Ram Gopal Varma

Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian director, screenwriter, and producer who works in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. He became the most sought-after directors in Telugu with the release of his debut movie Shiva which catapulted him into instant stardom and big league directors. Best known for blockbusters like Rangeela, Satya and Company, Ram Gopal Marma is one of the most prominent filmmakers in India.

Ram Gopal Varma Early Life and Family

Ram Gopal Varma was born to Krishna Raju Varma and Suryamma on 7 April 1962 in Hyderabad. He had a brother Koti Varma and sister Vijaya Varma. Ram Gopal Varma is an atheist from his childhood. He studied Civil Engineering at V. R. Siddhartha Engineering College where Satyendra whom Ram Gopal Varma claimed as a big influence was introduced to him. 

Ram Gopal Varma has a daughter named Revathi with his estranged wife Ratna Varma. 

Ram Gopal Varma Career

Ram Gopal Varma made his directorial debut with the movie Siva which is claimed as a great influence on Telugu Cinema after its release. The crime thriller starring Nagarjuna became not only a commercial success, it received universal critical acclaim. Later he made films like Kshana Kshanam and Gayam which are said to be some of the great films in Telugu. Later he made Antham and Govinda Govinda with Nagarjuna, the latter of these and Kshana Kshanam stars his idol, Sridevi. He also produced movies like Gulabi and Money. 

Ram Gopal Varma at this point in his career ventured full time into Bollywood with the sensational hit Rangeela starring Urmila Mantodkar and Aamir Khan. He later made Satyaa, an epic gangster movie. His famous Indian Gangster Trilogy and Indian Political Trilogy were recognized internationally as some of the greatest movies of all time. The Gangster Trilogy includes Satya, Company, and D. The Political Trilogy Sarkar series is loosely based on the life of Bal Thakery starring Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan. 

Some of his other films recognized as a significant contribution to Indian Cinema include Raktha Charitra,  The Attacks of 26/11, Killing Veerappan, horror films Deyyam, Ratri, and Poonkh,  and biographical drama Vangaveeti. 

Ram Gopal Varma International Recognition

Varma is recognized by international critics like Rachel Dwyer (a reader in world cinema at the University of London-Department of South Asia) and Edouard Waintrop as a master of Indian variant of noir, Mumbai Noir. Oscar Award Winning director Danny Boyle cited Varma as an influence on his Slumdog Millionaire.