GK Pillai | 58 active years as an Actor in Malayalam movies

GK Pillai in Agnimrugam (1971)

58 active years as an Actor !

With the possible exceptions of the legendary TR Omana, who was already 6 movies old when GK Pillai debuted in Snehaseema ( 1954), and Santo Krishnan, there is no one who so aptly deserves the title of the living Patriarch of Malayalam films as this proud and defiant Army man-turned-actor from Chirayinkeezhu in Kerala. Then again, he is elder to her by almost 15 years ! It could be safely assumed that when G Kesavan Pillai aka GK Pillai started his career in Malayalam film industry,   most of us were just whims in our parents’ imagination.

GK Pillai | Across the years onscreen in Malayalam cinema

GK Pillai in Padayottam (1982)

GK Pillai, in conversation with TN Gopakumar of Asianet ( which you can watch here ) talks about being a part of more than 300 movies in Malayalam cinemas till date, and of course a fair share of TV soaps as well. For someone with such prolific output  ( an average of 5 movies per year ), for me, his memorable ones came in the first two decades, after which, it was just “mindless cloning” of the ones that had already passed by.

GK Pillai | In Conversation with TN Gopakumar, Asianet (2012)

Part 1.