Ram Gopal Varma and the Taj hotel mystery

An extraordinary row has broken out in Bollywood following the terrorist attack on Mumbai. It transpires that the film-maker Ram Gopal Varma (pictured) was able to tour the devastated Taj hotel soon after it was cleared at the weekend in the company of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister for the state of Maharashtra, who according to Edward Luttwak's report for The First Post today was responsible for serious delays in the security forces' response to the emergency. As a result, Varma is being accused of seeking to cash in on the Mumbai tragedy.

"What was he (Varma) thinking?" asked Bollywood actor Aashish Chaudhary, whose sister and brother-in-law were killed at the other luxury hotel attacked last week, the Oberoi. "It is not a tourist site or an exhibition." Veteran actress Simi Garewal said Varma's visit to the Taj had put "the entire film fraternity in question." She said it was "completely mindless and uncharitable" of Deshmukh to take Varma on his visit to the hotel.

The Hindustan Times reports sources from Varma's film unit saying the director was glued to the TV screen during the 60-hour siege and discussed with colleagues making a film.

But both Deshmukh and Varma claim it is all a misunderstanding. Deshmukh, who yesterday tendered his resignation, said: "It was sheer coincidence that Varma was present when I visited the Taj hotel. I had neither invited him nor knew about his presence."

Varma, whose 2008 film Contract concerned urban terrorism and followed the bombing of Bangalore and Ahmedabad last summer, claimed he had no intention of making a film about the attack on Mumbai and "just happened" to be meeting Deshmukh's actor son Ritiesh, an old friend, when Ritiesh was invited by his father to tour the Taj on Sunday morning.

This has not persuaded the Indian film industry. Director Ashok Pandit told the Calcutta Telegraph said: "It is shocking that Deshmukh took both of them inside the hotel. The place is not some mall or a museum." He said Varma had "clearly put us to shame. Filmmakers are often accused of capitalising on human tragedies. Being a part of this industry, I find such accusations extremely demeaning. But what can one do when we have people like RGV who just refuse to improve and show any sort of solidarity."

Whatever plans Varma may or may not have for a Mumbai film, his next offering, Rann, concerns the excesses of the media and stars the veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.