KP Gopakumar, One Of Mohanlal's First Co-Stars, Dies At 73

2026-02-26 09:50:52

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Actor KP Gopakumar, best known for starring in a key role in superstar Mohanlal's first movie Thiranottam, died at 73 in Thiruvananthapuram in the south Indian state of Kerala.

Better known as Advocate Gopakumar, he acted in a few films and is also known for his life outside cinema. He was ailing for the past few months, Indian media reported.

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Gopakumar has a connection with the Gulf region as well. He worked in companies of the Ravi Pillai group in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, according to the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. In the years later, Gopakumar returned home and practised as an advocate at the Vanchiyoor court in Kerala's capital. A social activist, he also contested local body elections in the state.

Gopakumar is survived by his wife and daughter.

A landmark movie

The movie Thiranottam occupies a special place in Malayalam cinema history, for reasons other than it being Mohanlal's acting debut. Technically, that title goes to the 1980 romantic drama Manjil Virinja Pookkal, where he made audiences sit up and take note for portraying the antagonist.

Thiranottam was directed by V Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi and produced by Sasheendran. Mohanlal, according to The Times of India, was asked to turn up one day to the studio for a role in Thiranottam, which he did happily. Far removed from his portrayal as the protagonist or those larger than life that he is associated with today, the-then budding actor happily completed his role. Just appearing in front of the camera seemed to be enough.

However, the movie never saw the light of day despite being cleared by India's film certification board. The film released in a theatre in Kollam in 2005, according to The Times of India.

In later interviews to the media, Mohanlal said he considers the movie special, as most of the people involved in it were also his close friends. Indian national award-winning filmmaker Priyadarshan, with whom Mohanlal has collaborated on many projects that also turned out to be cult classics, was an assistant director for Thiranottam.

"See, I first faced a camera 25 years ago. It was on September 4, 1978, around 11.30am that we started shooting... Whether the film was released or not, you cannot deny that that was the beginning of my career as an actor," Mohanlal told the Indian online news portal Rediff in a 2003 interview.

"The film was completed and censored, but we couldn't release it. I can never forget my first film-it was instrumental in me becoming an actor."