Ram Gopal Varma defends SS Rajamouli amid Varanasi atheism row; calls out critics for 'baseless attacks'

Ram Gopal Varma backs SS Rajamouli

SS Rajamouli recently found himself in the middle of a heated controversy after his remarks at the Varanasi event sparked outrage among certain groups. The director openly identified himself as an atheist and observed that "people still believe in God despite many failures and misfortunes."

While the statement was intended as a philosophical reflection, a section of social media users accused him of “hurting religious sentiments,” escalating the situation into a full-blown debate. Matters intensified when Rashtriya Vanarasena, an organisation, filed a direct complaint against him, alleging “double standards” for using religious elements in his films while professing atheism in public.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has now emerged as the only prominent industry voice openly defending Rajamouli. In a strongly worded post, RGV emphasised the constitutional validity of Rajamouli’s stance.

“In the context of all the venom being spewed by the so called believers on
@ssrajamouli they should know that being an atheist in India is not a crime.

Article 25 of the Constitution protects the right to not believe So he has every right to say he doesn’t believe as much as the venom spewers right to say they believe,” he wrote, asserting that personal faith or the lack thereof falls under individual freedom.

In the context of all the venom being spewed by the so called believers on @ssrajamouli they should know that being an atheist in India is not a crime . Article 25 of the Constitution protects the right to not believe
So he has every right to say he doesn’t believe as much as the…

— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) November 21, 2025

Ram Gopal Varma also took direct aim at the criticism that an atheist filmmaker has no right to create films rooted in mythology or religion. He dismantled this argument with sharp analogies, asking, “Now coming to the dumb argument that “if he doesn’t believe in God why does he show God in his movies?” By that logic, should a filmmaker become a gangster to make a gangster film, become a ghost to make a horror film?"

Also Read: Case filed against SS Rajamouli after his alleged remarks on Lord Hanuman at Varanasi launch

The filmmaker didn’t stop there. He suggested that much of the backlash stemmed from envy rather than genuine concern for religious sentiments. According to RGV, Rajamouli’s unprecedented success has made him a target for detractors. "God is fine. Rajamouli is fine. The only ones suffering are the people who can’t understand either of them So through #varanasi while GOD will add another huge fortune to @SSRajamouli‘s already overflowing bank balance , the losers can cry their hearts out with jealousy," he posted, firing a pointed jab at critics.

Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu in the lead role and marks Priyanka Chopra’s return to Indian cinema after years. Prithviraj is rumoured to be playing a key antagonist with mythological undertones.