Gopichand(I)

Tottempudi Gopichand is an Indian film actor and producer who primarily works in Telugu films. Born to the late T. Krishna, a Telugu filmmaker who wrote, edited, and directed numerous movies like Neti Bharatam (1983), he was not focused on acting at an early age.

Gopichand did his schooling at the Ramakrishna Mission School in Chennai. Later, he moved to Russia to complete his degree in mechanical engineering. Around this time, his older brother, who was working as an associate director under Muthyala Subbaiah, died in a car accident. He decided to extend his father's legacy and pursued a course in dialogue modulation. From there on, he started focusing more on the film industry.

Gopichand made his acting debut in 2001 with the Telugu film Tholi Valapu (2001), in which he played the role of the protagonist, Prem. The film did not fare well at the box office.

He went on to play the antagonist in three Telugu movies, Jayam (2002), Nijam (2003), and Varsham (2004). His performance in Jayam was especially well-received critically and commercially.

Gopichand's debut in Tamil cinema happened in 2003 with the film Jayam (2003), in which he reprised his role from the original Telugu version. He continued to star in several successful Telugu films, including Yagnam (2004), Ranam (2006), and Lakshyam (2007).

Gopichand is known for his action and drama roles. Despite playing the role of a protagonist in most of his movies, he has won awards in the 'Best Villain' category four times and has been nominated for the same once. He played notable antagonist roles in films like Jayam, Nijam, and Varsham and won the CineMAA, Filmfare, and Nandi Awards for 'best villain' in all these movies.

In 2013, Gopichand married Reshma, the niece of Telugu actor Meka Srikanth. Gopichand and Reshma are blessed with two children, Virat (born in 2014) and Viyaan (born in 2018).

Apart from his film career, Gopichand is also involved in philanthropic work. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he donated Rs. 10 lakhs to the Corona Crisis Charity.