effect— the belief that other people are easily persuaded by media while we stay immune."

“In a country like India, where cinema has an enormous influence on people's mindsets, attitudes & perceptions, pretending that films cannot shape or reinforce social behaviour is nothing but intellectual dishonesty. You can deny it all you want but masses do get influenced by it.”

- Pramod Nandivada