Mani Gopal (Telugu: మణిగోపాల్ ), popularly known by his pen name, Vanamali (Telugu: వనమాలి) is a Telugu lyricist and poet. He is the recipient of the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award. His works include the musical hit Arerey from Happy Days. He holds a PhD in Telugu literature from Madras University.

Background

Dr. Mani Gopal was born in Railway Kodur in Andhra Pradesh. His mother tongue is Tamil. He is always interested in many arts, particularly singing. He took up writing seriously while he was in his degree final year. He never had any ambitions of taking up any form of art seriously and it was the emphasis of his parents on education right from the childhood that made him a voracious reader and motivated him to go ahead with education. Vanamali has earned his Ph.D. with High Honours in Telugu literature. He wrote his first composition which was sung by Vijayalaksmi Sarma in a program in Doordarshan. After that he joined as a reporter in Sitara, a Telugu film weekly and worked there for almost 10 years. During this time he developed his interest in Telugu movies and is one of the leading lyricists and songwriters in Tollywood. He has worked with musical maestros such as Harris Jayaraj, A. R. Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja.

Awards

Filmography

See also

• Filmfare Best Lyricist Award (Telugu)

References

External links

• TeluguOne interview with lyricist Vanamali
• Vanamali profile
• Vanamali lyrics for Happy Days