Varma's next thriller shot in 'sexy' Sri Lankan jungle

Ram Gopal Varma's next venture is a spooky crime thriller featuring newcomers, but the maverick filmmaker is more upbeat about the location he shot in - the Sigiriya jungle in Sri Lanka that he calls 'frighteningly sexy'.

The director says the Sigiriya jungle caught his eye because it is enchanting yet terrifying, setting it apart from other forests.

'I have personally seen quite a few jungles in India like Ranthambore, Mudumalai and Wynad and also in Malaysia and Thailand, not to mention countless other jungles on video ranging from Indonesia to Brazil,' Varma said.

'However, when I set my eyes on the Sigiriya jungle in Sri Lanka, it took my breath away with its sheer character. One might say that a jungle is a jungle but then you have not seen the Sigiriya forest. It's both enchanting and terrifying at the same time. This is why I term it as a frighteningly sexy jungle,' Varma told IANS.

The film's poster also proudly flaunts a brief but spooky synopsis: 'If you could hear it, you could run. If you could see it, you could hide. If it had a body, you could kill. You can't escape the unknown.'

'Well, every tree of this jungle looks like it has got a story to it and hiding beneath it is something that is just waiting to pounce on you,' explained Varma, who has now moved on to shoot his next project 'Rann'.

'For the subject matter of 'Agyaat', which is about a set of people trapped in a jungle and something out there killing them one by one, I had no intention of showing the entity that is creating the terror. It is imperative that the jungle substitutes for the entity that is killing them,' the director explained.

'Agyaat', which mainly stars newcomers, is about a film crew that loses its way in the jungles and something starts killing them one by one. The crew comprises several interesting characters like a narcissistic star, a subservient spot boy, a cameraman, a frustrated action director, an assistant director who has a crush on the heroine, a self-obsessed actor, a producer who thinks the director is making a mess and a director who thinks he's the Steven Spielberg of India!

The principal photography of the film is through, but there would be an extensive effort put in
post-production. Varma promises that the film would boast of state of art special effects.
'True, there will be quite a lot of Special EFX which would be done in Mumbai itself,' he said.

A co-production of UTV Motion Pictures and Ram Gopal Varma, 'Agyaat' is all set for a July release.