Ram Gopal Varma says no Bollywood “camps” exist—pure self-interest. Advised Vivek to stick to intense ‘Company’-style roles like young Nana Patekar, not romances/comedies. Feud stemmed from 2003 Aishwarya Rai row; Vivek alleged Salman’s threats, faced boycott despite hits.

Director Ram Gopal Varma with his impressive filmography fundamentally shifted the focus on how stories are brought to life on screen with films like ‘Satya’ and ‘Company’, ‘Shiva’, Sarkar’, ‘Rangeela’, ‘Kaun’ and ‘Bhoot’. He also helped new directors like ‘Sriram Raghavan’, ‘Anurag Kashyap’, and ‘Shimit Amin’ enter the film world. In a recent interview, RGV was asked if Salman Khan ruined Vivek Oberoi‘s career, and he shared his thoughts on Vivek’s path.

Ram Gopal Varma on ‘camps’ in Bollywood and Vivek Oberoi’s fight with Salman Khan

During his appearance on Vicky Lalwani’s podcast, when asked about camps in Bollywood, RGV said, “I do not believe that at all. There will be individuals, no camps. Everybody is only for themselves. And which is how it should be. That is what human nature is. I want to be the most successful, is what. Then in a group, you might have someone because you need a social group, the friends you have and you keep meeting and talking and discussing. And it will be perceived like a camp. Jealousy is also inherent to human nature. Like if someone else is more successful, no human being can take it. Instead of looking down upon it, you have to accept it as nature inside you.”The filmmaker further said, “Now, at the time what he said, what happened, I wouldn’t like to get into their personal things. My study of Vivek is, I just felt, if he stuck close to ‘Company’ kind of characters, like very high intensity and that kind of aggressive nature, probably like a young Nana Patekar, I thought that would have been the right route for him to continue. And you get some good or bad films, but they all kind of add to a certain thing. Instead of that, I think getting into love stories or comedies or that, that aggression is what I think it affected, that’s my view. Even some of them might have done well. But I think that area doesn’t work, at least it doesn’t work for me. So I can’t speak for the people.”

Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi’s feud background

For those unfamiliar, Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi’s feud began in 2003 over Aishwarya Rai after her breakup with Salman. Vivek went public, claiming Salman called him over 40 times in one night with threats and abusive words about his family. Big industry names boycotted Vivek, canceled his films, and stalled his career despite hits like Company and Saathiya. In 2010, Vivek apologized to Salman at an awards show by bowing and holding his ears, but the actors have kept their distance ever since.