Ram Gopal Varma

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Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma-BJP.jpg
Ram Gopal Varma
Born Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma
Hyderabad
Occupation Film director, producer and writer
Years active 1989–present
Spouse(s) Ratna Varma
Children Revathi Varma (Daughter)[1][2]

Ram Gopal Varma also known as RGV or Ramu is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. His work is predominantly in Bollywood and Telugu cinema. Varma has directed, written and produced films across multiple genres — psychological thrillers, underworld gang warfare, road movies, horrors, fictional films, politician-criminal nexus, experimental films, musicals and docudrama.[3][4][5] Two of his films Siva (1989), and Satya (1998) were show cased among CNN-IBN's list of hundred land mark Indian films of all time.[6]

He has garnered the National Film Award, in 1999 for producing Shool, for which he was also the screenwriter. He garnered four State Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards and five Bollywood Movie Awards. In 2010, He received critical acclaim at the International film festival of Fribourg, Switzerland, where in, a retrospective of Mumbai noir, was staged by film critic, Edward Waintrop.[7]

He gained recognition in Bollywood with the Hindi film, Shiva premiered at International Film Festival of India.[8] In 1995 he directed another blockbuster Rangeela. He then directed Satya (1998), which won six Filmfare Awards, including the Critics Award for Best Film, and was show cased among the Indian panorama section, at the 1998 International Film Festival of India.[9] Varma received the Bimal Roy memorial award for best direction for this film.[10] In 2005, Indiatimes Movies included Satya in its list of 25 Must See Bollywood Movies.[11]

Satya, together with his 2002 film Company (which he directed, which won seven Filmfare Awards, which was premiered at the 2004 Austin Film Festival) and the 2005 film D (which he produced), form an "Indian gangster trilogy". In 2006, he re-made a new version of Shiva, which was screened at the New York Asian Film Festival, where a retrospective featuring several of his previous movies was staged. Alongside Shiva, the festival screened his earlier successful films Company, Ek Hasina Thi and Ab Tak Chhappan.[12] In 2008, he directed another blockbuster, Sarkar Raj, which was archived at the Academy of Motion Pictures library.[13] In 2013, he directed a docudrama, The Attacks of 26/11 showcased to critical acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival, in the Panorama as well as the Competition section.[14]

Other acclaimed films at the box office, that Varma directed include Kshana Kshanam (1991), Gaayam (1993), Anaganaga Oka Roju (1997), Prema Katha (1999), Kaun (1999), Jungle (2000), Bhoot (2003), Sarkar (2005), Phoonk (2008), Rakta Charitra (2010), and Katha Screenplay Darshakatvam Appalaraju (2011).[15]

Contents

Early years [edit]

In an interview to Tehelka, Varma talked about his relationship with his parents and the reasons behind his decision to become a filmmaker.

From my parents’ perspective, I looked like a useless bum. It was the truth. I had no objective. I was just fascinated by people, so I used to study their behaviour. I was most fascinated by the bullies in my classroom. They were like gangsters for me. They had the guts to push around people, do things I couldn’t— perhaps did not even want to do myself. But I’d want a friend like that (laughs). I used to adulate them like heroes. That was my first touch with anti-socialism. Over a period of time, I developed a low-angle fascination for larger than life people. I was always a loner — not because I was unhappy, but because I live away from myself, not just others. I like to study myself — the way I am walking, talking, behaving. My constant obsession with studying myself and other people is perhaps the primary motivation for me to be a filmmaker.[16]

Varma completed BE in civil engineering from V.R. Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada. Even during this period, Varma remained a film buff, through his uncle. Varma would skip classes often and watch films instead. He would watch the same film repeatedly "just to watch certain scenes which interested him."[17] According to him, that is how he learned film direction.

After a brief stint as a site engineer for Krishna Oberoi hotel in Hyderabad, he put his dreams on the back burner and decided to go to Nigeria to make some money. It was at this moment that he visited a video rental library in Hyderabad. He loved the idea and decided to start one of his own at Ameerpet in Hyderabad, through which he slowly developed connections with the film world.[18] Without being successful as a fourth assistant director in B. Gopal's film Collector Gari Abbai, Varma directly ventured into film direction, with the 1989 Telugu film, Siva.[19]

Career in Telugu cinema [edit]

Ram Gopal Varma in the sets of a Telugu film

Before Varma started his career in the Telugu film industry, he lingered on the sets of films such as Collector Gari Abbai and Rao Gaari Illu. His father Krishnam Raju Varma, was a sound recordist at Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad which is owned by Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Varma managed to meet Nagarjuna and narrated a scene to the actor which impressed him.[20] The result of their collaboration was a film on the criminalization of student politics — Siva. It was a blockbuster with Varma demonstrating his technical expertise and storytelling skills. The success of the film in Telugu led to a Hindi remake with similar success.[21]

Varma's next film was Kshana Kshanam with Venkatesh and Sridevi which got him noticed by Bollywood critics. It was dubbed into Hindi as Hairaan. Then he made films such as Raatri and Antham. While Gaayam with Jagapathi Babu and Anaganaga Oka Roju with J.D. Chakravarthy were successful, Govinda Govinda with Nagarjuna and Sridevi proved to be a moderate success at the box office.[22] During this period, Varma produced films such as Money and Money Money and was the screenwriter for Mani Ratnam's Tamil movie Thiruda Thiruda.

Career in Hindi cinema [edit]

While Varma's first successful Hindi film was the remake of Siva. His next film was Drohi. What really put the spotlight on him was the blockbuster Rangeela.[23] The film won Filmfare Awards for Rahman and Shroff. According to Varma, it was dedicated to actress Sridevi.[24] His next film Daud (1997), however, sank without a trace.[21]

In 1998, Varma was an executive producer for Dil Se.., directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta. The film won the NETPAC Award for Special Mention at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as two National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards.[25]

Indian gangster trilogy [edit]

Main article: Gangster Trilogy

In 1998 came his masterpiece, the critically acclaimed Satya, based on the Mumbai underworld. A script written by Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla, music by Vishal Bharadwaj and Sandeep Chowta, acclaimed performances by J. D. Chakravarthy, Manoj Bajpai and Urmila Matondkar, and Anurag Kashyap's screenwriting brilliance, contributed to a landmark. The film won six Filmfare Awards, including the Critics Award for Best Film.[citation needed]

In 2002 came his commercial as well as critical success, Company, again set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld, in which he cut off the song-and-dance sequences, common in Bollywood films at the time. It was based on the real-life underworld organization, the D-Company. It won seven Filmfare Awards and earned him a Filmfare Best Director Award nomination. Malayalam actor Mohanlal debuted in Bollywood doing an extended cameo in this film.[citation needed]

A prequel to Company was made in 2005: D, produced by Varma and directed by Vishram Sawant. Satya, Company and D are together considered an "Indian gangster trilogy".[26] Satya and Company, in particular, were cited by British director Danny Boyle as influences on his Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for their "slick, often mesmerizing portrayals of the Mumbai underworld", their display of "brutality and urban violence", and their gritty realism.[27][28][29]

Experimental films [edit]

During the years between his trilogy, from Satya in 1998 to D in 2005,[26] Varma experimented with different film genres. In 1999, he directed Kaun, a suspense thriller set entirely in one house and featuring only three actors, and Mast, a subversion of the Hindi cinema's masala genre.[30] In 2000, he directed Jungle, set entirely in a jungle, for which he was nominated for the Star Screen Award for Best Director.

Following the success of Company in 2002, Varma's next film as director was Bhoot (2003), a psychological horror film, which was a major success. It starred Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar, who earned a number of awards for her performance. Varma himself was nominated for the Filmfare Best Director Award for the film.

Following the success of Bhoot, Varma produced two other experimental films: Sriram Raghavan's Ek Hasina Thi (2003), a psychological thriller, and Shimit Amin's Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), a film about an inspector in the Mumbai Encounter Squad famous for having killed 56 people in police encounters.[12]

Later films [edit]

Varma's next film as director was Sarkar, released in June 2005, starring Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek. Amitabh played the character of Sarkar who is a self-righteous and powerful businessman cum social worker, while Abhishek played his son. Sarkar was a loose adaptation of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather.[31] Sarkar went on to become a critically acclaimed venture.

In 2007, he directed Nishabd, followed by the ambitious Sholay remake, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, as well as Darling. He was written off by the media and public until June 2008, when he reclaimed, to some extent, his lost reputation with his much hyped venture, Sarkar Raj, a sequel to Sarkar; it was an average and met with good reviews. The primary cast featured Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan reprising their roles from the prequel alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Supriya Pathak, Tanisha Mukherjee and Ravi Kale reappeared in their respective roles from Sarkar.

Phoonk (2008) was another horror film which was a success compared to its minuscule budget. Agyaat, which released on 7 August 2009, was again a commercial as well as critical failure. Next was Rann, a film about the media. It had Amitabh Bachchan, Kannada actor Sudeep, Ritesh Deshmukh and Paresh Rawal. Released on 29 January 2010, it was praised by some critics but was a commercial disaster. Then he began the promotion works for Phoonk 2, a sequel of Phoonk, which was released on April 16, 2010.

Next came Rakta Charitra, in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages. The movie was based upon the faction backdrop of the Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh. As it lasted about five hours, the film was released in two parts, with a gap of three months. It depicts the life of slain political leader Paritala Ravindra, played by Vivek Oberoi, with Tamil actor Surya Sivakumar, enacting the role of Maddelacheruvu Suri, Shatrughan Sinha, Radhika Apte and Priyamani star in other pivotal roles. The film released to a good opening following Varma's clever pre-release marketing using the controversy surrounding the main characters to his advantage.

Varma roped in Amitabh Bachchan for the lead role in his film Department, the plot of which revolved around the internal politics of the police department. He was quoted saying that this film may be considered as "the other side of Company." Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati are reportedly going to play supporting roles, nevertheless the entire film revolves around them. It was a much anticipated collaboration of Sanjay Dutt with the director after their earlier venture Daud

Varma's recent flick The Attacks of 26/11 received huge critical acclaim for its brilliant portrayal of the real life terrorist attack on Mumbai which happened on 26 November 2008. His upcoming film Naanthan Da marks his directional debut in Tamil cinema.

Influences [edit]

Varma's film Satya has been referred to as a modern masterpiece and "perhaps" one of the best films of the 1990s.[32] Film critic Rajeev Masand has labeled it (along with its sequel Company) one of the "most influential movies of the past ten years." [33] The film marked the introduction of a new genre of film making, a variation of film noir[32] that has been called Mumbai noir, of which he is the acknowledged master.[34]

British director Danny Boyle has cited Satya as an inspiration for his 2008 Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Satya's "slick, often mesmerizing" portrayal of the Mumbai underworld, which included gritty and realistic "brutality and urban violence," directly influenced the portrayal of the Mumbai underworld in Slumdog Millionaire.[35]

Satya has spawned countless imitations in Bollywood, some by Varma himself, but all are considered largely inferior.[33]

Autobiography [edit]

Varma wrote an autobiography titled Na Ishtam, which discusses his thoughts, opinions and ramu style philosophy.'Naa Ishtam' was released on December 2010 at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad. Vijayawada MP and RGV's friend Lagadapati Rajagopal launched the book.

Awards [edit]

National Film Awards
Filmfare Awards
Nandi Awards
Bollywood Movie Awards

Bollywood Movie Award – Best Director

Filmography [edit]

As director [edit]

Years Film Language Notes
1989 Siva Telugu
1990 Shiva Hindi
1991 Kshana Kshanam Telugu
1992 Antham Telugu
1992 Raat / Raatri Hindi/Telugu bilingual film
1992 Drohi Hindi
1993 Gaayam Telugu
1994 Govinda Govinda Telugu
1995 Rangeela Hindi
1996 Deyyam Telugu
1997 Anaganaga Oka Roju Telugu
1997 Daud Hindi
1998 Satya Hindi
1999 Prema Katha Telugu
1999 Kaun Hindi
1999 Mast Hindi
2000 Jungle Hindi
2002 Company Hindi
2003 Bhoot Hindi
2004 Naach Hindi
2004 Madhyanam Hathya Telugu
2005 Sarkar Hindi
2006 Shiva Hindi
2007 Nishabd Hindi
2007 Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag Hindi
2007 Darling Hindi
2008 Sarkar Raj Hindi
2008 Contract Hindi
2008 Phoonk Hindi
2009 Agyaat Hindi
2010 Rann Hindi
2010 Rakta Charitra Hindi, Telugu
2011 Katha Screenplay Darshakatvam Appalaraju Telugu
2011 Dongala Mutha Telugu
2011 Not a Love Story Hindi
2012 Department Hindi
2012 Bhoot Returns Hindi
2013 The Attacks of 26/11 Hindi
2013 Satya 2 Hindi
2013 Naanthan Da Tamil

As producer [edit]

Year Film Language Notes
1992 Raat / Raatri Hindi/Telugu
1993 Money Telugu
1995 Money Money Telugu
1996 Gulabi Telugu
1997 Anaganaga Oka Roju Telugu
1998 Dil Se.. Hindi Co-Produced with Mani Ratnam and Shekhar Kapur
1998 Wife of V. Varaprasad Telugu
1999 Shool Hindi
2001 Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega Hindi
2001 Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya Hindi
2002 Road Hindi
2003 Ek Hasina Thi Hindi
2003 Darna Mana Hai Hindi
2004 Ab Tak Chhappan Hindi
2004 Vaastu Shastra Hindi
2004 Gayab Hindi
2004 Naach Hindi
2004 Marrichettu Telugu
2005 My Wife's Murder Hindi
2005 Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon Hindi
2005 D Hindi
2005 James Hindi
2005 Sarkar Hindi
2005 Mr Ya Miss Hindi
2006 Darwaza Bandh Rakho Hindi
2006 Shock Telugu
2006 Shiva Hindi
2006 Darna Zaroori Hai Hindi
2007 Nishabd Hindi
2007 Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag Hindi
2007 Go Hindi
2008 Sarkar Raj Hindi
2009 Adavi Telugu
2009 Agyaat Hindi
2010 Phoonk 2 Hindi
2011 Bejawada Telugu
2012 Department Hindi
2013 Ab Tak Chappan 2 Hindi

As writer [edit]

Year Film
1989 Shiva
1990 Kshana Kshanam
1992 Antham / Drohi
1992 Raat / Raatri
1993 Gaayam / Desam
1993 Govinda Govinda
1994 Thiruda Thiruda / Donga Donga
1995 Rangeela
1996 Deyyam
1997 Daud
1999 Shool
2006 Shock
2006 Darna Zaroori Hai
2007 Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
2008 Sarkar Raj

References [edit]

  1. ^ Author: tirupatibuzz (2011-01-28). "Ram gopal varma rare and unseen photos". Tirupati Buzz. Retrieved 2012-09-22.  Text " Posted at: 10:22 AM " ignored (help)
  2. ^ "» Ram Gopal Varma has a secret daughter!". Chitramala.in. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2012-09-22. 
  3. ^ "I don’t think cinema in Rs 100 crore terms: RGV". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2012-09-22. 
  4. ^ Aparna Phadke, TNN May 2, 2012, 02.43PM IST (2012-05-02). "Me, RGV's muse? Out of question: Nathalia Kaur - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2012-09-22. 
  5. ^ "LOVE2HateU - 15th January 2012 - RGV and Ritesh Deshmukh". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-09-22. 
  6. ^ 100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time|Movies News Photos-IBNLive
  7. ^ "Edouard Waintrop on the New Indian Cinema : UP Front - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-09-27. 
  8. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". Iffi.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-07-12. 
  9. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". Iffi.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-07-12. 
  10. ^ "Ram Gopal verma:Sarkar: Yet another fantastic movie from the Stylish Director". Reachouthyderabad.com. Retrieved 2012-09-27. 
  11. ^ Rachna Kanwar (2005-10-03). "25 Must See Bollywood Movies". Indiatimes Movies. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  12. ^ a b David (2006-06-16). "The Films of Ram Gopal Varma - An Overview". Cinema Strikes Back. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 
  13. ^ "Sarkar Raj makes it to the Academy of Motion Pictures library". Bollywood Hungama. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 2011-08-09. 
  14. ^ http://ibnlive.in.com/news/the-attacks-of-2611-ram-gopal-varmas-film-gets-selected-for-berlin-film-festival/313098-8-66.html
  15. ^ Iyer, Meena (9 September 2007). "What's wrong with Ramu?". Times of India. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  16. ^ "'I need to change my approach to films'". Tehelka. 15 September 2007. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  17. ^ Basu, Arundhati (2 July 2005). "Don of the big screen". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  18. ^ "'A filmmaker is like a journalist '". BBC. 29 July 2004. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  19. ^ "Lakshmi Talk Show with Ram Gopal Varma". Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  20. ^ "My best film is Bhoot: Ram Gopal Varma". Bollywoodsargam. 2004-07-31. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  21. ^ a b Verma, Sukanya. "All you need to know about Company". Rediff. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  22. ^ "Different Strokes". Screen India. 30 May 2003. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  23. ^ Raghavan, Nikhil (9 October 2010). "A saga in the making?". The Hindu. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  24. ^ IANS (5 December 2010). "Acting! Who me? Never, says Ram Gopal Varma". NDTV. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  25. ^ "The Winners - 1998". Filmfareawards.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  26. ^ a b Charlie (2005-08-24). "D: Final film in Indian Gangster Trilogy a Must See". Cinema Strikes Back. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 
  27. ^ Amitava Kumar (23 December 2008). "Slumdog Millionaire's Bollywood Ancestors". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 
  28. ^ Lisa Tsering (29 January 2009). "‘Slumdog’ Director Boyle Has ‘Fingers Crossed’ for Oscars". IndiaWest. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
  29. ^ Anthony Kaufman (29 January 2009). "DGA nominees borrow from the masters: Directors cite specific influences for their films". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
  30. ^ "Against the Grain: Grady Hendrix on Bombay’s most successful maverick". Film Society of Lincoln Center. September–October 2006. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 
  31. ^ Piyushroy (30 May 2008). "‘I have no interest in anyone’s career except mine’". Screen. Retrieved 2009-05-03. 
  32. ^ a b Rachel Dwyer (2005-05-30). "Behind The Scenes". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2010-08-18. 
  33. ^ a b Rajeev Masand (2008-07-18). "Masand's Verdict: Contract, mangled mess of Satya, Company". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 2010-08-18. 
  34. ^ Aruti Nayar (2007-12-16). "Bollywood on the table". The Tribune. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  35. ^ Amitava Kumar (2008-12-23). "Slumdog Millionaire's Bollywood Ancestors". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 
  36. ^ "47th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved March 13, 2012. 
  37. ^ "Ram Gopal Varma Koil- Biography". Retrieved 2011-09-12. 

External links [edit]

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Ram Gopal Varma
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Productions
1955–1970
1971–1990
1991–2010
2011–present
Authority control
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