Ram Charan is an Indian actor, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, who has mainly worked in the Telugu film industry. He is the son of the renowned Telugu actor Chiranjeevi. He hit the headlines in May 2023 after he announced that he will be producing his first pan-India film The India House.
Wiki/Biography
Konidela Ram Charan was born on Wednesday, 27 March 1985 (age 38 years; as of 2023) in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Aries. He attended school at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in Chennai, The Lawrence School in Lovedale, Tamil Nadu, and The Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet, Hyderabad. During his school days, he used to participate in many dance and drama competitions and also started learning horse riding. Thereafter, he enrolled at St. Mary’s College in Hyderabad, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in commerce; however, he dropped out of his college studies mid-way to pursue a career in acting.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8.5″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 40″, Waist: 32″, Biceps: 15″
Family
Ram Charan belongs to a Hindu Telugu family belonging to the Kapu caste in Tamil Nadu.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Chiranjeevi, is a well-known Telugu actor, film producer, and politician. His mother’s name is Surekha Konidela; she is the daughter of legendary comedian and producer Allu Ramalingaiah and the sister of prominent producer Allu Aravind. He has two sisters, Sushmita Konidela (elder), and Sreeja Konidela (younger). Sushmita is a costume designer.
Wife & Children
His wife, Upasana Kamineni, is an entrepreneur, social activist, vice-chairman of Apollo Foundation (CSR), and chief editor of Bpositive magazine. The couple got married on 14 June 2012.
On 20 June 2023, the couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl, at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad. They named their daughter Klin Kaara Konidela in a traditional naming ceremony, which was inspired by the Lalitha Sahasranamam, a sacred mantra in the Hindu religion. According to reports, Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani presented the couple’s newborn with an extravagant golden cradle valued at Rs 1 crore.
Other Relatives
His maternal grandfather Allu Ramalingaiah (deceased) was a comedian and freedom fighter.
He is the nephew of Nagendra Babu (film producer) and Pawan Kalyan (actor). The famous actor Allu Arjun is his maternal cousin. Actors Varun Tej and Sai Dharam Tej are his paternal cousins.
Relationships/Affairs
Before getting married to Upasana Kamineni, Ram Charan dated her for a while. Reportedly, they met each other while they were studying at the same college.
Religion
Ram Charan follows Hinduism, and every year, he participates in the 41-day Ayyappa Deeksha.
Address
He resides at Plot No 303 N, Road No 25, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Signature/Autograph
Career
Films
Actor
Ram Charan made his debut in 2007 with the Telugu film Chirutha in which he played the role of a man named Charan. His acting in the film was critically acclaimed, and it earned him a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Special Jury Award.
He was catapulted to stardom in 2009 after he appeared as Harsha and Kala Bhairava in the 2009 Telugu film Magadheera. The film was a huge hit and ran for 757 days at cinema theatres. Ram went on to win the Filmfare Award and the Nandi Award for his critically acclaimed roles in the film.
In 2010, he landed the role of an NRI named Ram in the Telugu film Orange. Despite the film failing to perform well at the box office, Charan’s acting in the film was liked by many. In 2012, he appeared as a gambler named Raj in the Telugu film Racha, also spelt as Rachcha. In 2013, he appeared as Ram Charan “Cherry” and Siddharth Naayak “Siddhu” in the Telugu film Naayak. In the same year, he made his debut in Bollywood with the film Zanjeer in which he played the role of a cop named ACP Vijay Khanna and lent his voice to the Telugu version of the film’s song Mumbai Ke Hero.
In 2014, he appeared in two Telugu films, Yevadu, and Govindudu Andarivadele. In the 2015 Telugu film Bruce Lee: The Fighter, Ram Charan landed two roles, Karthik/Bruce Lee, and an IB officer named Vikram Kumar. He landed the role of an IPS officer in the 2016 Telugu film Dhruva. In 2018, he played the role of Chelluboina Chitti Babu, a villager suffering from partial deafness, in the Telugu film Rangasthalam.
In 2019, he shared the screen with famous Bollywood actors like Kiara Advani and Vivek Oberoi in the Telugu film Vinaya Vidheya Rama; the film failed to perform well at the box office and was a flop. Ram later wrote a note for his fans disappointed with Ram over his poor acting in the film. Through his note on social media, Ram apologized to his fans and said,
I feel extremely honoured and humbled by all the love and adoration showered upon me and my films. I would like to thank each and every technician who strove day and night to execute ‘Vinaya Vidheya Rama’. No amount of words are sufficient to describe the support extended by our producer DVV Danayya Garu. I will always be thankful for my distributors and exhibitors who believed in our film and backed it. We worked really hard to deliver a film which would entertain all of you. Unfortunately, the vision could not get translated properly on screen and we could not meet your expectations.”
In 2022, Ram Charan shared the screen with N. T. Rama Rao Jr. in the Telugu film RRR in which he portrayed Alluri Sitarama Raju, a freedom fighter who began an armed revolution against the British Raj in India.
In the same year, he landed the role of Comrade Siddha in the Telugu film Acharya in which he shared the screen with his father Chiranjeevi.
Apart from acting in films, Ram Charan has also appeared in many TV ads for companies like Frooti, Suvarnabhoomi Developers, and Meesho. As of May 2023, Ram has appeared in over 34 brands.
Producer
In 2017, Ram Charan produced Khaidi No. 150, a Telugu film. In 2019, he produced a Telugu film titled Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. In May 2023, Ram Charan announced that he would be co-producing his first pan-India film The India House, based on the real-life events of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, with Vikram Reddy’s UV Creations. The film would have renowned actors like Nikhil Siddhartha and Anupam Kher in its cast.
Business
In 2015, he started his own Hyderabad-based airline business TruJet; however, the company was closed in 2022 after it incurred heavy financial losses. He also owns a Polo club named Ram Charan Hyderabad Polo Riding Club in Hyderabad. In 2016, Ram Charan founded a Hyderabad-based production company titled Konidela Production Company.
On 12 January 2018, he was appointed as a designated partner of Mega Talkies Llp. On 16 April 2018, he became a Body Corporate DP Nominee at the V Mega Pictures Llp. On 18 August 2022, Ram founded Lifetime Wellness Rx International Limited and assumed its directorship.
Controversy
Assaulting two software professionals
Ram Charan hit the headlines in 2013 after he entered into an altercation with two software professionals and had them beaten up by his bodyguards in Hyderabad. As per sources, Ram was going to the Banjara Hills for lunch with his wife when the altercation between him and the techies took place. Ram, in an interview, claimed that he had to ask his bodyguards to “deal with them” after they started misbehaving with him and taking pictures and making videos without his consent. Ram faced a lot of criticism for dealing with the situation in an aggressive manner. Talking about it, Ram said,
It started getting uncomfortable. I gestured to them to move as it was getting irritable. Instead, they chose to be rude which upset me. Their rude response to me and my wife prompted me to ask my security to deal with them. They were in an excited state, barefoot, and looked slightly haggard.”
Awards, Honours, Achievements
2008
- Nandi Special Jury Award from the Government of Karnataka for the film Chirutha
- Filmfare Award South in the Best Male Debut – South category for the film Chirutha
2010
- Nandi Special Jury Award from the Government of Karnataka for the film Magadheera
- Filmfare Award South in the Best Actor – Telugu category for the film Magadheera
- Santosham Film Award in the Best Actor category for the film Magadheera
- CineMAA Award in the Best Actor – Male category for the film Magadheera
2015
- Santosham Film Award in the Best Actor category for the film Govindudu Andarivadele
- Most Admired Celebrity Icon of the Year Award by Ritz
2016
- Asiavision Youth Icon Award
2019
- South Indian International Movie Award in the Best Actor (Telugu) category for the film Rangasthalam
- Filmfare Award South in the Best Actor – Telugu category for the film Rangasthalam
- Zee Cine Award Telugu in Best Actor in a Leading Role – Male category for the film Rangasthalam
2023
- Spotlight Award from the Hollywood Critics Association for the film RRR
Car Collection
- Rolls-Royce Phantom worth Rs. 9.57 crore
- Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC worth Rs. 4 crore
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage worth Rs. 3.2 crore
- Range Rover Autobiography
- Ferrari Portofino worth Rs. 3.50 crore
Salary/Income
In 2022, Ram Charan charged Rs. 35 crores per film.
Assets & Properties
Ram Charan owns a Rs. 38 crore mansion at the Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad; the mansion sprawls across 25,000 square feet.
Net Worth
In 2023, Ram Charan’s net worth was estimated to be Rs. 1,370 crores.
Favourites
- Films: Khaidi (1983), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Gladiator (2000), The Notebook (2004), Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- Holiday Destinations: New Zealand, London
Facts
- His friends and family refer to him as Cherry.
- He also goes by the names Ramcharan Tej Konidala and Ram Charan Teja. He posted a tweet in 2012 in which he asked the media to refrain from referring to him as Ram Charan Teja. Talking about it, he said,
My dad named me ram charan not ram charan teja. So I feel good wen people call me just ram charan I also request the media to note this.”
- Ram Charan is an equestrian.
- He passionately follows his hobbies of cooking and reading books.
- In 2013, Forbes India Magazine ranked Ram Charan 63rd out of 100 Indian celebrities in its Celebrity 100 list.
- Ram Charan has served as a member of the board of Star Maa (formerly Maa TV).
- Ram Charan follows a vegetarian diet. In an interview, he revealed that he stopped eating non-vegetarian food after his pet dog Brat met with an accident and fractured its leg.
- Ram Charan learned acting skills from Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai.
- Famous actor Rana Daggubati is his childhood friend.
- Had Ram Charan not become an actor, he would have been an automobile engineer.
- Ram Charan owns a private jet.
- Apart from being well known for his acting skills, Ram Charan is also well known for his philanthropic work such as organising blood donation camps, establishing oxygen banks, and providing ventilators and concentrators to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
- Ram Charan reportedly charged Rs. 45 crores for acting in the 2022 Telugu film RRR.
- When asked about his smoking and drinking and smoking habits, Ram Charan said that he has tried doing both; however, he does not consider himself to be an addict. Talking about it, he said,
I tried everything from smoking to drinking. But, I didn’t get addicted to them. They say your skin and voice gets affected. As we all know the side effects and before the start of every film we will be seeing an awareness video. I don’t say, I didn’t even try them.”
- Ram Charan is an avid dog lover. He has two pet dogs, a Poodle named Rhyme, and a Jack Russell Terrier named Brat.
- In May 2023, Ram Charan was amongst other actors invited to represent Indian cinema at the G20 Summit in Kashmir.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI