Adoor Gopalakrishnan is regarded as one of the most notable filmmakers of India has turned 79 today. He had played a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema during the 1970s with his debut film ‘Swayamvaram’(1972) and pioneered the new wave movement in Kerala along with ‘Olavum Theeravum’(1970) and ‘Atidhi’(1974). In a career spanning over five decades,the director has made 12 feature films till now. His film depicts the native life of the keralites.
Nearly all of his films have premiered at Venice, Cannes and Toronto Film Festival. He has received British Film Institute Awards for ‘Elippathayam’(1981).He has also won 16 National Film Awards, 17 Kerala State Film Awards along with the Padma Shri in 1984 and Padma Vibhushan in 2006. He has been awarded with the highest cinema award in India, The Dadasaheb Phalke Awards for the year 2004 for his utmost contributions to Indian cinema.
Along with Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen , Adoor is one of the most recognised Indian film directors in world cinema.
He believes that it is the artist’s job to do the detailing. He does not want different interpretations of roles that may clash with each other. It must be absolutely unified. He does not encourage his crew to read the script and actors are told at the time of shooting about the role and scenes before conducting several rehearsals. He has an eye for detail which separates him from the rest of the filmmakers in the world.
