‘Not many in the film industry speak out for fear of ED, I’m not scared to open up’

Eighty-two-year-old legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who is known for his open and plain speaking, on Friday said not many in the film industry speak out of fear of the Enforcement Directorate but he does not fear to open up.

“Not many in the film industry open up as they do not know from where a windfall is going to come. Now not many criticise for fear of the arrival of the Enforcement Directorate officials , but I am not like that, I will say what I have to say,” said Adoor as he is popularly known in the presence of Goa Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai. He also asked all not to place him on a pedestal as he is just an ordinary person. “I wish to tell all, I am a struggling filmmaker and please do not place me on a pedestal praising me,” added Adoor.

Though the filmmaker has directed just a dozen feature films starting with ‘Swayamwaram’ in 1972, in his glittering career, he has won the national film awards 16 times, 17 Kerala State awards besides numerous international awards and also the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2004.

He was decorated him with a Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. His last feature film was ‘Pinneyum’ in 2016 and it featured the then popular Mollywood pair of Dileep and Kavya Madhavan.

He began his career in 1965 with a 20-minute short fiction film titled ‘A Great Day’ and since then besides directing 12 feature films, he has also done close to 40 short films and documentaries.

Adoor graduated from the Gandhigram Rural University in 1960 and left a government job of a statistical investigator to study cinema at the Film Institute of India, Pune in 1962.

After graduating from Pune in 1965, Adoor never had to look back and the question now all are asking is when is his next film and would it be with superstar Mohanlal, whom he is yet to direct. (IANS)

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