Goparaju Yagneswara Venkata Ramana Murthy (born 5 April 1952), known popularly as Goparaju Ramana, is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema, theatre and television shows.[2] He made his feature film debut with Grahanam (2004), and had his breakthrough with Middle Class Melodies (2020).[3] Prior to working in films, he appeared in many theatre plays.
Early and personal life
Ramana was born on 5 April 1952 to Hanumantha Rao and Bala Tripurasundaramma in Kolakaluru village of Tenali, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.[1]
He married Leela Annapurna Visalakshi. They have one son, Goparaju Vijay, who is also an actor.
Career
Ramana started his career as actor in theatre. His first appearance was in the play Manavuni Adugujadallo, written by Avula Sambasiva Rao, during his high school. In 1967, he joined the theater company Balanandam where he acted in plays like Sakkubai, Strike and Polish Bhayya. During the same period, he also participated in several programs on All India Radio.
He then started working in television shows, with notable ones being Padmavyuham, Muddha Mandaram and Mahalakshmi. In 2001, Ramana made his feature film debut with Maa Aayana Sundarayya before appearing in Grahanam (2004), directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti. He got breakthrough for playing the role of Kondalrao in the film Middle Class Melodies (2020), premiered on Amazon Prime Video. Hemanth Kumar of Firstpost, in his review about the film, particularly praised Ramana's performance.[4] The same was echoed by other critics including those from The Hindu and The News Minute.[5][6] He later appeared in numerous notable films like Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam (2022), Bedurulanka 2012 (2023) and Ambajipeta Marriage Band (2024).
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Maa Aayana Sundarayya | Property Registrar | ||
| 2004 | Grahanam | Subramaniam | ||
| 2005 | Devi Abhayam | |||
| 2006 | Maya Bazar | Narada in disguise | ||
| Sundaraaniki Tondarekkuva | ||||
| 2008 | Ashta Chamma | Rambabu's adoptive father | ||
| 2010 | Betting Bangaraju | |||
| 2011 | Golconda High School | Liaquat Bhai | ||
| 2012 | Onamalu | |||
| 2014 | Mapalle Repallanta | |||
| 2016 | Veelaite Premiddam | |||
| 2017 | Gautamiputra Satakarni | Priest | ||
| Nakshatram | ||||
| 2019 | NTR: Mahanayakudu | Government employee | ||
| 2020 | Middle Class Melodies | Kondalrao | ||
| 2021 | Krack | P.C. Murthy | ||
| Maha Samudram | Lakshmipathi | |||
| 2022 | Gangster Gangaraju | Nagaraju | ||
| Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu | Chiru's uncle | |||
| Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam | Arjun's uncle | |||
| 7 Days 6 Nights | ||||
| Swathi Muthyam | Bhagi's uncle | |||
| F3: Fun and Frustration | Venky's father | [7] | ||
| Sammathame | Krishna's father | |||
| Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali | Chalapathy | |||
| 18 Pages | Bus Conductor | |||
| 2023 | Hunt | Moorthy | ||
| Veera Simha Reddy | Head priest | |||
| Bedurulanka 2012 | Village President | |||
| Bhuvana Vijayam | Chalapathi | |||
| Prema Vimanam | ||||
| Votu | ||||
| Rangabali | Vishwam | |||
| Writer Padmabhushan | Lokendra Kumar | |||
| Custody | Dharmaraju | Shot simultaneously in Tamil | ||
| Rules Ranjann | Ranjan's father | |||
| Samajavaragamana | Clerk | |||
| Martin Luther King | ||||
| 2024 | Ambajipeta Marriage Band | Narasimha | ||
| Geethanjali Malli Vachindi | Tea seller | |||
| Aa Okkati Adakku | A victim in the accident | |||
| Gangs of Godavari | Doraswamy Raju | |||
| Yevam | M. Gangadhar | |||
| Committee Kurrollu | Venkatrao | |||
| Uruku Patela | Rama Raju | |||
| Bhale Unnade | Radha’s uncle | |||
| Swag | Rajaguru / Maharshi | Dual roles | ||
| Janaka Aithe Ganaka | Prasad's father | |||
| Dhoom Dhaam | Neelakantha Bhupathi | |||
| Leela Vinodham | Leela’s father | |||
| 2025 | Bhairavam | Neelima's father | ||
| Kingdom | Suri's uncle | |||
| K-Ramp | Priest | |||
| 2026 | Anaganaga Oka Raju | Muhurthala Murthy | ||
| Couple Friendly | Siva’s father | |||
| Vishnu Vinyasam | Bommayya | |||
| Ustaad Bhagat Singh | Sreenu Swami | |||
| Papam Prathap | Papa Rao |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999Template:Ndash2000 | Sangharshana | ETV | Television Debut | ||
| 2000Template:Ndash2002 | Vidhi | ||||
| 2003Template:Ndash2007 | Padmavyuham | ||||
| 2014Template:Ndash2019 | Muddha Mandaram | Paaru's father | Zee Telugu | ||
| 2015Template:Ndash2022 | Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu | ETV | [8] | ||
| 2018Template:Ndash2019 | Mahalakshmi | Gemini TV | |||
| 2020Template:Ndash2021 | Girija Kalyanam | Lakshmi Narayana | |||
| 2021 | 3 Roses | Indu's uncle | Aha | Web Debut | |
| 2025 | Devika & Danny | Devika's uncle | JioHotstar | [9] | |
| Katha Sudha | Vedamurthula Subramanya Sastry | ETV Win | under segment Addham lo Chandamama |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Actor Sreeramulu suggesting me for role of Prakasam was biggest award, says Ramana(4 November 2020).
- ↑ Versatile Actors: పాత్ర ఏదైనా.. వీరు దిగనంతవరకే.. NTV(2023-09-12). Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ 'Middle Class Melodies': Goparaju Ramana's Kondal Rao gets critical applause - Telugu News. IndiaGlitz.com(2020-11-21). Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ Middle Class Melodies movie review: Anand Devarakonda fits the bill in a tale that's all heft and heart. Firstpost(2020-11-20). Retrieved 2020-12-11.Template:Rating
- ↑ 'Middle Class Melodies' movie review: A charming film that rings real. The Hindu(2020-11-20). Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ↑ 'Middle Class Melodies' review: A heartfelt comedy brought alive by the supporting cast. The News Minute(2020-11-20). Retrieved 2020-12-12.Template:Rating
- ↑ Goparaju Ramana: Father of Venkatesh in F3, Desk, Tollywood. Tollywood(2021-01-30). Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ Telugu Serials: మూడువేల ఎపిసోడ్లు పూర్తి చేసుకున్న సీరియల్స్ ఇవే!. News18 తెలుగు(2021-04-16). Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ Devika And Danny OTT Release: When And Where To Watch Ritu Varma's Much-Awaited Web Series. Times Now(20 May 2025).