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Adoor Gopalakrishnan

movie Film Director, Scriptwriter, Producer cake 3 July 1941 (Thursday) (Pallickal, Adoor, Travancore, British India (now Pathanamthitta District, Kerala India))
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Height

in centimeters- 173 cm in meters- 1.73 m in feet & inches- 5’ 8”

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Age

83

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Nation

• British Indian (1941-1947) • Indian (1947-present)

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Basic Information

Date of Birth: 3 July 1941 (Thursday)
Birthplace: Pallickal, Adoor, Travancore, British India (now Pathanamthitta District, Kerala India)
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Nationality: • British Indian (1941-1947) • Indian (1947-present)
Hometown: Thiruvananthapuram

Family & Relationships

Marital Status: Widower
Spouse: Sunanda
Children: Daughter Aswathi Dorje (IPS)

Education

Schools: GLPS, Thuvayoor, Adoor
Colleges: The Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu Film Institute of India, Poona (now known as Film and Television Institute of India, Pune)
Education: B. A. in Economics, Political Science, and Public Administration (The Gandhigram Rural Institute) Diploma in Screenplay Writing and Advanced Film Direction (Film and Television Institute of India, Pune)

Lifestyle

Food Habit: Non-Vegetarian Outlook

person_book Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Adoor Gopalakrishnan

  • Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ancestral family highly favoured classical performing arts and had a Kathakali troupe called Kaliyogam. This exposure to arts and literature influenced his reading and writing. He started writing at the age of eight.
  • He was under the care of his maternal uncles and grew up in a joint family as his parents were separated during his childhood.
  • He wrote a play called Aniyara during his school days, which won prizes and appreciation in various competitions.

    Adoor during his student days
    Adoor during his student days
  • He removed his caste title, Unnithan, from his full name at the age of 20 years. [3]The Times of India
  • After graduation, he started as a government official working as an investigator in the National Sample Survey department at Dindigul, Tamil Nadu for a brief period. The job required him to travel which was highly favoured by Adoor, but his interest in theatre was greatly affected.
  • After resigning from the job, he joined the Film Institute of India to pursue his diploma in screenwriting and direction.
  • His first non-feature film, A Great Day (1964), was part of his diploma curriculum at the Film Insitute of India.
  • The short film, Light (1965), was also part of his diploma education.

    Adoor Gopalakrishnan directing artists at the Film Institute
    Adoor Gopalakrishnan directing artists at the Film Institute
  • Adoor and his friend Kulathur Bhaskaran were the founders of the Chitralekha Film Society, one of the first film societies in India.
  • He also took the initiative for the nation’s first film cooperative, Chalachitra Sahakarana Sangham, to produce, distribute, and exhibit quality films.
  • His first film won 4 National awards, 3 Kerala state awards, and the Certificate of Merit at the Colombo Film Festival. It was featured in various international festivals including London and Helsinki.
  • According to Adoor, the average time to complete his film is five to six years.
  • He believes in Gandhian and secular ideologies.
  • As of 2023, he has directed 12 films and over 30 short films and documentaries.
  • Some of his acclaimed short films and documentaries are The Myth (1967), Pratisandhi (1970), Yakshagana (1979), Krishnanattam (1982), Koodiyattam (2001), Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair (2005), and Dance of the Enchantress (2007).
  • Adoor had a close relationship with filmmaker Satyajit Ray, whom he fondly called Manikda. [4]The New Indian Express

    Adoor Gopalakrishnan with Satyajit Ray
    Adoor Gopalakrishnan with Satyajit Ray
  • Adoor published many books such as Cinemayude Lokam (The World of Cinema), Cinemaanubhavam (The Experience of Cinema), Pantrandu Thirakkathakal, and Cinema Samskaram.

    The book Cinemaanubhavam by Adoor
    The book Cinemaanubhavam by Adoor
  • Some of the prominent books written on Adoor are The Films of Adoor Gopalakrishnan: A Cinema of Emancipation (2015) by Suranjan Ganguly and Face-to-Face: The Cinema of Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2016) by Parthajith Barua.
  • The filmmaker Mani Kaul and actor Asrani acted in Adoor’s Film Institute diploma’s curriculum project.

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