Ram Gopal Varma | |
|---|---|
 Varma in 2012 | |
| Born | Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (1962-04-07)7 April 1962 (age 63) Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Other names | RGV |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | Ratna (divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Madhu Mantena (cousin) |
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) (born 7 April 1962), is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, primarily known for his work inHindi andTelugu films.[1][2] Varma has directed films across multiple genres, includingparallel cinema anddocudrama noted for their grittyrealism, technical finesse, and craft.[3] Regarded as one of the pioneers of new ageIndian cinema,[4] he was featured in theBBC World seriesBollywood Bosses in 2004.[5][6] In 2006,Grady Hendrix ofFilm Comment, published by theFilm at Lincoln Center cited Varma as "Bombay's Most Successful Maverick" for his works onexperimental films.[7][8] He is known for introducing new talents, who eventually become successful in the Indian film industry.[9]
Starting his career as acivil engineer, he made an entry intoTelugu cinema with the path-breakingcrime thriller,Siva (1989) featured at the13th IFFI' 90Indian Panorama mainstream section, and has won Varma, the stateNandi Awards forBest direction,Best first film of a director, and theFilmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu.[10][11] Subsequently, the film was included inCNN-IBN's list of 100 greatestIndian films of all time.[12] Varma's next directorial wasKshana Kshanam (1991), the neo-noirheist film being featured at theAnn Arbor Film Festival, won him anotherNandi Award for Best Direction, and theNandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer.[13] The 1993political drama,Gaayam received six state Nandi Awards. In 1999, he directedPrema Katha for which he received his thirdNandi Award for Best Director.[13]
Varma is known for directing and presentingpan-Indian works casting actors across the country, such as theIndian Political Trilogy, and theIndian Gangster Trilogy; film criticRajeev Masand had labelled the latter series as one of the "most influential movies of Indian cinema.[14][15][16] The first installment of the trilogy,Satya, was also listed inCNN-IBN's 100 greatestIndian films of all time, fetching Varma the "Bimal Roy Award" for Best Direction.[17] Varma fetched theNational Film Award forscripting and producing the political crime drama,Shool (1999) cited by "India Today" as the "Best Cop Movie" of the 90's.[18][19] His recentavant-garde works include hits such as the dramatised re-enactment of "Rayalaseema factionism" inRakta Charitra (2010), the "2008 Mumbai attacks" inThe Attacks of 26/11 (2013), the "Operation Cocoon" inKilling Veerappan (2016),[20][21] the "Vijayawada riots" inVangaveeti (2016),[22][23]N. T. R. inLakshmi's NTR (2019), andKonda politics inKonda (2022).[24][25]
Varma was born on 7 April 1962 in aTelugu family to Krishna Raju Varma and Suryavathi. In an interview withLakshmi Manchu on a talk show, Varma said that he was born inNampally,Hyderabad. He did his schooling at St. Mary's High School, Secunderabad[26] and completed his BE degree in Civil engineering fromV.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.
After a brief stint as a site engineer for Krishna Oberoi hotel inHyderabad, he put his dreams on the back burner and decided to go toNigeria 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 atAmeerpet in Hyderabad, through which he slowly developed connections with the film world.[5] His father at that time was a long time sound engineer atAnnapurna Studios. After working as an assistant director inCollector Gari Abbai andRao Gari Illu,Akkineni Nageswara Rao gave him the opportunity to direct the 1989 cult blockbuster,Siva, after being impressed by him.[28]
Rachel Dwyer, a reader inworld cinema at theUniversity of London-Department of South Asia, marked Varma'sSatya as an experiment with a new genre, a variation offilm noir that has been calledMumbai Noir, of which Varma is the acknowledged master.[16][29] In 2010, Varma received critical acclaim at theFribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland; a retrospective of his filmography, highlightingMumbai Noir was staged by film critic Edouard Waintrop, a delegate in theDirectors' Fortnight of theCannes Film Festival.[30][31]Satya andCompany, in particular, were cited by British directorDanny Boyle as influences on hisAcademy Award-winning filmSlumdog Millionaire (2008), for their "slick, often mesmerizing portrayals of theMumbai underworld", their display of "brutality and urban violence", and their gritty realism.[32][33][34]
In 2005, Varma directed theGodfatheresque-Sarkar, another super-hit thriller inspired by the life ofBal Thackeray andNorth Indian politics, which was screened to special mention at theNew York Asian Film Festival, along with its sequelSarkar Raj, which premiered at the2008 Cannes Film Festival and the9th IIFA World Premiere-Bangkok, and was archived at theAcademy of Motion Pictures library.[31][35][36][37][38] In 2013, he directed adocudrama,The Attacks of 26/11, showcased to critical acclaim at theBerlin International Film Festival, in the Panorama as well as the Competition section,[39][40] and was premièred atFilms Division of India.[41][42][43] The film received highly positive reviews, with critics praising Varma's narrative of assistant commissioner N. R. Mahale, and the discrepancies associated with Mahale's interaction withAjmal Kasab on anti terrorism.[44][45][46]
Varma's philosophy is influenced by Russian-American NovelistAyn Rand, PhilosopherFriedrich Nietzsche and authors likeJames Hadley Chase andFrederick Forsyth, as well as byMad magazine.[47] Varma's first runaway hit in Hindi cinema wasShiva (1990), the remake of his 1989 filmSiva.[48] Varma introduced thesteadicam to Indian cinema withSiva.[49] Later, he garnered attention inBollywood with theromantic comedy film,Rangeela (1995) starringAamir Khan.[50] The film won sevenFilmfare Awards.[48][51][52] Rangeela was later remade inHollywood asWin a Date with Tad Hamilton!.[53]
He then directedSatya (1998), which won sixFilmfare Awards, including theCritics Award for Best Film, In 2005,Indiatimes Movies includedSatya in its list of25 Must See Bollywood Movies.[54] Satya was showcased among the Indian panorama section, at the 1998International Film Festival of India,[2][55] Varma received theBimal Roy memorial award for best direction for this film.[56][57] In the same year, he co-producedDil Se.., directed byMani Ratnam, screened at the 1999Berlin Film Festival, and won theNetpac Award, as well as twoNational Film Awards and sixFilmfare Awards.[52]Satya, together with his 2002 filmCompany (which he directed, won threeIIFA Awards, seven Filmfare Awards, and aBollywood Movie Award for best direction, and was premiered at the 2004Austin Film Festival) and the 2005 filmD (which he produced), were also featured in theFribourg International Film Festival, and theNew York Asian Film Festival.[30][31]
In the early 1990s, Varma experimented with thesupernatural thriller,Raat (1991), and theneo-noircrime thriller,Drohi (1992), which were not commercially successful, but gained a cult following post-release.[58][48] During the years between his trilogy, fromSatya in 1998 toD in 2005,[59] Varma implemented different film genres in his craft. In 1999, he directedKaun, a suspensethriller set entirely in one house and featuring only three actors, andMast, a subversion of Hindi cinema'smasala genre.[7] In 2000, he directedJungle, set entirely in ajungle, for which he was nominated for theStar Screen Award for Best Director. In 2003 he directed another supernatural thrillerBhoot on the lines of his earlier hitRaat.Bhoot became a major hit at the box office,[60] and Varma was nominated for theFilmfare Best Director Award for the film.[61]
Bhoot was followed by even morehorror movies, including hit films such asDarna Mana Hai (2003),Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), andPhoonk (2008), gaining Varma the status of ster of the Indianhorror genre.[62] Other experimental productions of Varma includeEk Hasina Thi (2003), apsychological thriller, andAb Tak Chhappan (2004), a film about an inspector in theMumbai Encounter Squad noted for having killed 56 people in encounters, featured at theFantastic Fest.[31] In 2006, he re-made a new installment ofShiva, which was screened at theNew York Asian Film Festival, where in a retrospective featuring Varma's experimental hits such asCompany,Ek Hasina Thi,Ab Tak Chhappan,Sarkar,Contract, andShabri was staged.[31]Shabri was also screened atRome Film Festival.[31][63][64] 2010 film on media,Rann was screened atToronto International Film Festival.[65][66] A two-part bilingualParallel cinemaRakta Charitra (2010), on the theme ofSouth Indian politics, was based on the life ofParitala Ravindra, and Maddela Cheruvu Suri; the film received praise from critics.[67]
Varma started his career in theTelugu film industry as an assistant director on the sets of films such asCollector Gari Abbai andRao Gari Illu. His father Krishnam Raju Varma, was a sound recordist at theAnnapurna Studios. Varma metNagarjuna Akkineni at the studio and narrated a scene to the actor which impressed him.[68] 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.[48]
Kshana Kshanam withVenkatesh,Gaayam withJagapathi Babu andAnaganaga Oka Roju withJ.D. Chakravarthy were successful;Govinda Govinda withNagarjuna proved to be a moderate success at the box office.[69] During this period, Varma produced films such asMoney (1993),Money Money (1994), andGulabi (1995). Other films by Varma inTelugu includeDeyyam (1996),Prema Katha (1999),Madhyanam Hathya (2004),Katha Screenplay Darsakatvam Appalaraju (2011),Rowdy (2014),Ice Cream (2014), andAnukshanam (2014).[21][70] Varma introduced online auction based film distribution model for this venture, and tasted success.[71]
Varma's notable mainstream works in Hindi cinema includeDaud (1997),Darna Zaroori Hai (2006),Nishabd (2007),Darling (2007), andPhoonk (2008). Bollywood film makers such asAnurag Kashyap,Madhur Bhandarkar,Puri Jagannadh,E. Nivas,Prawaal Raman,Krishna Vamsi, andVishram Sawant assisted Varma, before venturing into direction.[9] In 1993, he scripted theTamil thrillerThiruda Thiruda, screened atToronto International Film Festival.[72][73][74] In 2015, Varma was fined for Rs 10 Lakhs, for an alleged copyright violation with the filmAag (2007).[75] He made his directorial debut inKannada cinema with the thrillerKilling Veerappan.[76] In 2023, Ram Gopal Varma announced his retirement from political filmmaking, declaring'Shapadham' as his final project.[77]
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.[78] The show is noted for its fresh and witty appeal. The show focuses on Varma'sPoint of View on social issues such as Education, Religion, Mythology, Children, Crime, Death, Anger, Godmen, Woman, Philosophy, Cinema etc. The show is hosted bySwapna, the managing editor ofSakshi TV.
He has also made a documentary calledGod, Sex and Truth with adult actressMia Malkova.[79]
Varma wrote an autobiography titledNa Ishtam ("As I Please"), which discusses his life experiences and philosophy. 'Naa Ishtam' was released in December 2010 at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad.[80]Sirasri, poet, lyricist and writer wrote a biographical book on the interactions he had with Ram Gopal Varma with the titleVodka With Varma. DirectorPuri Jagannadh launched the book in December 2012.
In November 2015, Varma published his bookGuns 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 Hindi cinema idols, hislive-in relationship withSuchitra Krishnamoorthi, his relationship with the media and the controversies dogging him, his philosophy of life, andIndian cinema.[81] On this occasion, Varma said "I dedicated my book toAyn Rand,Bruce Lee,Urmila Matondkar,Amitabh Bachchan, and a few gangsters."[82][83]
Varma was married to Ratna, whom he later divorced.[84] They have a daughter who is a classical dancer.[85]
On 21 October 2025, Ram Gopal posted a tweet from his verifiedTwitter handle celebratingDiwali by comparing the situation inGaza with Diwali festives, where he wrote "In INDIA only one day is DIWALI and in GAZA, every day is DIWALI",[86][87] while the situation in Gaza has been described by leading human rights organizations as agenocide.
In January 2025, Varma was convicted by a Mumbai court in a cheque bounce case and sentenced to three months of simple imprisonment. The case, originating 2018, was filed by a company named Shree, represented by Maheshchandra Mishra, under Section 138 of theNegotiable Instruments Act.[88]
Varma was also ordered to pay a compensation of ₹3.72 lakh to the complainant within three months, failing which he would face an additional three months of imprisonment. Varma was absent during the proceedings, leading to a non-bailable warrant for his arrest.[89]
Varma has garnered theNational Film Award, the Bimal Roy Memorial National Award, seven stateNandi Awards, two BollywoodFilmfare Awards, and fiveBollywood Movie Awards.
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Shool | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi | Won | [19] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Siva | Nandi Award for Best Director | Won | |
| Nandi Award for Best First Film of a Director | Won | |||
| 1991 | Kshana Kshanam | Nandi Award for Best Director | Won | |
| Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer | Won | |||
| 1993 | Money | Nandi Award for Best Feature Film – Silver | Won | |
| 1999 | Prema Katha | Nandi Award for Best Director | Won | |
| Nandi Award for Best Feature Film – Bronze | Won |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rangeela | Filmfare Best Story Award | Won | [90] |
| 1995 | Filmfare Award for Best Director | Nominated | [91] | |
| Filmfare Award for Best Film | Nominated | [91] | ||
| 1998 | Satya | Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie | Won | [92] |
| Filmfare Award for Best Film | Nominated | [91] | ||
| 2003 | Company | Filmfare Award for Best Director | Nominated | [91] |
| Filmfare Award for Best Film | Nominated | [91] | ||
| 2004 | Bhoot | Filmfare Award for Best Director | Nominated | [91] |
| 2006 | Sarkar | Nominated | [91] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Siva | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu | Nominated | |
| 1991 | Kshana Kshanam | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Gaayam | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Anaganaga Oka Roju | Nominated | ||
| Anaganaga Oka Roju | Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Prema Katha | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu | Nominated |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Satya | Bimal Roy Memorial Award for Best Direction | Won | [56][57][93] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Company | IIFA Award for Best Movie | Nominated | [91] |
| IIFA Award for Best Director | Nominated | [91] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Satya | Bollywood Movie Award – Best Director | Won | [94] |
| 2000 | Jungle | Bollywood Movie Award – Best Director | Won | [94] |
| 2002 | Company | Won | [94] | |
| 2003 | Bhoot | Won | [94] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Bhoot | Best Director of The Year | Nominated | [94][95] |
| 2005 | Ab Tak Chhappan | Best Producer of The Year | Nominated | [94][95] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jungle | Screen Award for Best Director | Nominated | [94] |
| 2002 | Company | Screen Award for Best Film | Nominated | [94][96] |
| 2009 | Sarkar Raj | Screen Award for Best Director | Nominated | [94] |
| Year | Film | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sarkar Raj | Stardust Award for Best Director | Nominated | [94] |
| 2010 | Rakta Charitra | Readers Choice Award for Best Director – Action/Thriller | Nominated | [94] |
| Year | Film | Awards | Category | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Siva | Vamsee Berkley Awards | Best Director | Won | [94] |
| 1993 | Gaayam | Akruthi Film Award | Best Director | Won | [94] |
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