Mathoor Govindan Kutty

Mathoor Govindan Kutty (5 October 19404 February 2021) was an Indian Kathakali artist from the state of Kerala. In a career spanning over six decades, he specialized in Kathakali Stri Vesham, the portrayal of female characters on stage. He was the recipient of the 2011 Kerala State Award for the best Kathakali artist, 2010 Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and the 2005 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for contributions to the Kathakali art form.

Early life

Kutty was born Narayana Govinda Kunju Panicker on 5 October 1940 in the Nedumudi village in Alappuzha district to Karthyayani Kunajamma and Damodaran Namboodiri. His name was later changed to Mathoor Govindan Kutty.

Career Kutty started his training in the classical South Indian dance and theater form, Kathakali, with Nedumudy Kuttappa Panicker at the age of 14 and went on to train under artists including Kurissi Kunjan Panicker, Ambalappuzha Shekharan at the Mathoor Kalari, a traditional Kerala arts training space. He later trained under Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair at the Thekkan Chitta Gurukulam. He also portrayed the role of Sukracharya in 19th century composer Thazhavana Govindan Asan's Devayaniswayamvaram . In a review of his performance, The Hindu, called out his emoting and the subtle humor that he infused into his role. The same newspaper, in a review of his portrayal of Kripacharya in Utharaaswayamvaram praised his delivery, and the conscious interspersing of acting with realism. He also portrayed the role of Narada in Balivijayam . Kutty made a switch towards portraying male characters in the latter portion of his career attributing it to advancing age. The citation from the Akademi called him "one of the foremost exponents" of the art form. He was nominated by the Kerala state government for the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 2014.

Personal life Kutty was married to Rajeswari, his teacher Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair's daughter, and had two sons. He died on 4 February 2021, in Kottayam after a period of brief illness from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. He was 81, and was cremated with state honors.