Mumbai, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has weighed in on the debate over cinema’s influence on violent behaviour, defending films featuring graphic violence amid renewed criticism following a shocking chainsaw attack on a schoolgirl in Andhra Pradesh.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Varma dismissed the tendency to hold films responsible for rising violence, drawing an analogy with the Hindu epic Ramayana.
“Blaming films for rise in violence is like blaming Ramayana for rise in kidnappings,” the filmmaker wrote.
His remarks come against the backdrop of a recent attack at a school in Raptadu in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, where a 21-year-old man, identified as Hemanth, allegedly entered a Class 10 classroom and attacked a 15-year-old girl with a chainsaw.
Another student, Lakshmi, was also injured while attempting to protect the victim. Preliminary police investigations reportedly indicated that the accused, a relative of the girl, had allegedly stalked her and attacked her after she rejected his advances.
The primary victim is undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru and was reported to be stable.
The incident has reignited a debate on the portrayal of violence in Indian cinema, with several social media users drawing parallels with a classroom sequence in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film ‘Animal’, starring Ranbir Kapoor. In the scene, Kapoor’s character enters a school classroom carrying a loaded gun.
Some users questioned whether films depicting extreme violence could influence impressionable viewers, while others criticised filmmakers and actors for presenting aggressive behaviour as a symbol of masculinity.
One social media user argued that questioning cinema’s portrayal of violence had become more controversial than questioning the attitudes it might promote. Another questioned the responsibility of directors and actors over the depiction of graphic violence on screen.
Varma, however, has consistently expressed support for Vanga and publicly praised his filmmaking style. Vanga, in turn, has acknowledged Varma as an influential figure in his own cinematic journey.
Meanwhile, the accused in the Andhra Pradesh school attack has reportedly been traced and taken into custody at Dharmavaram.
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