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"Newsmakers from Hyderabad"

Ram Gopal Varma is a whiz with a clear-cut vision. This civil engineer turned director producer was a movie freak right from his childhood. At Siddhardha Engineering College, AP, he was a regular movie goer. In a week, he used to see 8 to 10 movies and he used to go to the same movie again and again just to watch certain scenes which interested him. 

An engineer by profession is said to have worked as an engineer in one of the star hotels in Hyderabad for just Rs 800 per month long time back when it was being constructed. And today he is now one of the most sought after directors of India who has made Hyderabad as one of the base for his film productions.

His mother acknowledged his love for films right from his childhood and called him movie crazy. Obviously he did not get any support on this from his parents who wanted him to make good as an engineer. No one expected him to make such an impact on Indian film field. He shot into fame with his very first movie "Siva", the film that wrote box office history of Telugu movies at the age of 28. It is difficult to believe that this was his maiden venture. He is credited with the script, the screenplay and direction.

His unwavering interest in movies made him script "Siva". He found an earnest listener in Nagarjuna, who had the guts to experiment with variety. Nagarjuna, as the right kind of soft and tough guy, fitted the hero's bill well. Stickler for perfection, Ram Gopal's "Siva" is a perfect blend of story, full of violence, fun and love by the roadside. While it took some of his peers over two decades to build their image as successful directors , he achieved it in 3 years He won 1991 A.P. Government's Nandi award as Best Director. 

'Kshana Kshanam', known for its excellent technique won as many as four awards. 'Raatri', the songless horror movie in which he used some special effects did wonders to his image. 'Money', a commercial offbeat movie followed suit. While it took some of his peers over two decades to be branded as successful, he achieved it in about four years.   

Rangeela marked the entry of Varma to Bollywood and was a box office success. Then followed a not so successful Daud. Come Satya and Varma moved into the big league of directors. Satya has turned out to be the critics' delight, besides doing well at the box office and brought the best from a unpopular actor like Manoj Bajpai.

During his amazing career in Bollywood, Ram Gopal Verma has established himself as one of the industry's most talented and creative directors. His last film "Company"  had the director back on form with a gritty and realistic story based around India's underworld and terrorism. His 'Bhoot' was also another exception film.

With the usual types of big budget Bollywood love stories flopping, it looks like the audience are truly after something different at the moment. With Ram Gopal Verma's 'Sarkar',that's exactly what they are going to get.

-July' 2005

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