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Ram Gopal Varma turns 63: His obsession for Sridevi and 9 lesser-known facts about renowned filmmaker
Check out the 9 lesser-known facts about director Ram Gopal Varma as he celebrates his 63rd birthday today.
Ram Gopal Varma has consistently been an enigma within the film industry. His path, which began as an engineering student and led to the establishment of a video store to delve into filmmaking, is far from typical. As he marks his birthday on April 7, let's take a closer look and reveal 9 lesser-known facts about him, including a few controversial ones.
9 Lesser-known facts about Ram Gopal Varma
1. Ram Gopal Varma started his career as an engineer
Ram Gopal Varma started as a civil engineer before stepping into films. He earned his BE degree in Civil Engineering from V.R. Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada. But even during his college years, his true passion was cinema as he often bunked classes to watch films. That’s how his journey toward filmmaking began.
2. Started a video store in Hyderabad
Ram Gopal Varma briefly worked as a site engineer for the Krishna Oberoi hotel in Hyderabad. Planning to move to Nigeria for better earnings, he visited a video rental store and was inspired to start his own in Ameerpet. Through it, he built industry contacts. After assisting on a few films, he got his big break directing Siva in 1989.
3. Introduced AR Rahman to Bollywood
AR Rahman made his Bollywood debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s Rangeela in 1995. The film starred Aamir Khan and Urmila Matondkar as the main leads. Its music became such a huge hit that the legendary composer earned widespread praise and multiple awards.
4. Worked as an assistant director in Tollywood
Ram Gopal Varma began his journey in Telugu cinema as an assistant director on films like Rao Gari Illu and Collector Gari Abbai. His father, Krishnam Raju Varma, worked as a sound recordist at Annapurna Studios. There, RGV met Nagarjuna and impressed him with a scene narration and this led to his big break with Siva.
5. Took a dig at Rajinikanth
Ram Gopal Varma has often made headlines for his critical remarks about Rajinikanth. In 2016, he stirred controversy by comparing him with Amitabh Bachchan on X. One tweet claimed that Robot would have done better with the veteran Bollywood actor, while Te3n would fail with Rajinikanth.
6. Mocked Karan Johar
Ram Gopal Varma and Karan Johar have long shared a strained relationship. In 2013, RGV sparked controversy on Teachers’ Day with tweets mocking the profession. He later targeted Karan, saying a film titled Teacher of the Year, inspired by Student of the Year, would end up as Disaster of the Year.
7. RGV's obsession for Sridevi
In his autobiography Guns and Thighs, Ram Gopal Varma devoted a chapter to Sridevi and expressed deep admiration for her. Opening up about working with India's first female superstar, Varma wrote in the book, "Kshana Kashanam was my love letter to Sridevi. Throughout the making of the film, I just couldn't take my eyes off her. Her charm, her beauty, her personality and her demeanour were a new discovery for me. She had an invisible wall around her, and she did not let anyone cross that."
8. Rumored to be dating Urmila Matondkar
Multiple reports claim that Ram Gopal Varma played a part in affecting Urmila Matondkar's career. Their association began with Rangeela, and he continued casting her in several projects. Soon, rumours of their alleged affair spread. This reportedly created problems in RGV’s marriage. His wife, Ratna, is said to have even slapped Urmila after learning about their closeness.
9. Insulted a woman while partying
Ram Gopal Varma has earlier stirred controversy after a video of him went viral on social media. In the clip, he was seen partying at a nightclub and pouring alcohol on a woman while dancing. Despite several backlashes, he never removed the video from his Instagram handle.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
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