Happy birthday Ram Gopal Varma: Five lesser known but laudable Telugu films by the maverick filmmaker

On the occasion of Ram Gopal Varma’s birthday, here are 5 lesser known Telugu films made by the filmmaker.

When we discus Ram Gopal Varma and his work, the focus automatically shifts to some of his widely popular films. From Siva to Satya and Company; there’s no doubt that the filmmaker was way ahead of his time when he started making films. However, before making inroads into Bollywood and getting celebrated as a pan-Indian filmmaker, RGV made a strong impact with some path breaking Telugu films. Here are five lesser known but praiseworthy Telugu films from the filmmaker.

Here are 5 Telugu films made by Ram Gopal Varma.

Gaayam

Cut from the same cloth as Akkineni Nagarjuna’s Siva, Gaayam is one of the best political thrillers to come out of Telugu cinema. Featuring Jagapathi Babu as Durga, a man who is forced to turn to rowdyism to avenge the death of his brother, the film was lauded for its taut narration and no-nonsense take on politics. Till date, the film remains as one of the best works of Jagapathi Babu, who delivered a fiery performance as the man who yearns for revenge but at the same time is determined to change the system. Following the film’s grand success, RGV and Jagapathi Babu reunited for Gaayam 2, which turned to be a disaster.

Kshana Kshanam

Ram Gopal Varma is known to be the pioneer of many genres. From underworld, horror to road movies, he has delivered many memorable films in each of these genres over the years. Quite early on in his career, Varma introduced Indian audiences to the road film genre and film-noir via Kshana Kshanam, a film that was truly exceptional in its treatment. The film was centered on Chandu (played by Venkatesh), a small time thief and Satya (Sridevi), a working class girl. When an envelope containing, clue to where loot worth Rs 1 crore is hidden, accidentally lands in the hands of Satya, her life gets messy and she’s forced to go on the run to save herself. Sridevi’s performance of a hapless girl stuck in a tight spot, won her multiple awards.

Deyyam

After tasting success with multiple genres such as crime and road films, RGV gave Telugu audiences a taste of the supernatural genre via Deyyam, a highly underrated horror film starring JD Chakravarthy and Maheswari. The film earned mixed response at the box-office but is considered even today as one of the best horror films to have been made by the auteur. If you’re looking for movie options worth checking out in this lockdown, you should consider giving Deyyam a try, for you’ll be pleasantly surprised. For its sound design and overall good performances by the ensemble cast, the film works even today when you revisit.

Anaganaga Oka Roju

One year after the release of Deyyam, Ram Gopal Varma returned with Anaganaga Ok Raju, a romantic thriller that is centered on an eloped couple and how get they get entangled in a murder case. Continuing his collaboration with JD Chakravarthy, the film established the actor as a bankable star and he went on to shine in many films. The film was partially a romantic thriller and partially a road movie but it didn’t get its due and has aged as one of the lesser known gems from RGV.

Vangaveeti

Having lost his form in between with several unworthy films in the last decade in Telugu, Varma made a strong comeback with political crime thriller Vangaveeti (2016), based on the life of rowdy-turned-politician Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga and his elder brother Vangaveeti Radha Krishna. This depiction of gang rivalry (set in 1980s Vijayawada) for power and revenge is nothing but a bloodbath; it’s about a series of murders, and the precision and planning that went behind each one, and how gruesomely they are portrayed on screen. There’s nothing more to this story even though it’s one with a lot of potential.

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