Ram Gopal Varma calls ‘Obsession’ a reality check for an industry chasing stars, remakes and bloated spectacles
Published: June 12, 2026, 3:44 PM IST
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Ram Gopal Varma on Obsession (PC- YouTube)
Maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has praised Curry Barker’s low-budget supernatural psychological horror thriller Obsession, calling it a “wake-up call” for an industry that often focuses on big stars, remakes and expensive productions. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), RGV said the real strength of cinema lies in storytelling, emotional depth and execution rather than huge budgets. He highlighted that Obsession proves filmmakers should aim to make “better films, not bigger films.”
RGV pointed out that the film was made on a small budget with limited locations and featured five new actors, yet it went on to achieve massive success. He said the film’s performance shows that strong ideas and effective filmmaking can create a bigger impact than expensive star-driven projects.
RGV further praised filmmaker Curry Barker’s direction, saying that the simplicity of Obsession is actually its biggest strength. He described the filmmaking style as “deceptively simple but highly effective.”
He explained that the use of confined spaces does not reduce the scale of the film but instead pulls the audience deeper into the characters’ emotions and mindset. According to RGV, the editing, sound design and camera work create constant tension, making viewers experience the horror rather than just watch it.
OBSESSION is how we SHOOT and CUT and not WHAT
OBSESSION made on a budget lesser than maybe the cost of a film stars entourage , will hopefully dismantle our complacency..
Forgetting the reported 750 k dollar budget , a film shot entirely in just 2 rooms, interior of a car and…— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) June 12, 2026
The filmmaker also praised the film for using fresh techniques to build suspense and keep the audience emotionally connected. He said Obsession turns personal struggles, loneliness and desire into a disturbing yet powerful cinematic experience by bringing internal conflicts to the screen.
Talking about the “important lessons” learnt from the Hollywood film for any and all related to “films In our times of franchise fatigue and VFX bloat is that it proves that only rigorous directorial vision to arrest the viewer, cutting edge editing as a storytelling tool, and sound design for emotional punctuation and expressions of actors making one feel can generate much more impact than CGI ARMIES, MASSIVE SETS ,EXOTIC LOCATIONS and 500 CRORE budgets.”
Revealing what Barker taught with his latest release is “that we film makers should OBSESS over how we shoot and cut, and not just WHAT we shoot?”
“After the example of Obsession Producers and directors should treat low budgets as liberation, not limitation and focus their resources on performances, path breaking editing, and creative sound design , not to forget visionary makers The ROI here will seem obscene and vulgar to the producers who wasted 100’s of crores and shot their films for years.”
Calling the film a “wake up call” in teaching, he said cinema’s power lies in psychological precision and emotional rawness, and not industrial excess.
“For our industry OBSESSED with risk aversion chasing stars, making remakes and bloated spectacles, this film is a SLAP ON THE FACE.”
The filmmaker added: “The greatest thing Curry Barker did more than making a BLOCKBUSTER , is that he taught us that our OBSESSION should be about making BETTER FILMS and not BIGGER FILMS.”
Obsession follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki, essayed by Inde Navarrette, to fall in love with him, resulting in horrifying consequences.
