Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan (6 June 1932 – 4 June 2010) was an Indian journalist, known for his research and writings on

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 ...

Early life and education

Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan was born on 6 June 1932 in

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

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 ...

to Sri Nediyedathu Kesava Pillai and Thrikkeparambil Ammukkutti Amma. He graduated from the Government Arts College in 1951.

Writing career

Gopalakrishnan started his career as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

in a regional newspaper, Malayali. Later, he worked for newspapers, including ''

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

''.. He rediscovered several forgotten personalities, including J.C. Daniel, the father of

. He wrote more than 20 books about cinema, and also other books in various categories including children's literature. ''J C Danielinte Jeevitha Katha'' (English: ''The Life Story of J C Daniel''), a biography of Malayalam actor and director J. C. Daniel, was published in July 2011, a year after Gopalakrishnan's death.

Other activities

Gopalakrishnan was a member of the jury for the

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

for several years. He ran a film studio named Ajanta Studio at

Aluva Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre. Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...

. Many films, including '' Olavum Theeravum'' (1970), written by

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...

, were produced at this studio.

Death and legacy

Gopalakrishnan died on 4 June 2010. In Kamal's 2013

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

about

J C Daniel Joseph Chellayya Daniel (25 November 1900 27 April 1975) was an Indian filmmaker, widely recognised as the "father of Malayalam cinema". He was the first filmmaker from Kerala. He produced, directed, wrote, photographed, edited and starred in ...

, ''

Celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

'', Gopalakrishnan is played by

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...

Selected works

* ''Loka Cinemayude Charithram'' (1989) * ''Annathe Nayikamar'' * * ''Mukhathodu Mukham'' * ''Chalachithra Abhinayam'' * ''Vincent Muthal Vincent Vare'' * ''Cinema Nirmmanam Keralathil'' * ''Cinema Nirmmanam Pillerukaliyo'' * ''Cinemayude Katha'' * ''Vayalar'' (biography of Rama Varma Vayalar) * ''Sangeetha Nataka Prasthanam Keralathil'' * Malayala Nataka Charithram * Aadyakala Malayala Cinema Naayikamaar * Malayala Cinemayile Vaanavarum Veenavarum * Malayala Cinema - Charithram Vichithram * Indian Cinemayude Charithram * Nataka Kala * Charithrathilillatha Viplavakarikal * Dakshinendiyayile Viplavakaarikal * Marakkapppetta Viplavakaarikal * Pathrapravarthanam Keralathil * ''J C Danielinte Jeevitha Katha'' (2011)

Early life and education

Writing career

Other activities

Death and legacy

Selected works

References

Further reading