Gopalakrishnan was born in the small Kerala town of Adoor in 1941.

A graduate in political science, 'Adoor' Gopalakrishnan joined the Film Institute in Pune in the early sixties; his first feature film, Swayamvaram, was made 10 years later and went on to become the second Malayalam-language film (after the path-breaking Chemeen, a decade earlier) to win the National Award.

Since then, he has added eight more films, and three more national awards, to his collection. His films have been exhibited at every film festival in the world; his third, Elipathayam, won the Most Original Film award from the prestigious British Film Institute in 1982.

He won the coveted International Film Critics Prize for five successive films; in 1983, he was accorded the Padma Shri.

Nizhalkuthu is the ninth feature film in his oeuvre; he also has around 30 short films and documentaries to his credit, most of them focusing on, and feeding off, his lifelong passion for the performing arts.

What follows is small glimpse into the feature films that have made Adoor Gopalakrishnan unforgettable

Text: Prem Panicker
Design: Uday Kuckian

Also read:
The Nizhalkuthu review
The Adoor Gopalakrishnan Interview