Ram Gopal Varma

April 7, 1962 — Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India

Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema and Bollywood. One of the most acclaimed filmmakers in India during the 1990s and 2000s, he directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. The pioneering director of new age Indian cinema, Varma is widely known for presenting the Indian Political and the Indian Gangster film trilogies. His 1998 film Satya has often been regarded as one of the greatest films made in India, and one of Hindi cinema's most influential films, particularly within the crime genre. Satya was listed in CNN-IBN's 100 greatest Indian films of all time.