Merlapaka Gandhi

2021-06-04T15:13:20Z

2409:4042:2E8F:6FAD:0:0:644B:4013:

{{short description|Indian film director and screenwriters}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Family name hatnote|Merlapaka|lang=Telugu}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Merlapaka Gandhi
| birth_name = Merlapaka Che Guevara
| birth_place = [[Renigunta mandal|Vedulla Cheruvu]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India
| education = B. Tech
| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|screenwriter}}
}}
'''Merlapaka Gandhi''' (born '''Merlapaka Che Guevara''') is an Indian film director and screenwriters who works primarily in [[Telugu cinema]].<ref name="The Hindu">{{cite web|last1=Chowdhary|first1=Y. Sunita|title=Merlapaka Gandhi on an expressway|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/merlapaka-gandhi-on-an-expressway/article7919376.ece|work=The Hindu|access-date=25 January 2018|language=en-IN|date=26 November 2015}}</ref> In 2013, he made his directorial debut with ''[[Venkatadri Express (film)|Venkatadri Express]]''. He later directed ''[[Express Raja]]'' (2016), and ''[[Krishnarjuna Yudham]]'' (2018) starring [[Nani (actor)|Nani]].<ref name="The Times of India - 27 June 2017 - Nani to play a dual role again in director Merlapaka Gandhi’s next">{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/nani-to-play-a-dual-role-again-in-director-merlapaka-gandhis-next/articleshow/59340805.cms|title=Nani to play a dual role again in director Merlapaka Gandhi's next|date=27 June 2017|work=[[The Times of India]]|publisher=[[The Times Group]]|access-date=20 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telugu360.com/krishnarjuna-yudham-worldwide-closing-collections-disaster/|title=Krishnarjuna Yudham Worldwide Closing Collections - Disaster|date=2018-05-01|work=Telugu360.com|access-date=2018-10-30|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Merlapaka was born in the village of Vedulla Cheruvu near [[Renigunta]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] in a [[Telugu language|Telugu]]-speaking family.<ref name="www.idlebrain.com">{{cite web|title=Interview with Merlapaka Gandhi - Telugu cinema director|url=http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/interview/merlapakagandhi.html|website=www.idlebrain.com|access-date=25 January 2018}}</ref> His father Merlapaka Murali was a Telugu language novelist and a contemporary of author [[Yandamuri Veerendranath]].<ref name="The Hindu"/> Merlapaka was initially given the name Che Guevara because his father was fond of Marxist revolutionary [[Che Guevara]]. As their friends and relatives found it difficult to pronounce the name, Murali changed his five-year old son's given name to 'Gandhi' in honour of independence activist [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref name="www.idlebrain.com" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-01-12|title=గాంధీ అసలు పేరు చే గెవెరా..!|url=https://www.sakshi.com/news/movies/express-raja-director-merlapaka-gandhi-original-name-che-guevara-304839|access-date=2021-01-28|website=Sakshi|language=te}}</ref>

Merlapaka was schooled in [[Tirupati]] and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Technology]] from [[Allagadda]].<ref name="www.idlebrain.com" />

== Film career ==
Merlapaka wanted to become a film director since the 10th standard. After completing his graduation, he convinced his father to let him join a Cinematography course at the L. V. Prasad film institute in [[Chennai, Tamil Nadu]], although, he eventually pursued a direction course there. Later on, he started writing stories and directed a short film. Having received a good response upon its release online, he then started developing the script for Venkatadri Express which was his debut film as a director.

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Year
! Film
! Lead Cast
! Notes
|-
|2013 || ''[[Venkatadri Express (film)|Venkatadri Express]]'' || [[Sundeep Kishan]], [[Rakul Preet Singh]]|| Directorial Debut
|-
|2016 || ''[[Express Raja]]'' || [[Sharwanand]], [[Surbhi]] ||
|-
|2018 || ''[[Krishnarjuna Yudham]]'' || [[Nani (actor)|Nani]], [[Anupama Parameswaran]], [[Rukshar Dhillon]] ||
|-
|2021 || ''[[Maestro (2021 film)|Maestro]]'' ||[[Nithiin]], [[Tamannaah]], [[Nabha Natesh]]
|Filming<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nithiin begins shoot for the Telugu remake of Andhadun in Dubai with Nabha Natesh - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/nithiin-begins-shoot-for-the-teluu-remake-of-andhadun-in-dubai-with-nabha-natesh/articleshow/79594799.cms|access-date=2021-01-28|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2021 || ''[[Ek Mini Katha]]'' || Santosh Shobhan , [[Kavya Thapar]], [[Shraddha Das]] || Story
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|nm6249248 }}
* {{Facebook|merlapaka.gandhi}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Merlapaka}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Telugu film directors]]
[[Category:Telugu screenwriters]]
[[Category:Film directors from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

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Merlapaka Gandhi