C.P. Padmakumar

Born on 5th March 1952, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Chengazhisseri Purushotaman Padmakumar or C. P. Padmakumar was a Malayalam Director, Assistant Director, Art Director and Producer who completed his bachelor’s degree in Botany at the University of Kerala in 1973. C. P. Padmakumar comes from a family of nine- five boys and two girls. His siblings are all accomplished individuals in their respective fields of work. Having a keen eye for beauty from a young age, Padmakumar was into all types of art. He first stepped into show business with a short film titled ‘The Track’ in 1977 at the age of twenty-five.

The film was received with good praises for its aesthetic beauty and cinematography as well as for its honest projection of human emotions. Padmakumar then made his official directorial debut with the 1981 film ‘ Aparna Aparna is an anchor and Kannada actress. She has a >> Read More... ’ starring popular Malayalam actors Prathap Pothen and Balakrishna Pillai. His second film was in 1994 called ‘Sammohanam: The Enchantment’. This film rocketed the director and producer to fame bringing him the award for ‘Best of the Fest’ at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1995. His creative skills, passion and love for the art of cinema caught the eye of several popular directors such as Padmarajan and Bharathan.

Padmakumar went on to work with the famed Malayalam veteran director G. Aravindan as an Art Director in several films and projects and the two became close associates. CP Padmakumar also took on acting projects in films such as ‘Kanchana Sita’ (1978), ‘Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam’ (2003), and ‘Pakal Nakshathrangal’ (2008). He also filmed documentaries and produced several other short films some of which are: ‘Mangroves of Malabar,’ ‘Day of Silence,’ ‘Swathanthryam,’ ‘Neermizhikal,’ ‘Road Safety’ and ‘Bhakshyasuraksha.’ In 2015, a book authored by the close friends and colleagues of C. P. Padmakumar called ‘Nithyatha’ was released in memory of the pioneering director and producer who passed away on 12th May 2012.