Bharat Gopy
Born	Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (1937-11-02)2 November 1937 Chirayinkeezhu,Travancore State,British Raj (nowThiruvananthapuram,Kerala,India)
Died	29 January 2008(2008-01-29) (aged 70) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Other names	Kodiyettam Gopy
Alma mater	University College, Thiruvananthapuram
Years active	1972–1986, 1993–2008
Spouse	Jayalakshmy S. V.
Children	Murali Gopy Dr. Minu Gopy
Parents	Velayudhan Pillai Parvathyamma
Awards	Padma Shri National Film Awards (1) Kerala State Film Awards (6)
Website	bharatgopy.com

Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by thestage nameBharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer, and director. Considered one of the greatest actors in the history ofIndian cinema, Gopy was one of the first actors to be associated with theNew Wave cinema movement inKerala during the 1970s.^[1]

Bharat Gopy has won many awards, including theNational Film Award forBest Actor for his role as Sankarankutty inKodiyettam (1977),^[2] and hence he got the nameBharath. His well-known roles include Aiyappan inYavanika, Vasu Menon inPalangal, Prof. "Shakespeare" Krishna Pillai inKattathe Kilikoodu, Dushasana Kurup inPanchavadi Palam, Nandagopal inOrmakkayi, Mammachan inAdaminte Vaariyellu, Shankaran inChidambaram, and Krishnan Raju inAghaat. He won fourKerala State Film Awards for Best Actor for various roles.

As a filmmaker he is known forUlsavapittennu (1989) andYamanam (1991). He produced the 1993 filmPadheyam directed byBharathan. In 1991 theGovernment of India honoured him with thePadma Shri for his contributions towards the arts.^[3] In 1994, he authored the bookAbhinayam Anubhavam, which won theNational Film Award for Best Book on Cinema.

Bharat Gopy was born on 2 November 1937 atChirayinkeezhu inThiruvananthapuram District of the state of Kerala as the youngest of four children to Kochuveetil Velayudhan Pillai and Parvathyamma. He completed his BSc. Degree fromUniversity College, Thiruvananthapuram. Immediately after his studies, he was employed as Lower Division Clerk in the Kerala Electricity Board.^[4]

He is married to Jayalakshmy S. V. The couple has a son, writer-actorMurali Gopy, and a daughter, Dr. Minu Gopy.

Gopy began his acting career as a theatre actor at Prasadhana Little Theatres under G. Sankara Pillai. His first stage appearance was in the role of Raaghavan in the playAbhayarthikal. Later on, he became associated with Thiruvarange under Kaavalam Narayana Panicker. He has also written five plays and directed three.^[4]

Gopy became interested in cinema through the Chitralekha Film Society, founded byAdoor Gopalakrishnan.^[5] He made his movie debut in Adoor'sSwayamvaram in 1972 in a small role. He did the lead role of Sankarankutty in Adoor's next film,Kodiyettam (1977), a performance for which he won the National Award for Best Actor.^[6] He was also noted for his performances in movies likeOrmakkayi,Yavanika,Panchavadi Palam andAdaminte Vaariyellu. Besides Malayalam movies, he acted in twoHindi movies,Aaghat andSatah Se Uthata Aadmi.^[6] Gopy was a film director and producer as well. Gopy wasparalysed by a stroke on 20 February 1986, at the zenith of his career.^[6][7]

He was awarded thePadma Shri in 1991.^[8]

In 1979, Gopy directed the movieNjattadi with Murali in lead role. The movie was only screened twice and the print is now lost.^[9] He directed three more moviesUlsavapittennu,Yamanam andEnte Hridhayathinte Utama. HisYamanam, about a physically disabled person, was awarded Best Film on social issues by the National Award Jury in 1991.

On 24 January 2008, Gopy was hospitalised with chest pain.^[10] He died five days later following a cardiac arrest. His last role was inBalachandra Menon'sDe Ingottu Nokkiye (2008).^[11][12]

Gopy authored two books. His bookAbhinayam Anubhavam (Acting, Experience), won theNational Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 1994.^[5] In 2003,Nataka Niyogam, his book on drama won the Kerala State Drama Awards for Best Book on Drama.^[13]

• Special Jury Award at theAsia Pacific International Film Festival, Tokyo (1985)
• A five-film retrospective of his films was held in Paris by the Government of France (1985). The only other Indian actors to be awarded this honour areSmita Patil,Naseeruddin Shah,Om Puri,Rajesh Khanna andAmitabh Bachchan

• Padma Shri – 1991^[16]

• Best Actor –Kodiyettam – 1977
• Best Film on Other Social Issues –Yamanam – 1991
• Best Book on Cinema –Abhinayam Anubhavam – 1995

• Best Film Award –Padheyam – 1993 (as producer)

• Best Actor –Kodiyettam – 1977
• Best Actor –Ormakkayi – 1982
• Best Actor –Ente Mamattikkuttiyammakku,Eenam,Ettillam,Kattathe Kilikoodu – 1983
• Best Actor –Chidambaram – 1985

• 1982 –Best Actor –Ormakkayi
• 1983 - Best Actor -Kattathe Kilikkoodu

• 1994 –Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship^[17]
• Four critics awards
• Two Gulf Malayali association awards

• https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040405/http://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?category=actors&artist=Bharath%20Gopy&limit=74
• Bharat Gopy atIMDb

• Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram
• Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram
• Kerala State Film Award winners
• 2008 deaths
• 1937 births
• Male actors in Malayalam cinema
• Filmfare Awards South winners
• Malayalam film directors
• Best Actor National Film Award winners
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
• Indian male film actors
• Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram
• 21st-century Indian male actors
• 21st-century Indian people
• Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award
• Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship
• Kerala Film Critics Awards winners

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