Wikipedia

Draft:Gopal Menon


Gopal Menon
Born29 April 1974 (Age 49)
Malappuram
Nationality (legal)Indian
EducationUniversity of Calicut, PSG College of Technology
Known forDocumentary Making
Notable work"Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence", "PAPA 2"

Gopal Menon, born on 29 April 1974[1], is an Indian documentary filmmaker known for his people-oriented and activist documentary films[2]. The screening of his recent short film ‘Madithattu’ (In the Lap) marked the beginning of a fervent conversation, praising its impact and leaving viewers empathetic to intellectually challenged children around us.[3]

Some of his famous films are "Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi[4][5][6]", "Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence", "PAPA 2", "Resilient Rhythms", "Marching Towards Freedom", and "The Unholy War[7]", "I am Hadiya[8]" and "The Broken Camera".[8][9][10][11]

Professional career edit

Gopal Menon started his career producing an ecological documentary on Nilgiris biosphere (refers to a range of mountains spread across the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala).[2] While still a student of Business Administration, he started working with the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) on the organised violence on Muslims in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and the subsequent bomb blasts in the city.[12]

Gopal Menon likes to be known as an activist-filmmaker and is known for quickly responding to religious extremism and community conflicts.[9] He has always had the reporter’s instinct of picking up ‘newsy’ and ‘breaking news’ themes, even as it becomes a running story and a controversial public narrative. [13]

While PAPA 2 concerns with the enforced disappearances in Kashmir in the 1990s[12], his critically acclaimed documentary "Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi" deals with the Gujarat riots in 2002[9]. As the first filmmaker to create a film on the Gujarat riots within the first three weeks of the violence, the documentary records the testimonies of the victims.[9] In making visible the anguish and helplessness of the subjects of the riot, Hey Ram is a bold attempt that explores hate politics, communal riots, and right-wing fundamentalism. Despite opposition from governments and nosy policemen, Menon has already completed 600-odd screenings of the film in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Jallianwala Bagh, where an eager crowd of 7,000 stood witness to a historic repeat show. Kolkata alone had 40 screenings.[14]During the Goa Assembly Elections 2002, The Election Commission in Goa banned Hey Ram, claiming that it has potential to create communal tension in the state[15]. Gopal Menon also faced an assault during the filming of Hey Ram[16][14].

"The Killing Fields of Muzaffarnagar"[9][1] shows incidents behind riots in Muzaffarnagar, pointing out that riots were instigated by right-wing Hindu politicians after Gujarat minister Amit Shah was sent to UP for Lok Sabha elections. The 50-minute documentary showed lives of riot-affected families living in refugee camps. The Supreme Court has taken into cognizance Menon’s documentary as one of the five DVDs submitted to the apex court by petitioners seeking justice to show the incidents of riots.[17] The film has unbelievable footage of live riots, people with guns and swords on the road, houses and shops burning and provocative speeches in the maha panchayat which has not yet come in the public domain.[18]

The film "Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence[9][1]" features India’s Naga peoples’ movement against extinction for over more than a century of struggle. Human rights abuses have been shown on the film due to heavy militarization in the area during the last five decades.[19]

His 2010 film “Marching towards freedom” captures the lives of people engaged in manual scavenging, their quest for justice, the denial of authorities to grant them a life of dignity[20].

I am Hadiya edit

The Hadiya case (Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K.M) was a 2017–2018 Indian Supreme Court case that affirmed the validity of the marriage of Hadiya (formerly Akhila Ashokan) and Shafin Jehan, which was challenged by Hadiya's family.[21] Media outlets have described the underlying dispute as an allegation of "love jihad".[22] Gopal Menon directed a documentary titled "I am Hadiya[23]", which discussed the intersectionality of issues such as women's rights, religion, and the OBC community from which she hails, among others. He relied on a scientific investigation to uncover the truth about her conversion and marriage.[24] The documentary premiered in Calicut to a packed audience on October 30, 2017. The film sparked off a debate in Kerala. Across the spectrum of religion, communities, civil society and women's groups, people have argued that 'inter-faith', inter-caste and 'inter-religious' relationships and marriages are legitimate in a mature and democratic society, and any move to brand it as 'love jihad' will not be allowed in 'secular Kerala'.[13]

Madithattu (In the Lap) edit

Madithatu (In the Lap), a short film deals with sexual violence and social auditing faced by people with disabilities in society.[25] The 35-minute short film is about a woman’s daily plight to raise her intellectually disabled teenage daughter and how it takes a bad turn when the sexual-predatory society makes things worse. Shobhana, the mother (played by Devi Ajith), works as a domestic help and struggles to give her daughter Sangeetha (Sreelakshmi), enough care and keep her safe and protected.[3] The film's adept use of frames and cinematography conveys yet another layer, hinting at the pervasive social exclusion ingrained in society. The geographical setting of their home becomes a metaphor for the daily marginalisation experienced by the characters.[26] Gopal decided to make the film after his conversations with PKM Siraj, who runs the Humanity Charitable Trust, a non-profit in Kozhikode for the welfare of people with intellectual disability (ID)[27].

Awards edit

Gopal Menon's Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence , a 64-minute film on the history of the Naga people won the 'Spirit of the Himalayas' prize at The Netherlands Himalayas Film Festival. His other film Let the Butterflies Fly , on the life of a transgender won the Best Documentary Award at the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival[9].[28][29]

As Producer and Director edit

Year of Production Film Duration Languages Edited by Cinematography
2002 PAPA 2 25 mins Kashmiri and Urdu
2002 Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi[6][5] 28 mins English, Hindi, Gujarati with English subtitles Chandan Gorana Gopal Menon
2002 Resilient Rhythms[30][31] 64 min Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Bhojpuri B. Ajithkumar Madhu Neelakandan
2004 Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence 64 mins English, Nagamese and Manipuri B. Ajithkumar Rajeev Ravi
2012 Marching towards freedom[20]
2014 Killing Fields of Muzaffarnagar[17] Hindi, English
2017 I Am Hadiya[32][24][8][13] Malayalam with English subtitles Rajesh James Gopal Menon
2023 Madithattu[10][33] 34 mins Malayalam with English subtitles Pradeep Shankar Prathap P Nair

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Action-packed life". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2003-06-30.
  2. ^ a b James, Rajesh (2021). India Retold: Dialogues with Independent Documentary Filmmakers in India. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 55–63. ISBN 9781501352690.
  3. ^ a b EM, Soumya (2024-02-23). "Survival as an act of resistance: 'Madithattu' open doors of hope to understanding ableism in modern society". The South First. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  4. ^ "Documenting the Gujarat genocide". Deccan Herald. 1 May 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-05-03. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  5. ^ a b Menon, Sadanand. "The mounting filmic attack on Modi". Business Standard.
  6. ^ a b "Documentary Film makers & Film Productions. Watch Documentaries Online".
  7. ^ "The Unholy War Part 1 'In the Name of Development'". YouTube. 18 April 2014.
  8. ^ a b c "Chennai group voices support for Hadiya". The Times of India. 27 November 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Life in a documentary". The Hindu. 2014-02-09. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  10. ^ a b Cris (2020-10-24). "A documentary that tells the touching tale of a pellet-injury survivor in Kashmir". The News Minute. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  11. ^ A.CHATTERJI, SHOMA (2020-10-22). "Gopal Menon and 'The Broken Camera'". thecitizen.in. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  12. ^ a b Borah, Prabalika (2014-03-10). "An edge over television". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  13. ^ a b c "Love won't be lost in jihad". The Tribune India. The Tribune.
  14. ^ a b "For some light on our dark side". The Hindu. 2014-07-12. Archived from the original on 2014-07-12. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  15. ^ "rediff.com: Election Commission bans film on Gujarat riots in Goa". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  16. ^ Department of State, United States (2004). Annual Report, International Religious Freedom: Report Submitted to the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate by the Department of State, in Accordance with Section 102 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 645.
  17. ^ a b "Documentary sheds light on Amit Shah's link in Muzaffarnagar riots". The Indian Express. 19 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Killing Fields Of Muzaffarnagar - A Documentary By Gopal Menon". countercurrents.org. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  19. ^ Dekdeken, Sarah (13 August 2006). "NAGA STORY: The Other Side of Silence: A Film Review". Northern Dispatch (nordis) Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  20. ^ a b Reporter, Staff. "Documenting the truth of scavenging". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012.
  21. ^ Wu, Steve George,Huizhong (2018-04-11). "India's top court upholds marriage in 'love jihad' case". CNN. Retrieved 2024-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Hadiya's Story: A Timeline Of Kerala 'Love Jihad' Case". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  23. ^ "I AM HADIYA a Gopal Menon Film with English Subtitles". YouTube. 5 November 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Hadiya: a media spectacle". asu.thehoot.org.
  25. ^ Service, Express News (2023-12-02). "Short film 'Madithatu' to be released on International Day for Persons with Disabilities". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  26. ^ JAMES, LAKSHMIPRIYA P. SANTHOSH & DR RAJESH (2024-02-15). "Madithattu: Whispers Of Resilience, Raindrops Of Hope". www.thecitizen.in. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  27. ^ Raju, Cris,Maria Teresa (2024-02-13). "How a Malayalam short throws light on issues of persons with intellectual disability". The News Minute. Retrieved 2024-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Kashish 2012". KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  29. ^ "'Let the Butterflies Fly', produced jointly by Sangama, Karnataka Sex Workers Union and Samara, has won the Best Film Award under Feature Length Documentary category at the Kashish Mumbai International Film Festival this year. -- The Economic Times presents The Power of Ideas, Indias largest enabling platform for aspiring and budding entrepreneurs. Visit ideas economictimes.com and give your idea a new life". The Times of India. 2012-06-15. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  30. ^ Menon, Gopal (2002), Resilient rhythms: a Dalit story, Other Media Communications (Firm), Other Media Communications, retrieved 2024-05-18
  31. ^ "Resilient Rhythms". EKTA - Traveling Film South Asia 2004.
  32. ^ "I AM HADIYA a Gopal Menon Film". YouTube. 2 November 2017.
  33. ^ "അതിജീവനകഥ, പ്രദർശനത്തിനൊരുങ്ങി 'മടിത്തട്ട്' ഹ്രസ്വചിത്രം". Mathrubhumi. 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
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