Vanamali

Manigopal, popularly known by his pen name, Vanaaali, is an Indian lyricist and poet who works in Telugu cinema. He is the recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Telugu. He holds a PhD in Telugu literature from Madras University.

Background

Dr. Manigopal was born in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. His mother tongue is Tamil.[citation needed] 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. Vanamaali 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 & Eenadu daily and worked there for almost 13 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.

Filmography

As lyricist

As dialogue writer

• Aranya (2020)
• Clap (2022)
• Star (D) (2024)

Awards