Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Biography

Adoor Gopalakrishnan is always regarded as one among the greatest film directors of India, who was able to place India in the world map of cinema. He decorates the top most position along with great directors like Bimal Roy, Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal. His powerful scripts have always highlighted common man and his problems along with social life of different eras. He has received infinite awards – both Indian and international awards and his films are always exhibited in great film festivals throughout the world. His place always remains as the top director from Kerala who gave Malayalam wide acclamation worldwide. His movies are always breakthrough and new pathfinders in the history of Indian cinema. From his first movie, Swayamvaram released in the year 1972, he had made his intensions very clear that he is to set new waves in Kerala as well as India. That movie was chosen as best feature film and best director in National awards also.

His name is always regarded as one among those filmmakers who has seen common man’s social life so near. He has won National Film Awards sixteen times, Kerala State Film Awards seventeen times and also won several international film awards. So, definitely it’s not an easy job to list all his wonderful creations on screen. Among all his achievements and awards, a few need special mention. He won the prestigious British Film Institute award for Malayalam movie - Elippathayam (1981). He received the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. He was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2004.

He has received best director award 5 times in National awards. Those movies include – Swayamvaram, anantharam, Mukhamukham, Mathilukal and Naalupennukal. Two of his movies have been awarded best feature film in National awards – Swayamvaram and Kathapurushan. He has won best screenplay two times – Anantharam and Mukhamukham. 6 of his feature films have won best movie in Malayalam – Kodiyettam, Elipathayam, Vidheyan, Mukhamukham, Mathilikal and Nizhal koothu. All these mentioned movies have won multiple awards at state awards also. Oru pennum randaanum has won best film and best director award at State awards. He has also achieved   big status and awards in documentary section, book of cinema and short films.

He has won International Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) consecutively for six feature films (Mukhamukham, Anantaram, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan and Nizhalkkuthu). A few of his international awards include – Sutherland Trophy at London film festival and Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 at British film institute award for Elipathayam, Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Government and Lifetime achievement award at Cairo International Film Festival.  

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Updated: May 14, 2014