Gopal Venu, born on 1 July 1945, belongs to a family of artists. Living in a small thatched house on top of a hill with rolling paddy fields on all sides, he spent a charming childhood in a pristine rural locality. While in his fifth grade, a turning point in his life came when he saw the Kathakali drama Narakasuravadham. It ignited his desire to enter the world of Kathakali. His subsequent journey in Kathakali found him taking lessons from guru Gopinath, whom he revered from his boyhood days.