Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.[1][2] Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft.[3] Regarded as one of the pioneers of new age Indian cinema,[4]
he was featured in the BBC World series Bollywood Bosses in 2004.[5][6] In 2006, Grady Hendrix of Film Comment, published by the Film at Lincoln Center cited Varma as "Bombay's Most Successful Maverick" for his works on experimental films.[7][8][9] He is known for introducing new talents, who eventually become successful in the Indian film industry.1
Varma was born on 7 April 1962 in a TeluguHindu family to Krishna Raju Varma and Suryavathi. In an interview with Lakshmi Manchu on a talk show Varma said that he was born in Nampally Hyderabad He did his schooling at St. Mary's High School, Secunderabad[26] and completed his BE degree 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."[27] According to him, that is how he learned film direction.
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.[28]
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.[5] His father at that time was a long time sound engineer at Annapurna Studios. After working as an assistant director in Collector Gari Abbai and Rao Gari Illu, Akkineni Nageswara Rao gave him the opportunity to direct the 1989 cult blockbuster, Siva, after being impressed by him.[29]
International acclaim
Rachel Dwyer, a reader in world cinema at the University of London-Department of South Asia, marked Varma's Satya as an experiment with a new genre, a variation of film noir that has been called Mumbai Noir, of which Varma is the acknowledged master.[16][30] In 2010, Varma received critical acclaim at the Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland; a retrospective of his filmography, highlighting Mumbai Noir was staged by film critic Edouard Waintrop, a delegate in the Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival.[31][32]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.[33][34][35]
In 1991, Varma experimented with the supernatural thriller, Raat, and the 1992 Neo-noir, crime film Drohi, and gained positive reviews from critics.[59][49] During the years between his trilogy, from Satya in 1998 to D in 2005,[60] Varma implemented different film genres in his craft. In 1999, he directed Kaun, a suspense thriller set entirely in one house and featuring only three actors, and Mast, a subversion of Hindi cinema's masala genre.[7] In 2000, he directed Jungle, set entirely in a jungle, for which he was nominated for the Star Screen Award for Best Director. In 2003 he directed another supernatural thriller Bhoot on the lines of his earlier hit Raat. Bhoot became a major hit at the box office,[61] and Varma was nominated for the Filmfare Best Director Award for the film.[62]
Varma started his career in the Telugu film industry as an assistant director on the sets of films such as Collector Gari Abbai and Rao Gari Illu. His father Krishnam Raju Varma, was a sound recordist at the Annapurna Studios. Varma met Nagarjuna Akkineni at the studio and narrated a scene to the actor which impressed him.[69] The result of their collaboration was a film on the criminalisation of student politics – Siva. It was a commercially successful film that gave Varma an opportunity to demonstrate his technical expertise and story telling skills.[49]
Ram Gopal Varma made his début in Television through a Talk Show titled Ramuism. The show is being aired on a Telugu channel since September 2014.[79] The show is noted for its fresh and witty appeal. The show focuses on Varma's Point of View on social issues such as Education, Religion, Mythology, Children, Crime, Death, Anger, Godmen, Woman, Philosophy, Cinema etc. The show is hosted by Swapna, the managing editor of Sakshi TV.
Varma wrote an autobiography titled Na Ishtam ("As I Please"), which discusses his life experiences and philosophy. 'Naa Ishtam' was released in December 2010 at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad.[81]Sirasri, poet, lyricist and writer wrote a biographical book on the interactions he had with Ram Gopal Varma with the title Vodka With Varma. Director Puri Jagannadh launched the book in December 2012.
In November 2015, Varma published his book Guns and Thighs: The Story of My Life, which discusses a wide range of subjects, from the influences and circumstances that drew him to cinematic techniques, his successful and unsuccessful films, his Bollywood idols, his live in relationship with Suchitra Krishnamoorthy his relationship with the media and the controversies dogging him, his philosophy of life, and Indian cinema.[82] On this occasion, Varma said "I dedicated my book to Ayn Rand, Bruce Lee, Urmila Matondkar, Amitabh Bachchan, and a few gangsters."[83][84]
Personal life
Varma was married to Ratna, whom he later divorced.[85] They have a daughter.[86]
^and completed Intermediate from New Science college Ameerpet Hyderabad. varma, ram gopal (9 March 2014). "Dedicated to my first, memorable crush". Deccan Chronicle.
^Basu, Arundhati (2 July 2005). "Don of the big screen". The Telegraph. India. Archived from the original on 27 November 2005. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
