Ramanna started his life as a sound recordist in a city studio and then made his way to film direction. He started the production company R.R. Pictures (with the initials of his sister and himself). He produced movies in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, many of which were successful.
One of his successful film was Manapandhal, inspired by the Hollywood classic Sabrina (1954), directed by Billy Wilder and starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn.