Is Ram Gopal Varma’s I am R with Upendra the biopic of late gangster Muthappa Rai?

The film, according to the director is the story of the deadliest gangster ever. RGV had earlier announced a film called Rai – the greatest gangster ever – with Vivek Oberoi, which didn’t take off.

Upendra will play the 'deadliest gangster' in RGV's film

In 2016, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had announced a film called Rai, on the life of reformed gangster Muthappa Rai. Rai was supposed to be produced by CR Manohar with Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi in the lead. The first look of Rai, which was described as the ‘story of the greatest gangster ever’ had evoked a lot of curiosity back then, but for reasons best known to the team, the film failed to take off thereafter. Rai was first pitched to Kiccha Sudeep and then taken to Vivek.

Six years later, RGV, as the filmmaker is popularly known, announced another gangster flick with Real Star Upendra in the lead. Called I am R and described as the story of the ‘deadliest’ gangster ever, the film is believed to be yet another biopic attempt on the life of Muthappa Rai. At the launch of the film on Saturday evening, which was attended by Sudeep too, RGV, was asked what R stood for. Although Upendra goaded him on to explain it, given that the actor had revealed that it was based on a realistic subject, Sudeep jumped in and said that the filmmaker shouldn’t give away all information from the word go. Agreeing with Sudeep, RGV said, “I want to keep it a mystery for some more time. Maybe at the trailer launch I will reveal what R is.”

The life of Muthappa Rai, who passed away in 2020, is a subject that has interested other filmmakers too. More than a decade ago, director Om Prakash Rao was to make a film on the former don with Sudeep in the lead, but that didn’t take off after the announcement. Later, in 2020, director Ravi Srivatsa began working on a proposed three-part film called MR, also believed to be based on Rai’s life, with newbie Dikshith in the lead. It was later reported that Padmanabha Gowda, a long-time associate of Rai, raised objections to the making of MR. Padmanabha, who wants to make a film on Rai with either Sudeep or Darshan in the lead, has reportedly said that Dikshith would not do justice to the role.

Share