Gulabi is a 1995 Telugu romantic thriller film starring J. D. Chakravarthy and Maheswari in the lead roles. The film was directed by debutant Krishna Vamsi, produced by Ram Gopal Varma and was co-produced by Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited. Upon release, the film received positive reviews and was declared a hit at the box office. The film was dubbed into Tamil as Idhayame Idhayame. The film was remade in Hindi as Aashiq (2001).

Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma, often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television. Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. Regarded as one of the pioneers of new age Indian cinema, he was featured in the BBC World series Bollywood Bosses in 2004. In 2006, Grady Hendrix of Film Comment, published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center cited Varma as "Bombay's Most Successful Maverick" for his works on experimental films.