The ongoing love-hate relationship between filmmakers Karan Johar and Ram Gopal Varma, with both parties exchanging barbed and/or veiled insults, has now reached a flashpoint.

Ramu’s recent, apparently sarcastic, tweets about Karan Johar’s ‘Student Of The Year’ has again brought the Johar-Varma animosity out in the weapon.

Ramu’s torrent of tweets include such gems of sardonicism as, “I rate Karan Johar far far higher (sic.) than Mehboob Khan, V Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy” and “Kuch kuch ho gaya mujhe Student Of The Year trailer dekhte dekhte”.

Apparently Karan Johar who likes to give back Ramu as much he gets this time asked a mutual friend to tell the virulent Varma to back off.

And that friend is none other than Riteish Deshmukh.

Says our source, “Riteish has the distinctive advantage of being close friends with both Ramu and Karan. So he was deputed to mediate and put an end to the sarcastic tweets at a time when Karan is trying to wrap up the film on schedule.”

Riteish apparently rang up Ram Gopal Varma asking him to “back off”.

One doesn’t know if Ramu took Riteish’s advice seriously. Or whether he laughed it off.

Says our source, “It is unlikely that Ramu who loves tweeting for effect, would stop doing so just because he was asked not to do it. He is the kind of guy who would do exactly what he’s urged not to.”