G. V. Rama Raju

Biography:

Gottimukkala Venkata Rama Raju (Telugu: గొట్టిముక్కల వెంకట రామరాజు) is an Indian film director and scriptwriter known for his work in Telugu cinema. Hailing from Bhimavaram, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, he has pursued various careers before finding his calling in the film industry. His debut movie, Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu, starring Kranthi and Sri Divya, was well-received by directors Sekhar Kammula, V. V. Vinayak, and Harish Shankar. His second film, Oka Manasu, a romantic drama featuring Niharika Konidela and Naga Shourya, was released in June 2016. His third film, Priyuraalu, another romantic drama starring Prithvi Medavaram, Mounika Kalapala, Kaushik Reddy, and Kamakshi Bhaskarla, was released directly on SonyLIV on 17 September 2021, receiving mixed reviews from critics.

After completing his graduation, Ramaraju initially prepared for civil services exams and even attended interviews. However, he was advised by Dr. S Rao to explore other fields due to concerns about his ability to handle bureaucracy. Given his distant relation to film director Ram Gopal Varma (RGV), he joined RGV’s direction department and worked on films like Deyyam. Following RGV’s advice, he shifted his focus to creative scriptwriting and took a break from his assistant director role.

He briefly worked in the Information Technology field, specializing in Oracle Database, before realizing that his true passion lay in cinema. Returning to the film industry, he joined Eeshwar Nivas’s team for the film Shool. During this time, he formed a strong bond with Anurag Kashyap and collaborated with him on projects like Black Friday and Paanch in Bollywood. Drawing inspiration from his experiences in Bollywood, he returned to Hyderabad to pursue his own ideas. Inspired by Anurag Kashyap’s vision, he embarked on his first Telugu project, Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu, with the goal of creating a film that could compete at film festivals.