/> Ever since he read himself being quoted in a tabloid on his leading lady Aishwarya Rai's role and performance in Sarkar Raj, Ramu can't stop laughing.

"How can my joke comparing Aishwarya to Phoolan Devi and Mother Teresa and her role in Sarkar 2 to Meena Kumari in Pakeezah, Sridevi in Sherni and Hema Malini in Sholay, be taken seriously? My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I said this.

The fact is, Aishwarya's role in my film has no parallel. She plays a woman never done before in our cinema."

And contrary to reports in a section of the tabloid press, Ram Gopal Varma is not remaking Martin Scorcese's The Departed...in Hindi or Telugu.

"In fact," laughs Ramu,"I am not making any Telugu film, nor do I have plans to do so. The story says I'm currently re-making Departed with Mahesh Manjrekar and J. D. Chakarvarthy.

I haven't signed these two actors for any film. They aren't doing any film with me. . And I haven't even seen The Departed, so where's the question of remaking it? In fact I told the reporter this. He still went ahead and wrote it."

A recent tabloid tattle suggesting that Ram Gopal Varma is so possessive about his leading lady Nisha Kothari that je insists on driving to her home, picking her up and dropping her back, has the Darling director fuming Aag at the hearsayers.

"What can I say or do about these writeups? Maybe they should place these stories in the comic-book section of the paper. The fact is, I finished shooting with Nisha for Aag five months ago. For the last two months I've been in Hyderabad shooting for Sarkar 2.

Only God and the creators of these fictional tales know when and where I'm picking up Nisha and where I am taking her. Honestly when I get into the car I've no clue about my whereabouts How will I escort anyone else when I don't know my way around Mumbai?"

Adds Nisha Kothari,"I really don't know how to react to such stupid and baseless stories. I respect Ram Gopal Varma as a director and am grateful for his belief in me. Beyond that there's nothing between us."