Ram Gopal Varma, 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 films and television. [1] Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. [2] Regarded as one of the pioneers and prolific filmmakers of new age Indian cinema. [3]
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. [4] [5] Satya and Company , in particular, were cited by British director Danny Boyle as influences on him for their "slick, often mesmerizing portrayals of the Mumbai underworld", their display of "brutality and urban violence". [6] [7] [8]
Year | Title [8] | Language | Director [9] | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Siva | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Debut | |
1990 | Shiva | Hindi | Yes | Debut in Hindi cinema, Remake of Siva | ||
1991 | Kshana Kshanam | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Dubbed into Hindi as Hairaan | |
1992 |
| Yes | Yes | |||
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
1993 | Gaayam | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Based on The Godfather | |
Money | Telugu | Yes | ||||
Thiruda Thiruda | Tamil | Yes | ||||
1994 | Govinda Govinda | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Money Money | Telugu | Yes | ||||
1995 | Rangeela | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Gulabi | Telugu | Yes | ||||
1996 | Deyyam | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Anaganaga Oka Roju | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
1997 | Daud | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Based on his film kshana kshanam | |
Wife of V. Varaprasad | Telugu | Yes | ||||
1998 | Satya | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
Dil Se.. | Hindi | Yes | Co-Produced along with Mani Ratnam and Shekhar Kapur | |||
1999 | Prema Katha | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Kaun | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Mast | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Shool | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
2000 | Jungle | Hindi | Yes | |||
2001 | Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega | Hindi | Yes | Remake of Money | ||
Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya | Hindi | Yes | ||||
2002 | Company | Hindi | Yes | |||
Road | Hindi | Yes | ||||
2003 | Bhoot | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
Darna Mana Hai | Hindi | Yes | Anthology | |||
2004 | Ek Hasina Thi | Hindi | Yes | |||
Ab Tak Chhappan | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Vaastu Shastra | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Gayab | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Naach | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
Madhyanam Hathya | Telugu | Yes | ||||
2005 | My Wife's Murder | Hindi | Yes | Remake of Madhyanam Hathya | ||
Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon | Hindi | Yes | ||||
D | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
James | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Sarkar | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Mr Ya Miss | Hindi | Yes | ||||
2006 | Darwaza Bandh Rakho | Hindi | Yes | |||
Shock | Telugu | Yes | ||||
Shiva | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
Darna Zaroori Hai | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Anthology story segment imaginary ghost | ||
2007 | Nishabd | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Darling | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Go | Hindi | Yes | ||||
2008 | Sarkar Raj | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Contract | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Phoonk | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
Raksha | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Remake of Phoonk | ||
2009 | Agyaat | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Based on Predator |
2010 | Rann | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
Rakta Charitra |
| Yes | Yes | |||
Rakta Charitra 2 |
| Yes | Yes | |||
Phoonk 2 | Hindi | Yes | ||||
2011 | Katha Screenplay Darsakatvam Appalaraju | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Shabri | Hindi | Yes | ||||
Dongala Mutha | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Bejawada | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Not a Love Story | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
2012 | Department | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
Bhoot Returns | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
2013 | The Attacks of 26/11 | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Based on 2008 Mumbai Attacks | |
Psycho | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Satya 2 |
| Yes | Yes | |||
2014 | Rowdy | Telugu | Yes | Yes | Based on Sarkar | |
Ice Cream | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Anukshanam | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Ice Cream 2 | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
2015 | 365 Days | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
2016 | Killing Veerappan | Kannada | Yes | Yes | ||
Attack | Telugu | Yes | ||||
Veerappan | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Remake of Killing Veerappan | ||
Vangaveeti | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
2017 | Sarkar 3 | Hindi | Yes | |||
2018 | Officer | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Bhairava Geetha |
| Yes | Yes | |||
2019 | Lakshmi's NTR | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Amma Rajyam Lo Kadapa Biddalu | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
2020 | Beautiful | Hindi | Presenter | |||
Murder | Telugu | Yes | ||||
Corona Virus | Telugu | Yes | ||||
2021 | D Company | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
12 'O' Clock | Hindi | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Deyyam | Telugu | Yes | ||||
2022 | Konda | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Dangerous | Telugu | Yes | Yes | |||
Ladki: Dragon Girl | Hindi | Yes | Yes | |||
2024 | Vyuham | Telugu | Yes | Yes | ||
Kalki 2898 AD | Telugu | Cameo Appearance | ||||
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Darna Mana Hai | Yes | |||
2019 | Guns and Thighs | Yes | Yes | ||
2021 | Idhi Mahabharatam Kaadhu | Yes | Yes | ||
2022 | Dhahanam | Yes |
Year | Title | Language | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | A day in the life of Lakshmi Manchu's feet | Silent | Yes | |||
2017 | Meri Beti Sunny Leone Banna Chaahti Hai | Hindi | Yes | Yes | ||
2018 | God, Sex and Truth | English | Yes | |||
2020 | Climax | Telugu | Yes | Released on RGV World / ShreyasET [11] | ||
Naked | Telugu | Yes | Released on RGV World / ShreyasET [12] | |||
Power Star | Telugu | Yes | Released on RGV World [13] | |||
Thriller | Hindi | Yes | Released on RGV World [14] |
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma, 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. Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. Regarded as one of the pioneers of new age Indian cinema, he was featured in the BBC World series Bollywood Bosses in 2004. 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.
Company is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Jaideep Sahni. The film stars Mohanlal, Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Manisha Koirala, Antara Mali, and Seema Biswas. It marks Mohanlal's debut in Hindi cinema. It is the second film of Ram Gopal Varma's gangster trilogy and a sequel to Satya (1998). Company follows Chandu, a henchman of a gangster named Malik, with whom he forms a rapport that eventually falls apart after tension arises between them.
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, or simply, Aag (transl. Fire) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action drama film produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film features Mohanlal, Amitabh Bacchan, Ajay Devgn, Prashant Raj Sachdev, Sushmita Sen, J. D. Chakravarthy, and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi in principal roles.
Satya (transl. Truth) is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language crime film, produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma; written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap. It stars J. D. Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpayee, alongside Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Shrivastava and Paresh Rawal. It is the first of Varma's Gangster trilogy about organised crime in India. The film follows Satya (Chakravarthy), an immigrant who comes to Mumbai looking for a job, befriends Bhiku Mhatre (Bajpayee) and is drawn into the Mumbai underworld.
Priyanka Kothari, often credited as Nisha Kothari or Amoha, is an Indian former actress and model. She has appeared in Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. She has frequently appeared in Ram Gopal Varma films.
Naan Aval Adhu is an unreleased Indian Tamil-language horror film directed by Kona Venkat. Madhavan, Shamita Shetty and Sadha featured in the leading roles, while the film had songs and score composed by four music directors including G. V. Prakash Kumar and Dharan. A remake of the Hindi film, Darling (2007), the film was initially launched in 2006 as Ram Gopal Varma's production, but was eventually sold to Storm Pictures after Varma, Venkat and Madhavan had gone through creative differences. During post-production, the unit experienced further difficulties after the producer had failed to pay technicians, and subsequently the film did not have a theatrical release.
KSS Limited is a media company headquartered in Mumbai, in India. KSS is a publicly listed company, currently listed on the BSE and NSE. It has been delisted from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The company has distributed over 100 films and produced 28. KSS focuses on the entertainment film business; with three business entities focusing on digital cinema rollout, the building of miniplex cinema screens, and alternative content programming in cinema theatres, respectively.
Contract is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language action drama film written by Prashant Pandey and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film is set against the backdrop of terrorism and the infiltration by R.A.W. and the Intelligence Bureau.
Siva is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language crime action film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and produced by Akkineni Venkat and Yarlagadda Surendra under Annapurna Studios and SS Creations. The film, which marks the directorial debut of Ram Gopal Varma, explores the concepts of student exploitation by anti-social elements and the impact of crowd psychology.
Nilesh Dashrath Girkar is an Indian scriptwriter who works for Hindi and Telugu films. He started his career writing for Ram Gopal Varma's Agyaat (2009). He has also written Ram Gopal Varma’s Department (2012), Sarkar 3, and Nana Patekar's Ab Tak Chhappan 2 (2015).
The Attacks of 26/11 is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, based on the book Kasab: The Face of 26/11 by Rommel Rodrigues about Ajmal Kasab, perpetrator of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The film stars Sanjeev Jaiswal in his film debut, playing the role of terrorist Ajmal Kasab, with art direction by Uday Singh. It also features Nana Patekar in a pivotal role. A seven-minute promo of the film was released over the Internet on 23 November 2012.
Sanjeev Jaiswal is an Indian actor known for his roles in Hindi films. Jaiswal made his debut in the film Shaitan in which he played the role of a police informer. He then featured in the film The Attacks of 26/11, a film based on the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which he played lead role of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab.
Gangster is an Indian Hindi and Telugu-language crime thriller franchise written, directed and produced by Ram Gopal Varma. It is based on the Indian mafia organization D-Company, known to be run by Dawood Ibrahim. The first film came in 1998: the critically acclaimed Satya, later followed by Company and then the prequel D, with storylines based on the Mumbai underworld. Satya has won six Filmfare Awards, including the Critics Award for Best Film. These three films make up the original Gangster trilogy.
Satya 2 is a 2013 Indian crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages, the film stars Puneet Singh Ratn (Hindi), Sharwanand (Telugu), Anaika Soti and Mahesh Thakur. The film tells the story of Satya, an immigrant who comes to Mumbai aiming to refashion the Mumbai underworld. The film is the fourth installment of the Gangster series, unrelated to the original trilogy.
Ice Cream is a 2014 Telugu-language horror film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. It stars Navdeep and Tejaswi Madivada. It is the first Indian movie to be filmed with Flowcam System Technology and was released on 12 July 2014. The film deals with a character that is obsessed with eating ice cream and suffers from a nightmare disorder. Upon release, the film became a blockbuster at the box office.
12 'O' Clock is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and starring Mithun Chakraborty, Flora Saini, Manav Kaul, Krishna Gautam and Makarand Deshpande. The film was first announced with the name Geher, but the following trailer revealed it had been renamed 12 'O' Clock on 3 July 2020. It was released in India on 8 January 2021.
Lakshmi's NTR is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language biographical drama film based on the life of former film actor and chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao from the perspective of his second wife, Lakshmi Parvati as well as Rao during his last days. It is co-directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and Agasthya Manju.
Anketa Maharana, credited as Apsara Rani, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Telugu films.
Aasha Encounter is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language docudrama film based on the 2019 gang assault and subsequent killing of a young woman in Hyderabad. It is written and directed by Anand Chandra. The film was released on 1 January 2022.
Ladki: Dragon Girl alternatively titled is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language martial-arts film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and Jing Liu under an Indo-Chinese production. The film stars Pooja Bhalekar, Miya Muqi, Rajpal Yadav, and Abhimanyu Singh in pivotal roles. Costumes were designed by Shreya Banerjee. It was simultaneously dubbed and released in Chinese, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam languages in the maximum number of theaters for an Indian film.