Happy to have associated with big names in the industry: Gopal Ram

Writer-director-producer-actor

Gopal Ram

is thrilled to have completed 35 years of his journey in the city and the industry. Recalling the first time he came to Chennai, he says, “After working as an assistant director in Attenborough's Gandhi and another film, Heat And Dust, I came to Chennai in 1984. I became a member of the South Indian Film Directors Association, now called TANTIS, in 1986. I got an opportunity to work with renowned film directors KS Sethuraman, K Bapaiah, K Raghavendra Rao, Rajasekharan, Murlimohan Rao, B Gopal, Manivannan and Bapu as an associate director. I still remember during the making of the Hindi film

Gangvaa

, Rajinikanth sir, who played the lead, used to call me Junior Rahi Masum Raja, a well-known dialogue writer. That’s because whenever he wanted to reduce the size of a scene, he would say, ‘Kahan hai hameara jr Rahi Masum Raja Gopal Ram’, and I would sit with the director and Rajini sir to reduce the scene.”

Talking about his first film as a writer, Gopal Ram says, “It was the Hindi version of Ram Gopal Varma’s Kshana Kshanam, Hairaan, which was a super hit. Then, I also worked on the Hindi version of Rajini sir’s

Baasha

, which was a good hit. Some of the favourite films I’ve worked on are

Anniyan

, Puli, Spyder, Periyar, Rajkumara and Madura Raja. I have done 175 movies from south to Hindi and Hindi to south languages.”

He has also directed two films, Bobbie and Thirumaal Perumai, in Tamil, and Anokha Prenyudh in Hindi, and says the directorial journey was an amazing one. “From working with big names in the industry to winning awards like Dada Saheb Phalke Academy Award, it’s been a great journey. I am now a permanent resident of Chennai. The city has given me so much that I cannot dream of leaving the place. Even though I go to Mumbai every month for about two weeks for dubbing and shooting, I rush back to Chennai,” he says.