Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma continues to stand by his controversial remarks about Sridevi’s “thunder thighs”, insisting that the very trait contributed to her stardom.
Despite facing backlash, he has defended his comments, claiming that Sridevi would not have achieved the same level of stardom if she had thin legs.
Ram Gopal Varma defends his views
The filmmaker looked back at stirring a controversy by talking about late icon Sridevi’s “thunder thighs” when he joined Zoom YouTube channel for a podcast. He spoke about getting backlash for the views and justified his remarks.
Varma shared, “What is wrong with objectification? That was an asset she had apart from her talent. I think calling it objectification is objectification. How does a person become unique? There will be reasons. You should not limit it to the fact that she’s a great actress or a great human being. It could be due to this also. Why avoid it? When did I say she’s not an actor? I was saying they (her thunder thighs) also contributed (to her fame).”
To this, the filmmaker added, “I personally believe if she had thin legs, she would have never become a star. They were part of the whole package. If Amitabh Bachchan were 6 inches shorter, I’m not very sure he would have become a big star. Or if Shah Rukh Khan were 6 inches taller, I don’t know if he would have been a big star.”
He spoke about the 2015 controversy as well, noting that he made those remarks in jest.
What did RGV say in 2015
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who directed Sridevi in films like Great Robbery, Govindhaa Govindhaa and Hairaan, dedicated a chapter to Sridevi in his book Guns and Thighs, which led to the stir. In the chapter, he spoke about his obsession with Sridevi, adding that he “hated” Boney Kapoor for “bringing that angel down from heaven to such an ordinary, humdrum existence.”
At that time, the filmmaker defended his statement, by tweeting, “Srideviji’s fame is not only because of her acting capacity but it’s also because of her thundering thighs –top critics of Himmatwala time…If only acting talent is a measure for stardom why was’nt Smita Patil bigger than Srideviji..The thunder thighs made the difference.”