The year 2025 has been a splendid one for actor Gibin Gopinath. With eight releases this year, which include two talked-about movies – Diés Iraé and Kalamkaval, Gibin says he is in a state of extreme happiness.
Currently on a five-year break from his job with the Kerala Police, Gibin is relieved to have found a space in Malayalam cinema after years spent auditioning for roles. “I won’t call it a struggle because that phase is part of this journey. This is the right path towards the destination. I am proud to have been part of a bunch of good films in 2025,” says Gibin, a native of Thiruvananthapuram.
Gibin recalls that he has been auditioning since he was in high school, having fallen in love with cinema at a young age. “I looked forward to the weekends when my father used to take us to the city from our home at Koliyakode on the outskirts to watch a movie. That was my introduction to cinema. Once it became a passion there was no end to the things I imagined I would do once I entered film industry!”
He became a junior artiste while studying at MG College, Thiruvananthapuram. “Whenever there was a shooting in the capital city and college students were needed for the scenes, I would be there. One of the first movies in which I appeared on the screen was Thaandavam. The best part was that Lalettan (Mohanlal) was in the same frame,” he says.
Gibin Gopinath with Pranav Mohanlal in Diés Iraé
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Even as he pursued his tinseltown dreams and worked as a junior artiste, he got into government service, joining the police force in 2007. “While posted in the Commissioner’s office, I got the opportunity to interact with film crew which would come there for permission for shoots. Those friendships gave me small roles and I was happy with that.”
A solid role came by in Y (2016) directed by Sunil Ibrahim. “That gave me the confidence that I can pull off a full-length character.”
Films such as Padayottam, Great Father, Eby etc came by. The turning point was becoming part of the social media cell of the Kerala Police in 2018. “The cell went full throttle during the pandemic and lockdown. We generated a lot of content and my work got noticed.”
Gibin Gopinath in Kalamkaval
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It was those videos that fetched him the chance to work with Dulquer Salmaan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in a pan-Indian advertisement. He went on to do small roles in big productions such as Minnal Murali, 2018, and Kishkindha Kaandam.
Among them was Mammootty-starrer Kannur Squad. That paved the way for the cop role in Kalamkaval. Gibin plays the officer who accompanies Vinayakan’s character who is on the lookout for the serial killer played by Mammootty. “Mammootty sir suggested my name,” says Gibin. Gushing about sharing the screen with the legend, Gibin recalls that he was there on the sets even when he did not have the shoot. “Initially being around him was intimidating. But he spoke to me and the way he treated me as an artiste put me at ease. It was sheer magic to watch him transform into the ruthless killer. Like the scene where he strangles a cop, chewing the cigarette and then spitting it out. He had not rehearsed that and we were all taken aback. Another mind-blowing shot was the one with Rajisha at her home. The look he (as the character) gave her was scary.”
In the horror thriller Diés Iraé, which released before Kalamkaval, Gibin breezed through as Madhusoodanan Potty, the descendant of a family of exorcists. In his interview with The Hindu, the film’s director Rahul Sadasivan had mentioned that he chose Gibin without watching any of his work. Apparently he had seen one of Gibin’s interviews and noticed the sadness in his eyes. “It was (lyricist) Dinnath Puthenchery who had shared the interview link with Rahul. I was surprised when I heard about how and why I got the role. That was when I realised that nothing is insignificant in this world.”
Rahul wanted him to come to the set without any preparation. “He asked me to grow a beard, that’s all. He gave the full script to me and Pranav [Mohanlal]. The writing was so clear that the entire movie was right in front of us. We just had to do accordingly.”
Gibin Gopinath in Diés Iraé
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Gibin has received immense praise for the way he portrayed the gentle and calm Madhu, who helps Rohan (Pranav) solve the mystery behind the ghost in his house. “While shooting for such a genre, you have to imagine everything. The horror comes from a lot of factors put together. In order to bring out the fear in front of a huge crew, the actor in me has to find the thrill to execute that. That is not an easy job.”
He adds, “Pranav has been like a friend from the beginning and there was great rapport. I was blown away by the person that he is in real life.”
In 2026, he will be seen in one of the much-awaited, star-studded project, Patriot, starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kunchacko Boban, Fahadh Faasil, and Nayanthara. He is also acting in Thudakkam, the debut work of Mohanlal’s daughter, Maya, directed by Jude Anthany Joseph.
“I am a fan of many actors. I am aware of my limitations as an actor, but I don’t put any limits on my dreams. I crave for roles. I am greedy as an actor. There is nothing I want more than good roles.”
Diés Iraéis streaming on JioHotstar. Kalamkaval is running in theatres
Published – December 28, 2025 09:00 am IST
