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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption =
| name = Gopal Menon<br><big>{{lang|ml|ഗോപാല്‍ മേനോന്‍}}</big>
| birth_name = Mamballikalam Gopal Menon
| native_name_lang = ml
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1974|4|29}}
| birth_place = [[Palakkad]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| occupation = Director, producer, documentarian, cinematographer
| alma_mater = [http://www.kvcalicutone.org/ Kendriya Vidyalaya, No. 1, Calicut], [[University of Calicut]], [[PSG College of Technology]]
| website =
}}

'''Gopal Menon''' (born 29 April 1974) is an Indian [[documentary film]] director, producer and cinematographer known for his activism through social action documentaries. He has made films on violence, religious fundamentalism, nationality question, state repression, human rights, environment, caste, gender and sexuality. Gopal Menon's notable works include ''"Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi"'', ''"[[Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence]]"'', [[Papa 2 (film)|''"PAPA 2"'']], ''"Resilient Rhythms"'', ''"Marching Towards Freedom"'' and ''"The Unholy War"''.

== Education ==
He completed his BA in English from [[University of Calicut]], Kerala and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from [[PSG College of Technology]], Coimbatore. He hasn't received any formal training in Film making <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/06/02/stories/2002060200290500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030630221751/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/06/02/stories/2002060200290500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 June 2003|title=Action-packed life |accessdate=1 June 2011|location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2 June 2002}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Gopal started his film career with a documentary on the destruction of tropical evergreen forests in the [[Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve|Nilgiri biosphere]]. While still a student of Business Administration, he started working with the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) on the organized violence on Muslims in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and the subsequent bomb blasts in the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/an-edge-over-television/article5771348.ece|title=An edge over television |work=The Hindu|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Hyderabad, India|date=11 March 2014}}</ref>

===Films on Communalism===
Gopal Menon is known for very fast responses to religious fundamentalism and communal riots. His film ''Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi'', on the [[2002 Gujarat riots]], was the first on the subject within three weeks after the riots, and was widely screened across the world including 16 cities in the U.S., and across Europe, Japan and South Asia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/life-in-a-documentary/article5668047.ece|title=Life in a documentary |work=The Hindu|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Coimbatore, India|date=9 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/05/05/stories/2002050500260200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712001601/http://hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/05/05/stories/2002050500260200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 July 2014|title=For some light on our dark side |accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Bangalore, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=5 May 2002}}</ref>

Gopal's 2014 films ''"The Killing Fields of Muzzaffarnagar"'', ''"The Unholy War - Part 1: In the Name of Development"'' and ''"The Unholy War - Part 2: In Search of Justice"'' Addresses communalism and religious fundamentalism deeper and its links with nationality questions, riots and development. ''The Killing Fields of Muzzaffarnagar'' is about [[2013 Muzaffarnagar riots]], which is described as"the worst violence in Uttar Pradesh in recent history" resulted in at least 62 deaths, injured 93 and left more than 50,000 displaced. This film captures narratives of the survivors plight, anguish, sorrows and helplessness of riots victims and investigates into the ploy of the hate politics played out by the Hindu right wing organizations in Western UP to tear apart the social fabric for electoral games. The film has footage of live riots, people with guns and swords on the road, houses and shops burning and provocative speeches in the maha panchayat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/life-in-a-documentary/article5668047.ece|title=Life in a documentary |work=The Hindu|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Coimbatore, India|date=9 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countercurrents.org/gopalmenon160314.htm|title=Killing Fields Of Muzaffarnagar |work= Countercurrents|accessdate=8 July 2014|date=16 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/documentary-sheds-light-on-amit-shahs-link-in-muzaffarnagar-riots/|title=Documentary sheds light on Amit Shah’s link in Muzaffarnagar riots|work= Indian Express|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Ahmedabad, India|date=19 March 2014}}</ref>

The 2 part film ''"The Unholy War"'' is in the context of [[Narendra Modi]]'s campaign in [[2014 elections in India]] highlighting [[Gujarat model#Development projects|Gujarat's development under Modi]]. ''"The Unholy War - Part 1: In the Name of Development"'' film follows and exposes [[Narendra Modi]]'s claims of Gujarat Development through a collage of individual testimonies around the issues of farmer suicides, education, water, agriculture and land grab. ''"The Unholy War - Part 2: In Search of Justice"'' then goes on to document the encounter killings in post [[2002 Gujarat riots]] and complicity of the state in perpetrating a reign of terror by following cases running in various courts and tribunals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61j_Z56odLs|title=The Unholy War - Part 1: In the Name of Development|accessdate=2014-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBvNsUG7cGUHis|title=The Unholy War - Part 2: In Search of Justice |accessdate=2014-07-08}}</ref> film Screening got disrupted by police in [Jawaharlal Nehru University], Five jeep-loads of police officers prevented his screening in Ahmadabad<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/narendra-modi-indian-election-corporates-love-fascist/|title=Narendra Modi and the Indian election: Why the corporates love a fascist|work=Ceasefire magazine|accessdate=8 July 2014|date=4 April 2014}}</ref> and many times he denied a venue<ref>{{cite news|url=http://scroll.in/article/659163/Maker-of-film-on-encounter-killings-in-Gujarat-struggles-to-find-venue-in-Ahmedabad|title=Maker of film on encounter killings in Gujarat struggles to find venue in Ahmedabad|work=Scroll.in|accessdate=8 July 2014}}</ref>

===Films on Conflicts===
He has been video documenting the Naga and Kashmiri political movements since 1998. He has directed ''[[Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence]]'' on the Naga struggle in 2003 and [[Papa 2 (film)|''PAPA 2'']] on enforced disappearances in Kashmir in 2000 from this documentation .

The film ''[[Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence]]'' provides an introduction to the history of the Struggle by [[Naga people]] in [[North-East India|North- East]] frontier of Indian [[subcontinent]], and documents the [[Human rights|human rights abuses]] suffered by the [[Naga people]] in more than [[History of the Republic of India|50 years of the existence of Independent India]].<ref>[http://www.asiansinmedia.org/news/article.php/television/764 Festival of Indian political documentaries] Retrieved on 30 March 2011</ref> The Naga political struggle is one of the oldest [[Ethnic nationalism|nationality movements]] in [[South Asia]], continuing till present times. This film, which took five years to complete, is the first comprehensive film about the Naga struggle for [[National identity|identity]], [[self-determination]], peace, and [[justice]].<ref>[http://www.nordis.net/?p=15 Nordis Weekly Archives] Retrieved on 30 March 2011</ref>

''"Papa 2"'' is a film about the notorious interrogation centre, [[Papa 2]]. This interrogation center was run by the Indian Armed Forces in Kashmir till 1996. The film, PAPA 2, documents the struggle of the mothers and wives of disappeared persons to trace their loved ones. It features interviews with the families of the affected people and also members of the Association of Parents of Disappeared People.

===Films on Manual Scavenging and Dalit causes===
Gopal has directed several films on the issues affecting [[dalit]]. ''Resilient Rhythms'' (64 minutes/India/ 2002) documents a range of responses to the marginalization of Dalits, from armed struggle to electoral politics.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsouthasia.org/film/resilient-rhythms/ |title=Resilient Rhythms - Film South Asia |date=2002 |accessdate=8 July 2014}}. His 2005 film ''Of Inhuman Bondage'' on manual scavenging, showed women and children cleaning up the shit of 'Shining India', determined to salvage their soiled pride <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2010/06/3583|title=Camera Obscura |work=Hard News|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=Bangalore, India|date=14 June 2010}}</ref> His more detailed 2010 film on manual scavengers is titled ''Marching Towards Freedom''. This film shot across 18 states in India captures the lives of people engaged in manual scavenging, their quest for justice, the denial of authorities to grant them a life of dignity and the effect of the [[Bezwada Wilson#Safai Karmachari Andolan|Safai Karamchari Andolan]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/documenting-the-truth-of-scavenging/article966742.ece|title=Documenting the truth of scavenging |work=The Hindu|accessdate=8 July 2014|location=New Delhi, India|date=21 December 2010}}</ref> on their lives. His film ''Your Slaves No Longer'' is on the land struggles of [[Musahar]]s a Dalit community in the states of [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]] in [[India]] .

===Other involvements===
He has worked as Location Director for a Channel 4 News report on the funding of Hindu Extremist organizations and shot the film in UK and India. This film – ''Hindu Nationalism in Britain'' – was telecast in UK on the day of the Gujarat elections and was widely reported in the Indian media as well. The report has subsequently been tabled in the British Parliament.

His campaign films ''Twice Evicted'' and ''Caste Out'' have been on the tsunami and its aftermath.

==Awards==
Gopal's films have been screened at several film festivals. His film ''"[[Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence]]"'' was presented the 'Spirit of the Himalayas' First Prize at The Netherlands Himalayas Film Festival, Amsterdam, 2004. His film ''"Let the Butterflies Fly"'' on the condition of transgender people in India, won the Best Feature-Length Documentary Award at Kashish 2012, the [[Mumbai Queer Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kottaka.com/blog/2012/05/award-for-gopal-menon-in-mumbai-queer-film-festival-2012/ |title=Award for Gopal Menon in Mumbai Queer Film Festival 2012 |work=Kottaka |accessdate=1 June 2012 |date=29 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601043046/http://www.kottaka.com/blog/2012/05/award-for-gopal-menon-in-mumbai-queer-film-festival-2012/ |archivedate=1 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Filmography==

===As Producer and Director===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year of Production !! Film !! Duration !! Languages
|-
| 2002 || [[Papa 2 (film)|PAPA 2]]|| 25 mins || Kashmiri and Urdu
|-
| 2004 || Voices from Gujarat|| 35 mins || Hindi and English
|-
| 2004 || Of Inhuman Bondage|| 28 mins || Hindi, Bhojpuri
|-
| 2004 || Your Slaves No Longer|| 35 mins || Hindi, Bhojpuri
|-
| 2005 || Caste Out|| 35 mins || Tamil, English
|-
| 2005 || Twice Evicted|| 27 mins || Tamil, English
|-
| 2005 || A Bloody Harvest|| 15 mins || Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, English
|-
| 2010 || Rice: A treasure of Asia|| || English, Bahasa, Thai
|-
| 2012 || We want freedom|| ||
|-
| 2012 || Marching towards freedom || ||
|-
| 2012 || Let The Butterflies Fly / Chittegalu Haradali|| || Kannada and English subtitles
|-
| 2014 || Killing Fields of Muzaffarnagar|| || Hindi, English
|-
| 2014 || The Unholy War - Part 1: In the Name of Development|| || Gujarati, Hindi, English
|-
| 2014 || The Unholy War - Part 2: In Search of Justice || || Gujarati, Hindi, English
|}

===As Director and cinematographer===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year of Production !! Film !! Duration !! Languages
|-
| 2002 || Hey Ram!! Genocide in the Land of Gandhi|| 25 mins || Hindi
|-
| 2002 || Resilient Rhythms|| 66 mins || Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bhojpuri with English subtitles
|-
| 2003 || [[Naga Story: The Other Side of Silence]]|| 62 mins || Nagamese, [[Meitei language|Meitei]], English and 14 Naga languages with English subtitles}
|}

===As Location Director and Cameraman===
* ‘Hindu Nationalism in Britain’, Produced by Channel 4 News

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Gopal}}
[[Category:Indian documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Film directors from Kerala]]
[[Category:Artists from Palakkad]]
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni]]
[[Category:Film producers from Kerala]]
[[Category:University of Calicut alumni]]

Gopal Menon - Revision history

->Indianite: added Category:University of Calicut alumni using HotCat