Merlapaka Gandhi
Merlapaka Gandhi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Merlapaka Che Guevara |
| Education | B. Tech. |
| Occupation(s) | Director, Screen writer |
| Parent |
|
Merlapaka Gandhi is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu cinema.[1] In 2013, he made his directorial debut with Venkatadri Express. In 2016, he directed Express Raja which opened to positive critical reception and was a commercial success. His last release was Krishnarjuna Yudham starring Nani.[2][3]
Early life
He was born in the village of Vedulla Cheruvu in the Telugu-speaking Rayalaseema region of South India.[4] His father Merlapaka Murali was a prominent Telugu language novelist and a contemporary of author Yandamuri Veerendranath.[1] Merlapaka was initially given the name 'Che Guevara' because his father was fond of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Murali then changed his son's legal given name to 'Gandhi' in honor of independence activist Mahatma Gandhi when he was five years old, as the fellow townspeople found it difficult to pronounce his birth name. He studied in Tirupati till his tenth standard. Merlapaka then moved to Allagadda to complete his B. Tech. degree.
Film career
Merlapaka wanted to become a film director since the 10th standard. After his engineering course, he convinced his father to let him join a Cinematography course at the L. V. Prasad film institute in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Although, he eventually pursued a direction course there. Later on, he started writing stories and directed a short film. Having received a good response upon its release online, he then started developing the script for Venkatadri Express which was his debut film as a director.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Lead Cast | Production Company | Music Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Venkatadri Express | Sundeep Kishan, Rakul Preet Singh | Anandi Art Creations | Ramana Gogula | Directorial Debut |
| 2016 | Express Raja | Sharwanand, Surbhi | UV Creations | Praveen Lakkaraju | |
| 2018 | Krishnarjuna Yudham | Nani, Anupama Parameswaran, Rukshar Dhillon | Shine Screens | Hiphop Tamizha | |
| 2020 | Untitiled Nithiin31 | Nithiin, Shilpa Shetty, Nabha Natesh | Shresht Movies | Remake of Andhadhun |
References
- ^ a b Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (26 November 2015). "Merlapaka Gandhi on an expressway". The Hindu. The Hindu. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ "Nani to play a dual role again in director Merlapaka Gandhi's next". The Times of India. The Times Group. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
- ^ "Krishnarjuna Yudham Worldwide Closing Collections - Disaster". Telugu360.com. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Interview with Merlapaka Gandhi - Telugu cinema director". www.idlebrain.com. Retrieved 25 January 2018.