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- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ram Gopal Varma was born in Hyderabad, the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He initially was a video store owner before eventually becoming one of India's leading film directors. A film buff during his youth, Varma would watch both American and Indian cinema regularly. As a young man, he attended Siddhartha Engineering College in Vijayawada. Varma started his career in telugu cinema (the Hyderabad film industry), where he made a huge mark with his debut film Shiva, a violent and stylized actioner set in a college backdrop. At the age of 28, with little film training, Varma was able to convince Nagarjuna, a young Telugu star, to act in his debut picture. Nagarjuna was drawn by the narration of the script and intelligence displayed by the young Varma. Shiva was a landmark hit for the industry and was remade by Varma in the hindi language a year later.
His next was the exciting adventure film, Kshana Kshanam, starring Venkatesh and Sridevi. Varma followed this up with such films as - Raatri, a homage to 'The Exorcist' starring Revati and Om Puri (which Varma would remake over a decade later in Hindi as Bhoot) and Antham, a stylized crime drama, with Nagarjuna and Urmila Matondkar (which Varma would also rework later as Satya) - but was not able to attain the commercial success of his first feature. His next release Gaayam, with Jagapathi Babu and Urmila Matondkar, was a violent crime drama set in Hyderabad. The screenplay was co-written by tamil film director Mani Ratnam, and the script based on 'The Godfather'. It became a success for Varma. He then decided to start his own production banner, Varma Corporation Limited, and produced successful telugu films such as Money (remade later as Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega), Money Money (its sequel), Gulabi and Anaganaga Oka Roju.
His first huge success in hindi cinema (the Mumbai film industry) was the commercial blockbuster Rangeela, a stylish romantic drama with Aamir Khan and Urmila Matondkar. A.R. Rahman, a tamil music composer, was introduced to hindi audiences by Varma with this film and won the award for best film music.
Varma followed up with the ground breaking gangster saga Satya, a violent crime epic set in the Mumbai underworld. The film was gritty and realistic, reinventing the crime genre in Indian cinema. Varma had done extensive research for the film, and reworked certain elements of his earlier film Antham. Satya was widely considered Varma's first true masterwork. Made on a shoestring budget and with new faces, the film won awards for actor Manoj Bajpai and music composer Vishal Bharadwaj. Satya became a turning point in Varma's career, winning best picture of the year, and Varma would be forever associated with Mumbai noirs.
Varma then, with fellow director Shekhar Kapur, created a joint film production company in 1998 called India Talkies. The first venture of the production house was the ambitious terrorist drama 'Dil Se', with Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. The film was a box office dud, and India Talkies would be short lived. Varma would return to focusing on his own production house Varma Corp.
The hard hitting masterpiece 'Shool' followed shortly after, written and produced by Varma. The film depicted the life of an honest police officer in the violent and harsh rural setting of Bihar. The film was a commercial and critical success with both Manoj Bajpai and Sayaji Shinde winning awards for their performances. Varma lightened things up next with the romantic drama 'Mast'. The film was inspired by Varma's own college days, and featured Aftab Shivdasani in an award-winning turn as a film crazy college student.
Varma decided afterwards to only direct films in the Mumbai film industry. He believed there was more talent in Mumbai than in southern film cities like Chennai and Hyderabad. Varma had always admired directors such as Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihlani, and Gulzar. He considers Kalyug, Ardh Satya, and Mere Apne among his favorite Indian films of all time. At a time when popular Indian Cinema featured either over the top action films or glamorous love stories, Varma's films were more rooted and realistic. Varma is known to frequently cut out song and dance sequences in his films, which are usually commonplace in Bollywood. His films almost always deal with the contemporary and urban, usually set in the city of Mumbai. He often uses Indian stage actors in his films rather than established bollywood stars. Mainly known for creating the 'Mumbai noir', Varma brought psychological depth and cinematic virtuosity to genre films.
More recently, Varma returned with the organized crime masterpiece 'Company'. The film was again set in the Mumbai underworld, and was based on real life Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his criminal outfit D-Company. The film featured award-winning performances by Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi and Manisha Koirala. The film also won awards for best editing by Chandan Arora and best story by Jaideep Sahni. The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike.
His latest release Naach, which Varma called his best film yet, was a largely self reflective piece, about the relationship between an idealistic choreographer and an ambitious actor. The film had a weak commercial run but was liked by critics. In a recent interview with the Indian Express newspaper, the filmmaker criticized Indian audiences saying "I gave Ayn Rand to a Municipal School."
He spends most of his time these days producing small budget films for his successful production house Varma Corp. Though not always credited, he is involved in all aspects of his productions, often believed to 'ghost direct' many of the films. He produces films at a fast speed that is unfamiliar to the Indian Film Industry. He has had many recent successes including - 'Ab Tak Chhappan', based on the experiences of famed Mumbai police Daya Naik, 'D', a prequel to his earlier hit Company based on the early years of Dawood Ibrahim during his days under Pathan underworld boss Karim Lala, 'Ek Hasina Thi', a female revenge thriller, and finally 'Road'. He has also produced lighter films such as 'Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega' and 'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon'.- Swathi Naidu was born on 5 November 1987 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Srirangapuram (2022) and Hushaaru (2018). She is married to Avinash.
- Actress
Indraja was born on 17 October 1977 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for War & Love (2003), Ugram (2023) and Ustaad (1999).- Actor
- Producer
Suhas was born on 19 August 1990 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor and producer, known for HIT: The 2nd Case (2022), Majili (2019) and Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019). He is married to Lalitha.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Sharwanand was born on 6 March 1985 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor and producer, known for Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju (2015), Engeyum Eppodhum (2011) and Run Raja Run (2014). He has been married to Rakshitha Reddy since 3 June 2023.- Vaishnavi Chaitanya was born on 4 January 1994 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Valimai (2022), Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) and The software devLOVEper (2020).
- Actor
- Music Department
- Director
Dhanraj was born in Vijayawada, Telangana, India. He is known for Eega (2012), Paisa (2013) and Parugu (2008).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ravi Babu was born in Poranki in Andhra Pradesh, schooled in Chennai, Pune and the United States before finally settling down in Hyderabad, India. Born to a famous Telugu film character artiste, Thammareddy Chalapathi Rao who has acted in more than a 1200 films across 48years, Ravi had a normal childhood and went to the best schools in Chennai. After graduation, he went to Pune to complete his Masters in Business Administration from the prestigious Symbiosis Instute of Business Management.
He subsequently worked as an apprentice to noted Advertisment and Film-maker Rajiv Menon for a year before moving to the United States. He enrolled at the Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine but quit shortly because he found the curriculum too rudimentary. He later attended the Sony Institute in San Jose, California for a course in digital online editing. After a stint at the now defunct India Broadcasting Network in New York and TV Asia, initially as a cameraman and editor and later as program producer and director he returned to India. He directed a number of commercials for a Chennai based film production company, Autumncart, before starting his production house Flying Frogs in the year 1999 and has produced and directed numerous commercials and films since then.- Ravi Prakash was born on 1 January 1981 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Gabbar Is Back (2015), Athadu (2005) and Thalaivaa (2013).
- Actor
- Producer
Sudheer Babu Posani was born on 11 May 1977 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor and producer, known for V (2020), Baaghi (2016) and Sammohanam (2018).- Divya Sripada was born on 5 September 1996 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Yashoda (2022), WWW-Who..Where..Why (Evaru Ekkada Enduku) and Swathi Muthyam (2022).
- Surekha Vani was born on 29 April 1981 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Master (2021), Mersal (2017) and Pourudu (2008). She is married to Suresh Teja.
- Dimple Hayathi was born on 21 August 1998 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Atrangi Re (2021), Khiladi (2022) and Veerame Vaagai Soodum (2022).
- Ajay was born on 26 September 1978 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021), Thunivu (2023) and 24 (2016). He has been married to Swetha Ravuri since 2005. They have two children.
- Sudigali Sudheer was born on 19 May 1987 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Nenu Sailaja (2016), Tiger (2015) and Gaalodu (2022).
- Yamini Bhaskar was born on 20 September 1992 in Vijayawada, India. She is an actress, known for Bhale Manchi Chowka Beram (2018), Titanic (2016) and Katamarayudu (2017).
- Actor
- Writer
- Visual Effects
Thotapalli Madhu was born on 27 February 1963 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor and writer, known for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Allari Alludu (1993) and Ramudochhadu (1996).- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
Annapoorna was born on 17 October 1948 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Sita Ramam (2022), Disco Raja (2020) and Killer (1992).- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Meher Ramesh is an Indian Writer and Director who predominantly works for Telugu Films. He is better know for directing the super stylish movie titled Billa (2009) starring Rebel Star Prabhas. Meher Ramesh debuted as a director with Kannada film. Veera Kannadiga (2004) which was simultaneously made in Telugu as Andhrawala (2004), and has made films like Ajay (2006), Kannada film which was a remake of Okkadu (2003), Kantri (2008) and Sakthi (2011) with Jr. NTR, with actor Prabhas Film Billa (2009) and Shadow (2013) film with _Venkatesh Daggubati_. Earlier he has also been part of film Bobby (2006) as an Associate director and Actor. Itlu Sravani Subramanyam (2001) and Baachi (2000) as an Assistant director. He has also penned lyrics for title tracks of Film "Kantri (2008)" and "Billa (2009)".Also Associate writer for Hero Mahesh Babu 's "Pokiri (2006)" and actor _Allu Arjun_'s Desamuduru (2007)- Additional Crew
- Actor
V.J. Sekhar was born on 6 November 1979 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021) and Khaidi No. 150 (2017). He is married to Sujatha.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Venkatesh Maha was born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is known for C/o Kancharapalem (2018), Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (2020) and Martin Luther King (2023).- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Sagar was born in 1952 in Mangalagiri, Vijayawada, India. He was a director and writer, known for Charminar (2003), Anveshana (2002) and Nakshatra Poratam (1993). He died on 2 February 2023 in Chennai, India.- Kunal Kaushik, born 16 April 1984 in Nuzuveedu, a town near Vijayawada in the state of Andhrapradesh, India, is an Indian Actor and model. His mother tongue is Telugu and can speak read and write English and Hindi pretty well too.
He has worked in 8 feature films in Telugu and Tamil language to date, which include The Ghazi Attack, Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, Anthariksham, Sri Sri. He has also played as the protagonist in several short films like A Silent Melody, Its A Girl Issue, The Magic Of Giving. His independent film Climax, that has been made by Chai Bisket productions is ready for OTT release.
He will soon be seen as the lead antagonist in his latest movie Lingocha(Ready For Release). He has been the face of a well known real estate firm, the TMR group for their recent ad campaign. - Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actor
Movie Producer and owner of East Coast Productions. Well known publicist and marketing strategist for Telugu Films. Producer of the Box Office Success "118".
After starting out as a movie reviewer and journalist for the Telugu movie news portal 123telugu, Mahesh began working as a publicity campaign designer and strategist with Varun Tej and Krish's "Kanche". He was a key member of the publicity and marketing team of the path-breaking films, Baahubali : The Beginning and Baahubali : The Conclusion.
After working on a number of successful Telugu movies and pioneering the use of social media for the promotion of regional movie content, Mahesh started working exclusively for south superstar NTR Jr and his brother Kalyan Ram. He has also turned producer with the film "118" and established the production house East Coast Productions- Visual Effects
Srikanth Mangipudi was born on 7 December 1992 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is known for Ghost in the Shell (2017), Mortal Kombat (2021) and Passengers (2016).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Chandra Kilaru was born on 28 July 1981 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is a director and writer, known for A Step Toward Heaven (2008), Stranger in the Doorway (2006) and A Life for a Life (2013).- Sivalenka Krishna Prasad was born on 24 October 1956 in Vijayawada, Telangana, India. He is a producer, known for Sammohanam (2018), Yashoda (2022) and Gentleman (2016).
- Art Director
- Art Department
Kondapaneni MuraliDhar was born on 21 January 1973 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an art director, known for Warning (1997), Police Alludu (1994) and Yagam (2010).- Director
- Writer
- Visual Effects
Arya Ayaan was born on 5 January 1997 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is a director and writer, known for Putanapuram: Unexpected Guest (2018), Stranger (2015) and The Hidden Truth.- Satya was born on 6 November 1993 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is an actor, known for Vangaveeti (2016).