Horror film Obsession has become one of the biggest hits of the year. Made on a shoestring budget of $750K, it has already grossed $170 million worldwide. On Sunday, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to X to declare that he is obsessed with the film and shared his thoughts on how the film has touched a chord with audiences worldwide.
What RGV wrote on Obsession
RGV wrote on X, “My theory on the tremendous success of OBSESSION. Every woman has a little bit of NIKKI in her, which she too knows. Every man sees a little bit of NIKKI in his woman. Hence the CONNECT.”
Obsession stars Michael Johnston as Bear, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants him his wish for his childhood friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him, resulting in horrifying consequences. The film is written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker.
In a separate post on X, RGV delved into the film’s editing anddirectorial style. He said, “Am obsessed with Obsession.. Till even a few weeks before the whole industry believed that only big starred, massive budgeted, Vfx spectacle films will pull audience into the theatres and now Obsession reset that button. No big stars, no grand locations no lavish production design no foreign shoots no top technicians and contrary to it’s reported budget of 7 cr (Indian) it’s easy to see , it’s pure making cost cannot be more than 70 lakhs minus technical fees considering it’s entirely shot in exactly 3 locations ( two rooms in a modest house, interior of a car and interior of a small store.”
He added, “The directors style is visually simplistic but very unique ( I was especially struck with his use of too much head space in many shots which strangely enhances the mood ) He treats editing not just as a technical craft but as psychological weapon blending rapid cuts with especially lengthy stays (case in point is long stay on Nikki’s face in interval shot ) These kind of long takes build unbearable tension because the audience is trapped in the character’s perspective with no escape.”
‘He throws out traditional editing rules’
The note further read, “His cutting on sharp sound effects (a door slam, a sudden laugh, a heartbeat) to create rhythmic punctuation is awe inspiring. Barker’s editing philosophy seems to be: “Make the audience feel what the character feels, which is being unstable.” He throws out traditional editing rules (smooth continuity, clear emotional beats) in favour of something extremely anarchic. The result is a film that feels unpredictable and alive, like the editing itself is also a part of the horror. He mostly used single-source lighting and lit up spaces rather than individual shots, very much like David Fincher, but much more effectively. More than the 179 million dollars collection so far with a less than 1 million dollar budget , what needs to be even more studied are the path breaking edit and sound design techniques not to forget character design.”
The internet disagrees with RGV
However, RGV’s assessment of ‘every woman having a bit of Nikki’ in her did not go down too well with the internet. Obsession is the story of Bear (Michael Johnston) wishing that his crush, Nikki (Indi Navarrette) fall in love with him, thereby trapping her in his wish against her will. Social media users felt RGV did not understand the film’s premise. One wrote, “The movie isn’t about Nikki to begin with, what did you smoke before stepping into the theatre, Ramu?” Another sarcastically asked, “Are you suggesting every man is like the male lead.”
Obsession’s success
A few days ago, Curry Barker took to Instagram to pen a note on the film’s success and thank the audience. “Over 100M at the box office?! So surreal, and it’s all because of you guys. Thank you to everyone who has come out to watch the film and to everyone who helped us get here. I’m obsessed with you,” he wrote.
The film was released in India on May 29. It has grossed ₹32 crore at the Indian box office.
