Bejawada Gopal is an Indian film director who works in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
. He has directed over 30 Telugu films, including successful films such as ''
Bobbili Raja
''Bobbili Raja'' ( or ) is a 1990 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film co-written and directed by B. Gopal. Produced by D. Suresh under his banner Suresh Productions, it stars Venkatesh and Divya Bharti (in her Telugu debut) whil ...
'', ''
Lorry Driver
A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
'', ''
Assembly Rowdy
''Assembly Rowdy'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action romantic drama film directed by B. Gopal and produced by Mohan Babu. He stars in the lead role along with Divya Bharti. Revolving around a slacker named Shivaji, the film shows his trans ...
'', ''
State Rowdy
''State Rowdy'' is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Chiranjeevi, while Radha, Bhanupriya, Sharada, Rao Gopal Rao, Thiagarajan and Nutan Prasad are among the cast.
Plot
Kalicharan is a rowdy who ki ...
'', ''
Rowdy Inspector
''Rowdy Inspector'' is a 1992 Telugu-language action film produced by T. Trivikrama Rao under the Vijayalakshmi Art Pictures banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayashanti, and music composed by Bappi Lahiri. The ...
'', ''
Samarasimha Reddy
''Samarasimha Reddy'' is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Chengala Venkat Rao under Satyanarayanamma Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Anjala ...
'', ''
Narasimha Naidu
''Narasimha Naidu'' is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action drama film, produced by M.V.Murali Krishna under Venkata Ramana Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Simran, Preeti Jhangiani, ...
'', ''
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
'', ''
Maska''. He won
Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu
The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972. Film world, p 43 Superlatives
*K. Visw ...
for the film ''
Samarasimha Reddy
''Samarasimha Reddy'' is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Chengala Venkat Rao under Satyanarayanamma Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Anjala ...
''. He also directed two
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
films, ''
Insaaf Ki Awaaz
''Insaaf Ki Awaaz'' () is a 1986 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by B. Gopal and produced by D. Rama Naidu under the banner of Suresh Productions. The film stars Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Richa Sharma, Raj Babbar. The music director of th ...
'' and ''
Kanoon Apna Apna
''Kanoon Apna Apna'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action-drama film starring Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit in pivotal roles. The film was a remake of Telugu film '' Collector Gari Abbai''.
Plot
The Collector of Anokhapur, ...
''.
Childhood and early years
B. Gopal was born at
M. Nidamanuru village near
Tangutur
Tangutur is a town in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a mandal headquarters in Ongole revenue division. Nearby towns are Singarayakonda, Kandukur, Prakasam district, Kondapi and the nearest city will be Ongole.
...
,
Prakasam district
Prakasam district is one of the thirteen districts in the coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised in 2022 on April 4. The headquarters of the district is Ongole. It is located on the weste ...
, Andhra Pradesh to B. Venkateswarulu and Mahalakshmi. He has two siblings, one brother Subba Rao and sister Suseela. He did his schooling in
Karumanchi. Later he attended C.S.R.Sarma college in
Ongole
Ongole is a city in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Prakasam district and also the mandal headquarters of Ongole mandal in Ongole revenue division. Ongole cattle, an indigenous breed of oxen, d ...
. After finishing his education, With his father permission he chose to pursue his career in movies. He is the uncle of Telugu film Actor
Venu Thottempudi
Venu Thottempudi (born 4 June 1976) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in several successful Telugu films as a lead actor.
Career
After finishing his engineering from Dharwad Engineering College, Venu star ...
.
Career
He started his career working as an assistant director under
P. C. Reddy. After working in two films under his guidance, he got an opportunity to work as an assistant director in ''
Adavi Ramudu'', under
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
. He considers K. Raghavendra Rao as his mentor and guru in the industry. He worked under him for almost 12 years, in''Adavi Ramudu'', ''Devatha'', ''
Justice Chowdary
''Justice Chowdary'' is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by T. Trivikrama Rao and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Sridevi, with music composed by Chakravarthy. The film was remade in Hindi as ...
'', ''
Agni Parvatam
''Agni Parvatam'' () is a 1985 Indian Telugu-language film, produced by C. Ashwini Dutt and K. Raghavendra Rao under the banner of Vyjayanthi Movies. The film stars Krishna. It was an industry hit in the box office of Tollywood, with 5 music ...
'' etc. In 1982, while he was working as an associate director for ''
Devatha
''Devata'' (pl: ''devatas'', meaning 'the gods') (Devanagari: देवता; Khmer: ទេវតា (''tevoda''); Thai: เทวดา (''tevada''); Javanese, Balinese, Sundanese, Malay: ''dewata''; Batak languages: ''debata'' (Toba), ' ...
'', he was spotted by the producer of the film,
Dr. Daggubati Ramanaidu. Impressed by his work and knowledge, Ramanaidu offered him the chance to direct a film under his banner. This led to B. Gopal's debut as a director with ''
Prathidvani'', starring
Sharada,
Arjun and
Rajani. It released in 1986.
Afterwards, he went on to direct many commercially successful and cult films like ''
Bobbili Raja
''Bobbili Raja'' ( or ) is a 1990 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film co-written and directed by B. Gopal. Produced by D. Suresh under his banner Suresh Productions, it stars Venkatesh and Divya Bharti (in her Telugu debut) whil ...
'', ''
Lorry Driver
A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
'', ''
Assembly Rowdy
''Assembly Rowdy'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action romantic drama film directed by B. Gopal and produced by Mohan Babu. He stars in the lead role along with Divya Bharti. Revolving around a slacker named Shivaji, the film shows his trans ...
'', ''
Rowdy Inspector
''Rowdy Inspector'' is a 1992 Telugu-language action film produced by T. Trivikrama Rao under the Vijayalakshmi Art Pictures banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayashanti, and music composed by Bappi Lahiri. The ...
'', ''
Samarasimha Reddy
''Samarasimha Reddy'' is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Chengala Venkat Rao under Satyanarayanamma Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Anjala ...
'', ''
Narasimha Naidu
''Narasimha Naidu'' is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action drama film, produced by M.V.Murali Krishna under Venkata Ramana Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Simran, Preeti Jhangiani, ...
'', ''
Allari Ramudu
''Allari Ramudu'' (English: ''Naughty Ramu'') is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film which starred N. T. Rama Rao Jr, Nagma, Gajala and Aarthi Agarwal. B. Gopal directed this film. It was dubbed into Hindi as ''Main Hoon Khuddar'' ...
'', and ''
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
''. His association with
Paruchuri Brothers is well known in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
. They have worked together on many successful films. He is also famously known for his collaboration with
Nandamuri Balakrishna
Nandamuri Balakrishna (born 10 June 1960), simply known as Balakrishna or Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, producer and politician. He appeared in more than 100 Telugu cinema, Telugu films over forty years in a variety of roles and establis ...
. He was the only director to have 3 industry hits, those being: ''
Samarasimha Reddy
''Samarasimha Reddy'' is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Chengala Venkat Rao under Satyanarayanamma Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Anjala ...
'', ''
Narasimha Naidu
''Narasimha Naidu'' is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action drama film, produced by M.V.Murali Krishna under Venkata Ramana Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Simran, Preeti Jhangiani, ...
'', and ''
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
''. This record was nearly untouched for, till the release of ''
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'', in 2017.
S.S.Rajamouli
Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli ( ; born 10 October 1973) is an Indian people, Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is the List of salaries, highest paid director in India, and is known for his Action fil ...
became the second director to have 3 industry hits, those being: ''
Magadheera
''Magadheera'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gill. ...
,
Baahubali: The Beginning'', and ''Baahubali 2: The Conclusion''. Gopal's career hit a rough patch when his subsequent ventures after ''Allari Ramudu'': ''
Palnati Brahmanayudu
''Palnati Brahmanayudu'' () is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language action drama film produced by Medikonda Murali Krishna on Venkata Ramana Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. Starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Arti Agarwal, Sonali Bendre and ...
'', ''
Adavi Ramudu'', and ''
Narasimhudu
''Narasimhudu'' is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Jr. NTR, Amisha Patel, and Sameera Reddy. The film is a remake of 2004 Kannada film ''Durgi'' directed by P. Ravi Shankar.
Plot
Narasimhudu (NTR) ...
'' became major disasters at the box office.
After a gap of four years, he directed ''
Maska'' with
Ram Pothineni
Ram Pothineni (born 15 May 1988) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films. He made his acting debut with the box office success ''Devadasu'' (2006), for which he won Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South. He has two Filmfar ...
, which released in 2009. It was commercially successful. In 2011, it was announced that he would again collaborate with Balakrishna in a project called ''Hara Hara Mahadev'', but it was stalled after the launch. In 2012, he replaced director
Boopathy Pandian
Boopathy Pandian is a Tamil film director.
Career
Bhoopathy Pandian worked as an assistant to Sundar C. Apart from assisting him, he also wrote dialogues for his films ''Winner'' and '' Giri''.
Dhanush signed the film, then titled Ennai Mattu ...
for ''
Aaradugula Bullet
''Aaradugula Bullet'' () is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by B. Gopal and written by Vakkantham Vamsi. Produced by Thandra Ramesh under the banner of Jaya Balaji Real Media, the film stars Gopichand and Nayanthara, with ...
'', starring
Gopichand and
Nayanthara
Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as
Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
. It was initially titled as ''Jagan Mohan IPS''. However, due to financial problems, it was delayed till 2021, finally releasing on October 8, that year, to highly negative reviews.
Awards
*
Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu
The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972. Film world, p 43 Superlatives
*K. Visw ...
–
Samarasimha Reddy
''Samarasimha Reddy'' is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Chengala Venkat Rao under Satyanarayanamma Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Anjala ...
(1999).
*
Nandi Award for Best First Film of a Director
The Nandi Award for Best Debut Director winners since 1981:(in Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu languag ...
- Prathidvani (1986).
[(in ]Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
)
Filmography
* ''All films are in Telugu unless otherwise noted''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopal, B.
Living people
Telugu film directors
20th-century Indian film directors
People from Prakasam district
Filmfare Awards South winners
Hindi-language film directors
21st-century Indian film directors
Film directors from Andhra Pradesh
Year of birth missing (living people)