Adoor Gopalakrishnan
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Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian
film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Gopalakrishnan pioneered the new wave in
Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
during the 1970s. In a career spanning over five decades, Gopalakrishnan has made only 12 feature films to date. His films are made in the
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
language and often depict the society and culture of his native state
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. Nearly all of his films premiered at
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
,
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
and
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
. Along with
Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...
and
Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen ( ; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was a Bengali film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, and a few Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu language films. Regarded as on ...
, Gopalakrishnan is one of the most recognized Indian film directors in world cinema. For his films, Gopalakrishnan has won the
National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
16 times, next only to Ray and Sen. He also won the Kerala State Film Awards 17 times. He was awarded the State honours
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2004 for his valuable contributions to Indian cinema. In 2016, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have established an archive and research center, the ''Adoor Gopalakrishnan Film Archive and Research Center'', at their Peck School of Arts where research students will have access to 35 mm prints of the eleven feature films and several documentaries made by Gopalakrishnan.


Biography

Gopalakrishnan was born on 3 July 1941 in the village of Pallicka
(Medayil Bungalow)
near
Adoor Adoor is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the List of taluks of Kerala, Adoor Taluk and Adoor Revenue Division. Adoor is located southwest of the district he ...
, present-day
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. After securing a degree in Economics, Political Science and Public Administration in 1961 from the Gandhigram Rural Institute, he worked as a Government officer near Dindigul in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. In 1962, he left his job to study screenwriting and direction at the
Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. ...
Pune. He completed his course from there with a scholarship from the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. With his classmates and friends, Gopalakrishnan established ''Chithralekha Film Society and Chalachithra Sahakarana Sangham''; the organization was the first film society in Kerala and it aimed at production, distribution and exhibition of films in the co-operative sector. Gopalakrishnan's debut film, the national award-winning ''Swayamvaram'' (1972) was a milestone in
Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...
history. The film was exhibited widely in various international film festivals including those held in Moscow,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, London and Paris. The films that followed namely '' Kodiyettam, Elippathayam, Mukhamukham, Anantaram, '' Mathilukal'', Vidheyan'' and '' Kathapurushan'' lived up to the reputation of his first film and were well received by critics at various film festivals and fetched him many awards. However, ''Mukhamukham'' was criticized in Kerala while ''Vidheyan'' was at the centre of a debate due to the differences in opinion between the writer of story of the film Sakhariya and Gopalakrishnan. Gopalakrishnan's later films are '' Nizhalkuthu'', narrating the experiences of an executioner who learns that one of his subjects was innocent, and '' Naalu Pennungal'', a film adaptation of four short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. All his films have won national and international awards (National award for best film twice, best director five times, and best script two times. His films have also won his actors and technicians several national awards). Gopalakrishnan's third feature, ''Elippathayam'' won him the coveted British Film Institute Award for 'the most original and imaginative film' of 1982. The International Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) has gone to him six times successively for ''Mukhamukham, Anantharam, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan'' and ''Nizhalkkuthu''. Winner of several international awards like the UNICEF film prize (Venice), OCIC film prize (Amiens), INTERFILM Prize (Mannheim) etc., his films have been shown in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
,
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
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and every important festival around the world. In consideration of his contribution to Indian cinema, the nation honoured him with the title of
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
(India's fourth highest civilian award) in 1984 and Padma Vibhushan (India's second highest civilian award) in 2006. Gopalakrishnan is settled in
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
in Kerala. His daughter Aswathi Dorje is an IPS officer (part of the Assam cadre, 2000 batch), currently acting as Deputy Commissioner of Police in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
since June 2010. In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Gopalakrishnan signed an open letter published in ''
Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
'' demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages. His biography ''Face to Face: The Cinema of Adoor Gopalakrishnan'' (2016) has been written by film scholar Parthajit Baruah of
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
.


Documentaries and 'New Cinema' movement

Apart from nine feature films, he has over 30 short films and documentaries to his credit. The Helsinki Film Festival was the first film festival to have a retrospective of his films. He has headed the jury at the
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
and many international film festivals. Apart from his films, Gopalakrishnan's major contribution towards introducing a new cinema culture in Kerala was the constitution of the first Film Society in Kerala, "Chitralekha Film Society". He also took active part in the constitution of "Chitralekha", Kerala's first Film Co-operative Society for film production. These movements triggered a fresh wave of films, called "art films", by directors like G Aravindan, PA Becker, KG George, Pavithran, and Raveendran. At a time this movement was so strong that even popular cinema synthesised with art cinema to create a new genre of films. Bharat Gopi starred as hero 4 times in his ventures.


Style and trademarks

According to Gopalakrishnan " movies, the actor is not performing to the audience like the stage actor. Here they are acting for me. I am the audience and I will decide whether it is correct or not, enough or not."


Controversies

In 2014, Gopalakrishnan, then heading the advisory committee of The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), irked controversy for introducing measures such as delegate passes being given only to those who can speak English since foreign films come with English subtitles, these changes were criticized for promoting old-world elitism and restricting the festival's appeal. In 2023, he faced criticism for defending the K. R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts director, Shankar Mohan, accused of violating reservation norms and discriminating based on caste and class. Gopalakrishan's statements, dismissing allegations and emphasizing Shankar Mohan's credentials, have drawn ire. The students accused Gopalakrishnan, the chairman of the film institute, of shielding the institute director and not addressing their concerns.


Awards and milestones

Some of the awards and appreciation Gopalakrishnan has won for his films include: * 2016 - On the occasion of India celebrating its 70th Independence day, news agency ''
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
'' compiled a list called "70 Years, 70 Great Films" and '' Swayamvaram'' was among the four Malayalam films that found place in the list. * 2015 - Biswaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award * 2013 -
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.
C. B. Kumar Endowment for ''Cinema yum Samskaravum'' (Essay) * 2010 -
Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
( D.Litt) from
University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...
* 2006 - Padma Vibhushan — Second highest civilian award from Government of India * 2004 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award — Lifetime Achievement Award in Film awarded by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
* 1996 -
Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
( D.Litt) from Mahatma Gandhi University * 1984 - Padma Shri — Fourth highest civilian award from Government of India. * 1984 -
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
 — French order, the highest decoration in France *
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
 — Various categories for ''Swayamvaram'', ''Kodiyettam'', ''Elippathayam'', ''Mukhamukham'', ''Anantaram'', ''Mathilukal'', ''Vidheyan'', ''Kathapurushan'', '' Nizhalkkuthu'' and '' Naalu Pennungal'' * Kerala State Film Awards: — Various categories for ''Kodiyettam'', ''Elippathayam'', ''Mukhamukham'', ''Anantaram'', ''Vidheyan'' and '' Oru Pennum Randaanum'' *International Film Critics Prize (
FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...
) — won consecutively for six feature films (Mukhamukham, Anantaram, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan and Nizhalkkuthu) *
London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...
 — Sutherland Trophy — in 1982 for ''Elippathayam'' *
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
Award — Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 — ''Elippathayam'' * Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by
French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
(2003) *Lifetime achievement award at Cairo International Film Festival. National Film Awards (Detailed): * 1973 - Best Film - ''Swayamvaram'' * 1973 - Best Director - ''Swayamvaram'' * 1978 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - ''Kodiyettam'' * 1980 - National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Non-Feature Film) - ''The Chola Heritage'' * 1982 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - ''Elippathayam'' * 1984 - Best Book on Cinema - ''Cinemayude Lokam'' * 1985 - Best Director - ''Mukhamukham'' * 1985 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - ''Mukhamukham'' * 1985 - Best Screenplay - ''Mukhamukham'' * 1988 - Best Director - '' Anantharam'' * 1988 - Best Screenplay - ''Anantharam'' * 1990 - Best Director - ''Mathilukal'' * 1990 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - ''Mathilukal'' * 1994 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - ''Vidheyan'' * 1995 - Best Film - ''Kathapurushan'' * 2003 - Best Feature Film in Malayalam - '' Nizhalkkuthu'' * 2008 - Best Director - '' Naalu Pennungal'' Kerala State Film Awards (Detailed): '' Best Film'' * 1977 - Best Film - '' Kodiyettam'' * 1981 - Best Film - '' Elippathayam'' * 1984 - Best Film - '' Mukhamukham'' * 1993 - Best Film - '' Vidheyan'' * 2008 - Best Film - '' Oru Pennum Randaanum'' '' Best Director'' * 1977 - Best Director - '' Kodiyettam'' * 1984 - Best Director - '' Mukhamukham'' * 1987 - Best Director - ''Anantharam'' * 1993 - Best Director - '' Vidheyan'' * 2008 - Best Director - '' Oru Pennum Randaanum'' '' Best Story'' * 1977 - Best Story - '' Kodiyettam'' '' Best Screen Play'' * 1993 - Best Screen Play - '' Vidheyan'' * 2008 - Best Screen Play - '' Oru Pennum Randaanum'' '' Best Documentary Film'' * 1982 - Best Documentary Film - Krishnanattam * 1999 - Best Documentary Film - Kalamandalam Gopi '' Best Short Film'' * 2005 - Best Short Film - Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair '' Best Book on Cinema'' * 2004 - Best Book on Cinema - Cinemanubhavam Kerala Film Critics Association Awards (Detailed):"കേരള ഫിലിം ക്രിട്ടിക്‌സ് അവാര്‍ഡ് 1977 - 2012"
Kerala Film Critics Association. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
* 1984 - Best Film - ''Mukhamukham'' * 1987 - Best Director - ''Anantaram'' * 1989 - Best Film - ''Mathilukal'' * 1989 - Best Director - ''Mathilukal'' * 1993 - Best Film - ''Vidheyan'' * 1993 - Best Director - ''Vidheyan'' * 1995 - Best Film - ''Kathapurushan'' * 1995 - Best Director - ''Kathapurushan'' * 2016 - Ruby Jubilee Award A retrospective of his films was conducted in *
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, by Seagull Foundation for the Arts and Nandan, 2009. * The Slovenian International Film Festival, 2009. * The Munich Film Museum, 2009. * The French Cinematheque, Paris, 1999.


Filmography


References


Further reading

* * * * * * * * *


External links


Official website of Adoor


* * ttp://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/may/06intro.htm Adoor's oeuvre on Rediff
Collection of photos of Adoor






* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gopalakrishnan, Adoor 1941 births Living people Best Director National Film Award winners Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award J. C. Daniel Award winners Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Legion of Honour Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Film and Television Institute of India alumni Malayalam screenwriters Film producers from Kerala Film directors from Pathanamthitta district Malayalam film directors Indian documentary filmmakers People from Pathanamthitta district Screenwriters from Kerala Malayalam film producers Malayalam film cinematographers Cinematographers from Kerala Indian experimental filmmakers 20th-century Indian photographers 21st-century Indian photographers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Malayali people