G. K. Reddy (producer)
Guruappa Krishna Reddy (born 7 June 1939) known professionally as G K Reddy, is an Indian businessman and film producer who works primarily in the South Indian Film Industry. In addition to business, he has also worked as an actor in a few films. He is the founder of GK Granites[1][2] and is nicknamed as the "Granite King of East Coast of America" for his achievements in granite exports. He has won many awards, including the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award by the Government of India. His debut production, Lawyer Bharathi Devi[3] was released in 1987 in Telugu under the banner 'Sri Devi Kalachitra' and turned out to be a huge hit that ran for more than 100 days. He has since then continued to produce and appear in various Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada language films.
G. K. Reddy | |
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| Born | Guruappa Krishna Reddy 7 June 1939 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Janaki Devi |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Sriya Reddy (Daughter-in-law) |
| Awards |
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He is the father of former actor Vikram Krishna and present actor Vishal Krishna, where the former is also a film producer who predominantly works in Tamil Cinema.
Other than his accomplishments in business, he has been recognized for his contribution in building Vijayanta, the first indigenous tank of the Indian Army[4]. Being a sports enthusiast, he has appeared in various sports events and won numerous awards[5].
Early life
G K Reddy was born as Guruappa Krishna Reddy on 7 June 1939 in a village to the south of Bangalore, Mysore State (present-day Karnataka). His father Guruappa Reddy was a humble farmer and his mother Lakshmi Reddy was a housewife. His ancestors were involved in farming and it was a typical middle-class family.
He is the second of the four siblings in a family consisting of one elder brother (Ram Reddy), himself (Krishna Reddy), first younger sister (Sarojamma), and second younger sister (Shantha).
G K Reddy had his primary and secondary education at a government school in Bangalore. During his childhood he was playfully called by his peers as ‘Mysore Bonda’, owing to his short and chubby stature. He then took it as a challenge to be physically fit and involved in various sports activities under the guidance of his school physical education instructor. As a child and then as a teenager, he was seen as an individual who had a simple, straight forward, and challenging mindset, which earned him a compact circle of friends. Gradually, he became the best sportsman in the school with the first position in games like shotput, javelin throw, disc throw, and hammer throw consecutively.
In 1954, he completed his SSLC final examinations at school with first-class results. He was the talk of the village and his father was very much proud of him. Guruappa Reddy gave him money as a gift to watch a movie in the nearby theatre. It was the blockbuster movie Pathala Bhairavi (1954), starring N. T. Rama Rao and S. V. Ranga Rao. The story of the movie struck G K Reddy very much that he wanted to be a celebrity one day. He believed that studies were the best way for him to achieve this goal[6].
Upon completion of his school studies, he joined SJP Bangalore, where he chose Mechanical Engineering as the main course of study.
Early career
1960 - 1964:
G K Reddy began his professional career at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore as a Machine shop engineer soon after his studies. While working here, he was looking for a career in the film industry and came to Chennai. Within a month, he got the opportunity to join Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) at Avadi as an Engineer, as Civilian Defence Services.
1964 - 1984:
When he came to Chennai in 1964 before joining HVF, G K Reddy went to meet the popular film director and producer of the time, K. V. Reddy at the Kodambakkam film industry to show his interest to be an actor. However, K. V. Reddy provoked him to continue his career in Engineering as it was a simply very good profession.
Setup in 1961, the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, Chennai is the only factory in the world to build a complete fighting vehicle under one roof. The Kodambakkam film industry was nearby and was still a distraction to G K Reddy. Every day, he used to complete his work prior to the shift timings and rush to the Kodambakkam film institute as a fanboy. Eventually, this fell in the eyes of Colonel Sathya Pal Wahi (S P Wahi), his reporting officer. The Colonel recognized the innate abilities of G K Reddy and decided to mentor him.
With the right guidance, he played a major role in the production and launch of Vijayanta tank whose prototype was previously unveiled in 1963. Arriving at Heavy Vehicles Factory in 1964, G K Reddy soon became the Cultural Secretary of HVF owing to his dedication and contribution to the launch of Vijayanta in 1965[7]. The first Vijayanta tank was scheduled to roll out on December 29, 1965, and it was a national celebration. G K Reddy was assigned as the ambassador to cordially receive the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at that time, M. Bhaktavatsalam[8], and conduct the ceremony. It was during this time that he gained various acquaintances in the business, political, and film sector, who went on to provide suggestions and guide him on his future ventures.
Business career
1978 - 1995 Garments exports:
‘Vishram Apparels’, named after their sons Vikram Krishna and Vishal Krishna was founded in 1978 and began to export garments on a global scale. It was headed by Mrs. Janaki Reddy with the guidance and support of G K Reddy when he was free from his work at Heavy Vehicles Factory. The business went on to be a great success.
1986 - 2012 Film production:
By 1985, G K Reddy had learned a lot about how a film's production works, through the guidance he got from some trusted sources in the film industry, as the Cultural Secretary of HVF. He then got a voluntary retirement from Heavy Vehicles Factory as he felt that it would be tough to concentrate on multiple careers. Then, while continuing to support his wife in the garment exports business, he started his film production research.
In 1987, his debut production venture Lawyer Bharathi Devi, starring actor Sarada, Oorvashi National Award winner and a family friend, directed by K. Rama Mohan Rao was released under the banner ‘Sri Devi Kalachitra’ in the Telugu language and became a huge hit. The film was a critical success and ran for more than 100 days in 14 theatres in the Andhra state. He continued to produce various critically and commercially successful films like Dance Raja Dance (1987), Yemadharmaraju, Jadiketha Moodi (1988), Idhu Unga Kudumbam (1989) and I Love India (1993).
I Love India was a Tamil language vigilante film directed by Pavithran, starring Sarathkumar, Tisca Chopra, and had music by Ilaiyaraaja. The film was the highest budget film of its time. Tasting commercial success, he produced other films like S. P. Parasuram (1994) starring Megastar Chiranjeevi and Sridevi, Mahaprabhu (1996), Love Marriage (2001) and Chellamae aka Prema Chadarangam (2004).
Sandakozhi (2005) directed by N. Lingusamy came out as a huge blockbuster in Tamil language, yielding profits to GK Film Corporation and also gave his son actor Vishal Krishna the action hero status in Tamil cinema. Following this, the movie was dubbed into Telugu language as Pandem Kodi (2005) and marketed in a grand way. The movie was a great success in Telugu language as well and set up a good market for actor Vishal in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Thimiru (2006) released in the consecutive year and was another grand success. It is to be noted that actor Sriya Reddy who portrayed the antagonist in this movie married G K Reddy’s son Vikram Krishna in 2008. G K Film Corporation[9] continued to produce movies like Sathyam (2008), Thoranai (2009), Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai (2010) and Vedi (2011). In 2011, his younger son Vishal started the production Vishal Film Factory (VFF).
1994 - 2012 GK Granites:
While on a visit abroad for Vishram apparels, G K Reddy came across a rare stone being used for ornamental purposes that caught his attention. Upon further investigation, it was informed to be Granite, an igneous rock that requires high-quality industrial refining. Soon after this, he started researching on this and started GK Granites. Vishram Apparels was soon closed due to immense workload.
In 1995, he got into the manufacture and export of cobblestones, granites, and other related products globally. It was a time when some prominent companies in the granite industry held dominance in exporting large shipments of 20000 – 40000 tons. GK Granites broke this record in 2004 when a single shipment of 50000 tons was shipped within a record loading time of 3 days and 16 hours. This garnered attention for G K Reddy on an international level, nicknaming him as the ‘Granite king of East coast of America’. He immediately became a national sensation and received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award from Balaram Jakhar, the Governor of Madhya Pradesh for his unparalleled contribution to the country’s pride. With this success, he shifted his prime focus into GK Granites and the period from 1990-2000 came to be his phase of commercial stardom.
Fall and resurgence:
In 2007, G K Reddy set his foot in the coal shipping business with the brand GK Minerals. 50000 tons of coal were shipped on the first shipment and marketed in India. The work was tedious due to its intricate and labor-oriented nature. Due to this, it required more time and focus when compared to his other business ventures. The investment returns were lesser than expected and the business was shelved eventually due to various other reasons unknown.
G K Reddy was a person who was known to set things right as soon as they went wrong. He immediately gave more input into GK Granites and compensated the figures on both sides.
Film career
G K Reddy wanted to be an actor since childhood and once he entered the film industry, he started showing interest in acting. He is best known for his supporting roles in several movies like Raakshasi (2015), Richie (2017), Semma Botha Aagathey (2018), Nethraa (2019) and Damayanthi (2019), through which he has established himself as a prominent supporting actor in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films.
Personal life
Marriage
G K Reddy has stated in various interviews that as a youngster, he was waiting for his dream girl. His parents were on the search for a suitable bride through a typical arranged marriage, but G K Reddy’s mind was not satisfied. Just like always, he was ready to wait and wanted the best. On the other hand, he was at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) during this time and his salary was low. He then fixed his mind to get married only after reaching a profession that paid him a four-digit salary.
Eventually, when he joined Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), he was provided with a two-bedroom apartment for his stay. The expenses for all mandatory aspects like rent, electricity, water, provisions, etc., were taken care of by the HVF.
G K Reddy was not only looking for an attractive woman but also a woman who was mentally strong enough to support him for his future endeavors. He eventually met Janaki Devi, who was a close friend to one of his sisters. Janaki Devi's family consisted of herself, her sister, and their mother who was a single parent at that time. After careful observation and consideration of the inter-caste concerns prevailing back then, he felt that she would be the right partner for him and directly proposed for her hand in marriage.
Soon, G K Reddy and Mrs. Janaki Reddy got married on June 10, 1972. G K Reddy was clear in his goals for the future, one was to make one of his sons as an actor, and to make the other a businessman. He always stood with this wife and they supported each other on the business front and on the family chores as well[10].
Children:
Vikram Krishna:
G K Reddy’s eldest son, Vikram Krishna was born on October 11, 1975, in Chennai. As a child, he acted in the movie, Jadiketha Moodi (1989) which was his father’s production. He then had a cameo appearance in another production of his father, Mahaprabhu (1996).
Owing to G K Reddy’s wish to see one of his sons as a lead actor, Mrs. Janaki Reddy suggested the elder son Vikram Krishna for his fair complexion. Vikram Krishna took the stage name Ajay and debuted in Annan Thangachi (1999) directed by Charan Raj. The film had a moderate run at the box office. Following this, Pooparika Varugirom was released in the same year on the home production ‘Aishwarya Film Makers’. The film opened to negative reviews from critics. Finally, he acted in Love Marriage (2001), a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Swayamvaram (1999) which was again a home production. The movie didn’t fare well at the box office. Seeing luck not being in his favor, Vikram focused in the business sector under G K Reddy’s guidance. He soon began to take care of G K Film Corporation and produced several of his younger brother Vishal’s films.
In 2008, he married actress and model Sriya Reddy[11], who is prominent in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam language films. She is best known for her roles in Thimiru (2006), Veyil (2006), Pallikoodam (2007), and Kanchivaram (2008) and has also been nominated for various film awards. After marriage, she has also been co-producing her brother-in-law Vishal’s movies.
Since 2012, Vikram Krishna has been managing his own company GK Stones, along with this wife Sriya Reddy. The couple has a daughter named Amalia.
Vishal Krishna:
The couple’s second son, Vishal Krishna was born on August 29, 1978, in Chennai. Since childhood, Vishal was an active leader, showing determination much like his father G K Reddy. He completed his education in Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School before securing a degree in Visual Communications from Loyola College, Chennai. As a youngster, he planned to take over this father’s granite business and grow himself as a businessman.
While on a business trip abroad, G K Reddy insisted Vishal become an actor, owing to his interest in the film industry. G K Reddy approached a few producers to launch his younger son on the silver screen. Vishal was not interested initially but seeing producers turn him down citing his skin complexion and height, he took it as a challenge to mold himself as an actor. He then assisted actor-director Arjun Sarja in his venture Vedham (2001) as an assistant director and honed his acting skills by joining the Koothu-P-Pattarai.
He then debuted with Gandhi Krishna’s Chellame (2004). The film opened to be a huge success and was dubbed in Telugu language as Prema Chadarangam. In 2005, his Sandakozhi directed by N. Lingusamy was produced and released by G K Film Corporation. The movie was declared a blockbuster and is considered a cult film in the action genre. Film journalists stated that he was "the fastest rising action hero" of the time. G K Reddy was happily looking at his son in the limelight. Vishal continued to act in various commercially successful films under his home production and other production houses, becoming one of the prominent lead actors of the South Indian Film Industry. In 2011, he started his very own film production and music company, Pandiya Naadu (2013) became his debut production venture and was a critically acclaimed blockbuster. He has since then continued to produce more films under his banner, the latest being Chakra, which is scheduled to release soon.
In October 2015, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam after initiating a movement against the previous committee[12]. He was expelled from Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) for remarks against the council’s activities. Later in 2017, he won the election and has been elected as the President of Tamil Film Producers’ Council[13]. Apart from these, Vishal has also been a staunch advocate against online piracy since 2014 at various moments[14], having started an anti-piracy cell. He also debuted in television in October 2018 as a host in the show Sun Naam Oruvar[15][16], a talk show.
On the political front, he filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the by-election in R K Nagar constituency in Chennai[17], which fell vacant in December 2017. To his dismay, Vishal’s nomination for R K Nagar by-election was rejected due to controversial reasons[18]. As of 2020, he is still unmarried.
Aishwarya Vummidi
Aishwarya, the last and only girl child of the three children was born in December 1993. G K Reddy is very much attached to his daughter and has often stated that all of his success is due to her presence. She got engaged on April 9, 2017, with Kritish Vummidi[19]. On August 27, 2017, Aishwarya married Kritish Vummidi[20][21][22], the successor of Vummidi Bangaru family[23] who own a popular jewelry store chain in South India. Vishal took the whole responsibility of arranging the marriage function and executed it in an exuberant manner. It is a love-come-arranged marriage and had prominent actors of the South Indian film industry present at the occasion. She is currently supporting her brother, actor Vishal in managing Vishal Film Factory (VFF)[24].
Views
G K Reddy is a follower of Hinduism and a believer in spirituality. He has often referred that he is devoted to Hanuman, the Hindu god of strength, celibacy, knowledge, and bhakti. This has had a great influence on his personal life as well, causing him to stay focused in career and practice Bramachariyam (celibacy) until his marriage.
Other than spirituality, G K Reddy believes that discipline, fitness, and determination are the core attributes to lead a happy and successful life. He often quotes, 'work is worship'. He has imbibed these values as a youngster from his days at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Heavy Vehicles Factory.
Being a disciplined and determined person, he is viewed as a fitness icon for his dedication to having a healthy and fit body at the age of 82. He often quotes that age is just a number and during various points of time, he was compared with his son Vishal for their common interest in the six-pack trend[25]. He has even showcased his toned body on many occasions, encouraging people to be fit at any age.
By the second half of the 2010s, he became a sensation for his ideology in the health and fitness domains. His workout videos and interviews have continued to inspire and reach many people in YouTube[26] and other online platforms.
Retirement
In 2012 by the age of 74, he decided to take a break from film production and granite exports. Since then, GK Granites has been headed by his elder son Vikram Krishna and daughter-in-law Sriya Reddy along with GK Stones whereas film production is taken care by Vishal Krishna under Vishal Film Factory (VFF).
After this, he took it as a challenge to be fit and practiced various diets and fitness regimes, finally finding the best ones that suited him[27]. He often takes part in various fitness programs inspiring numerous people. Currently, he is running and guiding a fitness start-up named GK Fit, which is driven by a team of youngsters with Shrivathsa Bhat, a young professional as the CEO. GK Fit promotes fitness and health, with a lifestyle that comprises of home-based food and home-based exercises.
Awards and honors
G K Reddy is a sports enthusiast since childhood and has been recognized as the best sportsman in his school. He has won various awards in games like shotput, javelin throw, disc throw, and swimming to name a few.
During his days in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, he won the overall championship at Mysore state industrial athletic meet in 1962. While working in Heavy Vehicles Factory, he participated in the sports meet held every year and won the first position in games like shotput, hammer throw, javelin throw, and disc throw. He also won the individual championship in every meet for 12 consecutive years.
GK Granites stood first in Granite cobblestone exports from India during 2002 - 2008.
Soon, he received a letter from the Finance minister P. Chidambaram, stating that he had been awarded the Udyog Rattan Award from by the Institute of Economic Studies (IES). G K Reddy received it with much happiness.
In 2017, he won the first position in various sports events like shotput, javelin throw, hammer throw, and disc throw at the district level sports meet held at Chennai. Here he was awarded by the popular film director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi of that time.
For his contribution to the Vijayanta, he was promoted as the Cultural Secretary of the HVF within a short period. Following this, he was invited for lunch at the high table to join the Minister of Defence Mrs. Indra Gandhi, along with other eminent personalities of the time.
He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award by Balaram Jakhar, Governor of Madhya Pradesh for his excellence and remarkable achievements in the field of granite exports, where he set a global benchmark. He also received the Best citizen of India award from New Delhi for this feat.
Punjab National Bank was of great support to his business and also awarded him the Gold Star Award for paying back the loan amount of 13,00,00,000 INR in a single year, which was a great feat at that time.
In 2002, he was approached in person by a senator from the Buckingham Palace, London to make a monument for Queen Elizabeth at the Queen Victoria Memorial stating that no one else was worthy enough as him for the task. It was a monument made from Red granite, which is only available in India. People in the field helped him achieve this impossible feat through their respect for him. Some of them even worked without the minimum deposit amount. G K Reddy accomplished the impossible but didn’t attend the inauguration of the monument as he felt that he had to spend quality time with his employees who gave their efforts and time for him.
Filmography
As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Raakshasi | Bhavani's father | Kannada |
| 2017 | Richie | Isaac Annachi | Tamil |
| 2018 | Semma Botha Aagathey | Annachi | Tamil |
| 2019 | Nethraa | Nethraa's godfather | Tamil |
| Damayanthi | Vijayendra Varma | Kannada |
As a producer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Lawyer Bharathi Devi | As Sri Devi Kalachitra |
| Dance Raja Dance | ||
| 1988 | Yemadharmaraju | |
| Jadiketha Moodi | ||
| 1989 | Idhu Unga Kudumbam | |
| 1993 | I Love India | |
| 1994 | S. P. Parasuram | |
| 1996 | Mahaprabhu | |
| 2001 | Love Marriage | As Aishwarya Film Makers |
| 2004 | Chellame aka Prema Chadarangam | |
| 2005 | Sandakozhi aka Pandem Kodi | |
| 2006 | Thimiru | |
| 2008 | Sathyam | |
| 2009 | Thoranai | |
| 2010 | Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai | |
| 2011 | Vedi |
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- "G.K. GRANITES PRIVATE LIMITED - Company, directors and contact details | Zauba Corp". www.zaubacorp.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- Lawyer Bharti Devi, retrieved 16 August 2020
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- Fit, G. K. (16 August 2020). "A Path laid from discipline to dreams". Medium. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
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- "Actor Vishal's new TV venture to premiere soon - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "Vishal contests RK Nagar elections: Puratchi Thalapathy's political plunge was a long time in the making". The Indian Express. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "RK Nagar Nomination Rejected, Actor Vishal Says "Mockery Of Democracy"". NDTV.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
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