V . Ravichandran
Born	Veeraswamy Ravichandran (1961-05-30)30 May 1961 (age 64) Bengaluru,Mysore State, India
Other names	Crazy Star, Kanasugara, Ravi Mama
Occupations	Actor filmmaker composer Lyricist Television Presenter
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Sumathy ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	3, includingManoranjan[1]
Father	N. Veeraswamy[2]
Relatives	Balaji (brother)[3]

Veeraswamy Ravichandran (born 30 May 1961), knownmononymously asRavichandran, is an Indian actor, director, producer, music director, lyricist and editor working predominantly inKannada cinema. The son of film producerN. Veeraswamy, he continues to produce and distribute films under his father's production house, Sri Eswari Productions.^[4] He is popularly referred to as "Crazy Star" by the media and his fans.^[5]

Starting his acting career as a child artist inKula Gowrava (1971), Ravichandran started early as a co-producer for films such asKhadeema Kallaru (1982) andChakravyuha (1983) besides acting in supporting roles. His lead role films started withPremigala Saval (1984),Pralayanthaka (1984) andSwabhimana (1985). He got his career best breakthrough with the filmPremaloka in 1987 for which he directed, produced and acted in the lead role. Since then, Ravichandran films are considered to be technically savvy and lavish in production.^[6] His subsequent films such asRanadheera (1988),Anjada Gandu (1988),Yuddha Kanda (1989),Ramachaari (1991),Mane Devru (1993),Putnanja (1995),Sipayi (1996),Yaare Neenu Cheluve (1998),Preethsod Thappa (1998),Kanasugara (2001),Ekangi (2002),Malla (2004),Drishya (2014) among others have been successful at the box office and made him one of the most prominent personalities in Kannada cinema.

In 2002, for the filmEkangi, Ravichandran wonBest Director,Best Actor andBest Music director awards at theKarnataka State Film Awards. Besides he has wonSpecial Jury Award forShanti Kranti (1991). In addition to these, Ravichandran has been honored withKarnataka State Puttanna Kanagal Award for Lifetime Achievements,Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South,Kannada Rajyotsava Award on 2010,Udaya Film Award for Best Supporting Actor forAham Premasmi (2005) andNTR National Award in 2013.^[7] He has been honored withDoctorate twice, fromBangalore University andCMR University, in his career.^[8]

Ravichandran was born on 30 May 1961 in Bengaluru, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India to Tamil MudaliyarN. Veeraswamy and Pattammal. N. Veeraswamy was a producer of Kannada films. Ravichandran married Sumathi, onValentine's Day 1986.^[9] The couple has a daughter Geethanjali, and two sons Manoranjan and Vikram. Manoranjan made his acting debut withSaheba (2017).^[10][11]

Ravichandran made his first on screen appearance as child actor inDhoomakethu (1968) andKula Gourava (1971) - both starringDr. Rajkumar, the latter also being his father's first film as an independent producer in which he played the younger role of Rajkumar in the film.^[12] Later in 1982, at 20, he became an independent producer with the filmPrema Mathsara under "Ravi Cine Creations" banner. Following this, he began to act as well as co-produce along with his father for the films such asKhadeema Kallaru (1982),Chakravyuha (1983) and itsHindi remakeInquilaab (1984) starringAmitabh Bachchan andSridevi in lead roles. WhileChakravyuha turned out to be commercially successful, its Hindi remake was an average grosser. This was followed byPralayanthaka for which he acted in the lead role for the first time besides co-producing. In 1985, Ravichandran ventured intoTamil cinema by producing theSivaji Ganesan,Rajinikanth starrerPadikkathavan. This was a remake of Hindi filmKhud-Daar (1982).^[13] He continued to enact and co-produce films such asSavira Sullu andNaanu Nanna Hendthi through which his long association with directorD. Rajendra Babu started.^[14] Alongside, he also featured as second lead in films such asPithamaha andSwabhimana. In 1986, he starred in Tamil film,Poi Mugangal based on the novelKakitha Changiligal (transl. Paper chains) by writerSujatha.^[15] He was credited as Rakesh in order not to confuse the audience with the other Tamil actor,Ravichandran.^[16]

The year 1987 proved to be biggest breakthrough for Ravichandran with his debut directorial film,Premaloka. The film achieved a cult-status years after its release and is considered to be one of the milestone successes in Kannada cinema. The film becamethe highest grossing Kannada film of the year.^[17] Besides directing, producing and scripting, Ravichandran enacted in the lead role along with Bollywood actress-modelJuhi Chawla, who delivered her first hit in her career.^[18] The film's music byHamsalekha was highly acclaimed and the audio cassettes amounting to 35 Lakhs, a record high, were sold byLahari Audio company.^[19] The film also marked the decades long association of Ravichandran with music director Hamsalekha.^[20] The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil asParuva Ragam and released at the same time.

In 1988, Ravichandran appeared in Rajachandra's ensemble dramaBrahma Vishnu Maheshwara alongsideAnant Nag andAmbarish where he played the role of Lawyer Narayan. This was followed by two blockbuster hitsRanadheera andAnjada Gandu. While the former, a remake ofSubhash Ghai's hit filmHero, was a silver jubilee hit with a theatrical run of 25 weeks and was declared aBlockbuster at the box office and recorded 108 days of full-house shows in a theatre,^[21] the latter film was a remake of 1984 Tamil filmThambikku Entha Ooru and was declared blockbuster hit.^[22] Both the films had Ravichandran pairing up with actressKhushbu who made her debut in Kannada cinema. This was followed by back-to-back successes withYuddha Kaanda andYuga Purusha, both in 1989. The same year he reunited with Juhi Chawla and directed the filmKindari Jogi which could not replicate the success ofPremaloka.

Throughout the 1990s, Ravichandran expanded his career horizons by collaborating with different directors and most of the films released in this decade had musical score byHamsalekha.^[23] He worked with leading directors such asP. Vasu,Rajendra Singh Babu,Om Sai Prakash andD. Rajendra Babu. His association with D. Rajendra Babu is very successful, resulting in several hits, includingNaanu Nanna Hendthi (1985),Ramachaari (1991),Sriramachandra (1992),Annayya (1993) andYaare Neenu Cheluve (1998).^[24]

In 1991, Ravichandran's ambitious pan-Indian film,Shanti Kranti (1991) was released which was in the making since 1988. He cast Juhi Chawla for the third time afterPremaloka andKindari Jogi in the opposite lead role. The film was simultaneously shot in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. WhileRajinikanth played the lead in the Hindi and Tamil versions,Nagarjuna was the lead in Telugu version. Made at a budget of Rs.10 crore, it was the most expensive Indian film till then.^[25] Upon its release, the film was panned by critics and was declared as a disaster at the box office, earning only Rs.8 crore worldwide. This loss made a huge impact on Ravichandran and he went bankrupt. To make up for this huge loss, he began to act in films directed by others such asRamachaari (1991),Halli Meshtru (1992),Chikkejamanru (1992),Gadibidi Ganda (1993),Annayya (1993).

He returned to direction with filmsMane Devru (1993),Chinna (1994),Putnanja (1995),Sipayi (1996),Kalavida (1997),Preethsod Thappa (1998) and found success again. ForSipayi he roped in Telugu actorChiranjeevi in the parallel lead role. Most of the films released during this decade were the remakes of successful Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Throughout the 1990s, Ravichandran paired up with actresses likeMeena,Gouthami,Madhoo,Sukanya,Bhanupriya,Roja,Ramya Krishna,Yamuna,Kasthuri,Heera,Nagma andShilpa Shetty, who made their debut in Kannada cinema.

Ravichandran and Hamsalekha collaboration exceeded over 20 films in the 1990s. The success ofPremaloka paved the way for this collaboration and throughout the 90s untilPreethsod Thappa (1998), their bonding was considered to be strong. However, they fell apart in 1999 over creative differences and Ravichandran himself started composing music for his films. The end of their long-standing partnership proved to be unsuccessful for both of them.^[26] In 1999, Ravichandran scored music, besides acting, for films such asNaanu Nanna Hendthiru,Sneha,O PremaveandChora Chittha Chora. In the year 2000, he directed and appeared inO Nanna Nalle, a remake of Tamil filmThullatha Manamum Thullum, alongsideIsha Koppikar. The film was successful at the box-office.

In 2001, Ravichandran continued acting in several remake films under different production banners includingRockline Productions'Usire, Sa Ra Govindu producedKanasugara andVyjayanthi Movies bankrolled filmPremakke Sai. All these films were remakes of successful Tamil and Telugu projects. The year 2002 proved another setback for Ravichandran who embarked on an ambitious filmEkangi. Shot inside a massive glass mansion built at a cost of Rs.80 lakh, the film promised to be a unique take on loneliness. Despite garnering theKarnataka State Film Awards in various segments (including Best Director and Best Music director) and favorable reviews, the musical film failed to please the audience and by his own admission, the film wrecked the actor on multiple levels^[27] In 2003, Ravichandran featured inOndagona Baa, a remake of Telugu film,Kalisundam Raa (2000) which was considered to be a reunion film with Hamsalekha. However, the film underperformed at the box office.

In 2004, Ravichandran tasted success through his directorial,Malla which hadPriyanka Upendra in the opposite lead. The film was declared a musical blockbuster upon its release and recovered most of the losses incurred through his earlier failure projects. However this success was short-lived with his next directorialAham Premasmi failed at the box-office despite receiving positive reviews.^[28][29] The film starred Ravichandran's brotherBalaji andAarti Chhabria in the lead roles. Following this, a string of average unsuccessful films continued to release until he switched over to character roles in late 2010s.

After having moderate success in his previous lead role films, Ravichandran accepted to play as a father to actorSudeepa in the filmMaanikya (2014). The film, upon release, drew a major critical acclaim from critics particularly lauding the performances of both actors and their on-screen chemistry.^{[30][31][32][33][34]} This critical acclaim continued with his next release,Drishya (2014), a remake of Malayalam filmDrishyam, where he played the role portrayed byMohanlal in the original version. Upon release, the performances of Ravichandran,Navya Nair andAsha Sarath received overwhelmingly positive reviews, along with the film's screenplay.^[35][36][37]

His next directorial filmApoorva (2016) was a love story which takes place between a 61-year-old man and 19-year-old girl. The film was declared a "flop" at the box-office.^[38] Later in the year, he appeared in the successful filmMungaru Male 2 directed byPreetham Gubbi and played the role ofGanesh's father. He teamed up again with Sudeepa, this time playing his brother's role in the filmHebbuli (2007). After a string of unsuccessful films, he took up the role ofLord Krishna, his first mythological role, for the filmKurukshetra (2019), which was based on the epic poemGadhayuddha byRanna,^[39][40][41] which itself was based on the Indian epicMahabharata.^[42][43]

In 2021, he reprised his role of Rajendra Bopanna inDrishya 2, a sequel toDrishya. The film released to positive reviews and was a decent hit at the box-office.^[44] In 2022, he played the titular role inRavi Bopanna a remake of Malayalam filmJoseph.^[45][46] A critic fromBangalore Mirror reviewed expressing "Ravichandran's fans will enjoy this flick as he is the hero as well as the villain and also as crazy as they love him to be".^[47]

In 2023, Ravichandran appeared in the action dramaKranti directed byV. Harikrishna and playedDarshan's father role. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics^[48] His next film scheduled for release isKD - The Devil starringDhruva Sarja in the lead role.

He started his company Eswari Audio later to be known as Eswari Entertainments. He was also awarded as the Best Musical Director on the state level. He not only brought the trend of Big-Budget Movies to Kannada cinema but also brought in Digital Grading technology. He started selling music cassettes through cable operators to beat piracy. Ravichandran was also seen on television as a judge in Dancing-star season-2 on Colors Kannada.^[49]

Year	Film	Credited as					Notes
		Director	Producer	Writer	Music director	Editor
1982	Prema Matsara
	Khadeema Kallaru
1983	Chakravyuha
1984	Inquilaab						Hindi Film
	Pralayanthaka
1985	Savira Sullu
	Naanu Nanna Hendthi
	Padikkadavan						Tamil Film
1987	Premaloka
	Paruva Ragam						Tamil film
1988	Ranadheera			Screenplay
1989	Kindari Jogi
1991	Ramachaari
	Shanti Kranti						Telugu Film
	Nattukku Oru Nallavan						Tamil Film
	Shanti Kranti						Hindi Film
1992	Halli Meshtru
	Gopi Krishna
1993	Mane Devru
1994	Chinna
1995	Putnanja
1996	Sipayi
1997	Kalavida
	Mommaga			Screenplay
	Cheluva
1998	Preethsod Thappa
1999	Naanu Nanna Hendthiru
	Sneha
	O Premave
	Chora Chittha Chora
2000	Mahathma
	Preethsu Thappenilla
	O Nanna Nalle
2002	Ekangi
	Kodanda Rama
2004	Malla
2005	Ayya			Lyrics
	Aham Premasmi
	Thunta			Lyrics
	Pandu Ranga Vittala
2006	Hatavadi
	Neelakanta
2010	Hoo			Screenplay
	Aithalakkadi			Lyrics
	Naariya Seere Kadda			Lyrics
2014	Crazy Star
2016	Apoorva
2022	Ravi Bopanna			Screenplay

Cinema Express Awards

• Cinema Express Award For Best Debut Director -Premaloka - 1987
• Cinema Express Award For Best Actor -Premaloka - 1987
• Cinema Express Award For Best Director -Ranadheera - 1989

Karnataka State Film Awards

• Karnataka State Film Award (Special Jury Award) –Shanti Kranti
• Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor –Ekangi (2001–02)
• Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director forEkangi (2001–02)
• Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director forEkangi (2001–02)
• Puttanna Kanagal Award for Lifetime Achievement (2005–06)

Other Awards

• Suvarna Film Awards for Lifetime Achievement
• Rajyotsava Awards (2010)
• Udaya Film Award for Best Supporting Actor –Aham Premasmi
• NTR National Award - 2013
• Honorary Doctorate FromCMR University - 2019
• Honorary Doctorate FromBangalore university - 2022^[54]

• Ravichandran atIMDb

• Living people
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• 21st-century Indian male actors
• Indian male film actors
• Male actors in Kannada cinema
• Kannada film score composers
• Kannada film directors
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• Kannada film producers
• Kannada male actors
• Kannada-language lyricists
• Indian male songwriters
• Indian songwriters
• 20th-century Indian composers
• 21st-century Indian composers
• Musicians from Bengaluru
• Film producers from Bengaluru
• Male actors in Tamil cinema
• Tamil film directors
• Film directors from Bengaluru
• Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2010
• Indian male film score composers
• 20th-century Indian male musicians
• 21st-century Indian male musicians
• 1961 births
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