Kalamandalam Gopi
Encyclopedia
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair (born 1937) popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi
is a exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali
. He is from the village of Kothachira
in Kerala
, southern India and he blends the solid body grammar of the highly stylised Kalluvazhi tradition in which he was groomed with the more flexible, part-realistic, emotion-laden southern style techniques he acquired later in his career. He is often referred to by his fans as Gopiyasan.
He is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being Nala
n, Karna
n and Rukmangada
n. He is equally adept in essaying the choreographically denser roles like Bheeman (in the stories Kalyanasougandhikam or Bakavadham), Arjuna (Subhadraharanam) and Dharmaputrar (that's Yudhishthira in Kirmeeravadham). Nair, a Padma Shri
awardee, also excels in the yellow-faced pazhuppu roles such as Balabhadra, and has of late also branched out to portray variety roles like the anti-heroic Kathi (like Ravana
, Keechaka and Duryodhana
) black-bearded Kaatalan (Kiratham), red-bearded Bali
(Balivijayam) and even the semi-realistic looking Brahmanan in Santanagopalam.
He is a disciple of the award-winning Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair
and Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
, and was trained at Kerala Kalamandalam
, near Shoranur
. Before that, he had a brief career as a practitioner of the more folksy Ottamthullal
, the solo dance form with lyrics by the Kunchan Nambiar, a satirical poet. That was followed by his initiation into Kathakali by a leading guru called Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair at the Koodallur Mana (a mansion of an upper-caste Namboodiri family) near Kothachira.
By the 1960s, his male protagonist roles were complemented by Kottakkal Sivaraman
, who gained name as an exponent of female roles on the stage. The pair still perform on stage together, although Nair now also works with a younger colleague, Margi Vijayakumar
.
Gopi, a recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi
award, retired from Kalamandalam in 1992 as its principal, aged 55, after 36 years of tutorial service, and now stays in Mundoor, a village 12 km north of Thrissur, with his wife and two sons. He is still busy as a Kathakali artiste both in India and abroad. Scholars and avid Kathakali watchers alike acknowledge him as a legitimate successor to the legacy of Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
, arguably the greatest-ever Kathakali artiste, who died in 1990 at the age of 75.
) and Shantham
(by Jayaraj
).
Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan
made a documentary film of Nair, entitled Kalamandalam Gopi. This was was well reviewed and was shown at the International Film Festival of India
in 2000, as well as at other festivals within India, in the West and in the Far East. Journalist Meena (Das) Narayan produced and directed a docu-fiction about Nair in 2010. Titled Making of a Maestro, the documentary explores the evolution of Nair from childhood onwards.
Nair's select stage performances have been shot and brought out on a commercial basis on VCDs and DVDs, mainly by Vedika, a cultural forum based in Thrissur.
Kalamandalam Gopi
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi is a exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali...
is a exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
. He is from the village of Kothachira
Kothachira
Kothachira is a village in central Kerala, southern India. The village is located in border of Thrissur and Palakkad districts and is also known as Kothara....
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, southern India and he blends the solid body grammar of the highly stylised Kalluvazhi tradition in which he was groomed with the more flexible, part-realistic, emotion-laden southern style techniques he acquired later in his career. He is often referred to by his fans as Gopiyasan.
He is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being Nala
Nala
Nala , a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling...
n, Karna
Karna
Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...
n and Rukmangada
Rukmangada
Rukmangada is the name of a character in Hindu mythology. He was a great devotee of Vishnu.-Legend:Rukmangada was looked upon as a good and pious king. He is happily married to Sandhyavali and the couple have a small son named Dharmangada...
n. He is equally adept in essaying the choreographically denser roles like Bheeman (in the stories Kalyanasougandhikam or Bakavadham), Arjuna (Subhadraharanam) and Dharmaputrar (that's Yudhishthira in Kirmeeravadham). Nair, a Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
awardee, also excels in the yellow-faced pazhuppu roles such as Balabhadra, and has of late also branched out to portray variety roles like the anti-heroic Kathi (like Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
, Keechaka and Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
) black-bearded Kaatalan (Kiratham), red-bearded Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
(Balivijayam) and even the semi-realistic looking Brahmanan in Santanagopalam.
He is a disciple of the award-winning Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair is one of the most senior performers of Kathakali, having been a grand and sober presence on the art form's stage for a span of over seven decades...
, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair
Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair
Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair was an eminent Kathakali exponent, equally known for his capacities as a tutor, theoretician and author of a few authentic texts on the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India....
and Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair was one of the most revolutionary Kathakali artistes in the history of the classical dance-drama from Kerala, India...
, and was trained at Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam , lately renamed as Kalamandalam Deemed University of Art and Culture, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in...
, near Shoranur
Shoranur
Shoranur is a town and a municipality in Palakkad district, Kerala,located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River spread over an area of 32.28 km2.it is a major transport hub , having the largest railway station in the state .Kerala Kalamandalam which is the premier centre for the learning...
. Before that, he had a brief career as a practitioner of the more folksy Ottamthullal
Ottamthullal
Ottamthullal or Ottanthullal is a type of performing art from Kerala, India. The art form was created during the 18th century by legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar...
, the solo dance form with lyrics by the Kunchan Nambiar, a satirical poet. That was followed by his initiation into Kathakali by a leading guru called Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair at the Koodallur Mana (a mansion of an upper-caste Namboodiri family) near Kothachira.
By the 1960s, his male protagonist roles were complemented by Kottakkal Sivaraman
Kottakkal Sivaraman
Kottakkal Sivaraman was an acclaimed performing artiste who revolutionised the portrayal of female roles in Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India...
, who gained name as an exponent of female roles on the stage. The pair still perform on stage together, although Nair now also works with a younger colleague, Margi Vijayakumar
Margi Vijayakumar
Margi Vijayakumar is a noted Kathakali artiste who has specialised in female roles in the classical dance-drama from Kerala, south India. A prominent disciple of the late Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, he has gained name in his poised handling of Purana characters like Damayanti, Panchali,...
.
Gopi, a recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
award, retired from Kalamandalam in 1992 as its principal, aged 55, after 36 years of tutorial service, and now stays in Mundoor, a village 12 km north of Thrissur, with his wife and two sons. He is still busy as a Kathakali artiste both in India and abroad. Scholars and avid Kathakali watchers alike acknowledge him as a legitimate successor to the legacy of Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was one of the most renowned Kathakali artists of any time, and arguably the greatest in the history of the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India...
, arguably the greatest-ever Kathakali artiste, who died in 1990 at the age of 75.
On film
Nair has also acted (without Kathakali make-up or costumes) in a couple of Malayalam feature films like Vanaprastham (directed by Shaji N. KarunShaji N. Karun
Shaji Neelakantan Karun is a National Award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi won the Caméra d'Or - Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival...
) and Shantham
Shantham
Shantham is an award-winning Malayalam feature film directed by Jayaraj. It stars I M Vijayan, a leading Indian football player of modern times, M G Shashi, Seema Biswas and K P A C Lalitha. The renowned Kathakali artiste Kalamandalam Gopi and the Malayalm writer Madambu Kunjukuttan have also...
(by Jayaraj
Jayaraj
Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair, often credited as Jayaraj, is an award-winning Indian Malayali filmmaker who has marked his presence in mainstream as well as art house films...
).
Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
made a documentary film of Nair, entitled Kalamandalam Gopi. This was was well reviewed and was shown at the International Film Festival of India
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...
in 2000, as well as at other festivals within India, in the West and in the Far East. Journalist Meena (Das) Narayan produced and directed a docu-fiction about Nair in 2010. Titled Making of a Maestro, the documentary explores the evolution of Nair from childhood onwards.
Nair's select stage performances have been shot and brought out on a commercial basis on VCDs and DVDs, mainly by Vedika, a cultural forum based in Thrissur.