It is often said that a good movie must have a strong antagonist for the narrative to be appealing to the audience. It is only when the villain offers a strong challenge to the hero that a movie becomes appealing. Over the years, antagonists like Gabbar Singh, Mogambo and Shakaal have been hailed as being the epitomes of sheer villainy on screen. However, there is one actor who, despite appearing as a menacing villain in about 250 films in the 90s, is lesser known among cinelovers. You would probably know him by his face rather than his name.
We are talking about Rami Reddy, who was known for his unique dialogue delivery that he delivered in a monotonous tone without any modulation. However, that very aspect became his USP. From playing the dread Colonel Shikara in Waqt Hamara Hai to Anna in Haqeeqat, he instilled fear with his bloodshot eyes and tonsured head.
Rami Reddy’s full name was Gangasani Rami Reddy and he was born in Valmikipuram village of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. He has a journalism degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad. For a brief period, he worked in MF Daily as a journalist. Soon he left his journalism job for a career in films. He started with Telugu films and shot to fame with his dialogue ‘spot pedatha’ in the film 1989 Ankusam. A year later, he reprised his role as the villain in the Hindi remake of Ankusam as Spot Anna and the industry took notice of him. He appeared as a villain in a slew of Hindi as well as Telugu films in the following decade.
His career was cut short in the early 2000s due to a serious liver ailment which left him mostly immobile. When he appeared in a public event after years, people were shocked to see him skinny and weak, barely recognizable. Rami died on April 14, 2011, due to kidney and liver disease.