Manjula Swarup (née Ghattamaneni; born 8 November 1970[1]) is an Indian film producer, director and actress known for her work in Telugu Cinema. Born to prominent Telugu actor Krishna, she began her acting career by doing a cameo role in the 1999 film Rajasthan and went on to act as a supporting actor in the Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem. She found fame by starring and producing in the 2002 film Show. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and National Film Award for Best Screenplay for that year. She owns a film production company called Indira Productions, named after her mother.
Manjula Ghattamaneni | |
|---|---|
 Manjula Ghattamaneni in 2021 | |
| Born | 8 November 1970 Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Other names | Manjula, Manjula Swarup |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, director |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Sanjay Swaroop |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Krishna |
| Relatives |
|
| Website | manjulaghattamaneni |
Personal life
editShe is the second daughter and third child of veteran actor Krishna and his first wife Indira Devi. She has two brothers and two sisters. Her elder brother Ramesh Babu was also a film producer and her younger brother Mahesh Babu is a popular Telugu actor.
Manjula is married to producer and actor Sanjay Swarup.[2] They have a daughter named Jaanvi.[3] She is known to be good friends with her sister-in-law Namrata Shirodkar, who is a former film actress and beauty queen.[4]
Manjula has been pursuing meditation for 20 years.[5]
Career
editWhen Manjula wanted to enter the acting profession, she faced an unfavorable response from her father's fans as they did not want her "... romancing and running around trees with other heroes".[6][7] Manjula was initially set to make her acting debut in a film co-starring actor M. N. Nambiar's grandson Deepak, but the film did not progress.[8] She began her career by doing a cameo as a terrorist in R. K. Selvamani's Rajasthan. She acted as one of the female leads in the 1998 Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem, starring Suresh Gopi and Jayaram.[9]
In 2002, she produced and starred in the film Show.[citation needed] Directed by Neelakanta, the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu.[10]
Her second production venture was Naani (2004), directed by S. J. Suryah. The movie starred her brother, actor Mahesh Babu.[11] The movie failed to do well at the box office.[11][12] In 2006, she co-produced her third movie Pokiri, an action blockbuster with Puri Jagannadh. The movie was a blockbuster hit and was the highest-grossing movie in the Telugu film industry of the time.[13]
In 2009, she returned to acting with her next production venture Kavya's Diary.[2] In 2010, she along with her husband produced Ye Maaya Chesave, a romantic love story with Naga Chaitanya under Gautham Vasudev Menon's direction.[14] The movie got critical acclaim and was declared a hit at the box office.[15] The same year, she also appeared in the movie Orange, alongside her husband Sanjay Swaroop.[citation needed]
In 2018, she directed her first film Manasuku Nachindi. In 2020, she launched her personal website (manjulaghattamaneni
Awards
edit- 2003 - National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu (Producer) - Show
- 2006 - Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film - (co-producer) - Pokiri
- 2001 - Nandi Special Jury Award - (Producer) - Show
Filmography
edit- Note: all films are in Telugu, unless otherwise noted.
As director
edit| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Manasuku Nachindi |
As producer
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Balachandrudu | |
| Anna Thammudu | ||
| 2002 | Show | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu |
| 2004 | Naani | |
| 2006 | Pokiri | Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film |
| 2009 | Kavya's Diary | |
| 2010 | Ye Maaya Chesave |
As actor
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Summer in Bethlehem | Aparna | Malayalam film |
| 1999 | Rajasthan | Terrorist Shabana | Tamil film Partially reshot in Telugu |
| 2002 | Show | Ridhima | |
| 2009 | Kavya's Diary | Pooja | |
| 2010 | Orange | Ram's sister | |
| 2013 | Sevakudu | Manjula | |
| 2022 | Malli Modalaindi | Therapist | |
| Hunt | Dr. Alekhya | ||
| 2023 | Month of Madhu | Sarmishta Devi[16] |
Television
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Series | Role | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nasha † | TBA | Producer | Filming[17] |
References
edit- ^ "Manjula Ghattamaneni remembers 'Ye Maya Chesave' on the film's 9th anniversary". The Times of India. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Didn't we tell you she's returning!". Entertainment section. The Times of India. 16 December 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ Mahesh Babu. "Mahesh Babu, Namratha's Son – Image". Whatslatest.com. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Metro Plus Hyderabad : Smita does the talking". The Hindu. 12 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "About Me • Manjula Ghattamaneni".
- ^ "Fans didn't want me to act". The Times of India. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Gamanichara". Telugu Cinema. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Gossip from the southern film industry". www.rediff.com.
- ^ NARASIMHAM, M.L. ""Show" time!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 July 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ Rajamani, Radhika (18 August 2003). "Celluloid Dreams". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 24 October 2003. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ^ a b Rajamani, Radhika (29 April 2004). "Entertainer all the way". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 29 June 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ^ Murthy, Neeraja (6 December 2008). "Living life to the fullest". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ^ "'Pokiri' crosses magical 365-day mark". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 May 2007. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007.
- ^ "Ye Maya Chesave film review - Telugu cinema Review - Naga Chaitanya & Samantha". Idlebrain.com. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Telugu365.com". Telugu365.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Month of Madhu (2023) - IMDb". IMDB. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Manjula Ghattamanenis Web Series with Hansika". Cinema Politics. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.