Jijo Punnoose

Jijo Punnoose popularly known as Jijo, is a film director from India, best known for directing the two landmark films in Malayalam cinema Padayottam (1982) and My Dear Kuttichathan (1984). He is the eldest son of popular producer Navodaya Appachan. Jijo directed Padayottam in 1982, which is the first indigenously shot 70mm film in India, and My Dear Kuttichathan in 1984, the first 3D film in India. With a star studded panel from Malayalam cinema, Padayottam was a wide canvas film produced by Navodaya Appachan. The story was inspired from the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The cast includes Prem Nazir, Madhu, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Sankar, Lekshmi, Poornima Jayaram, and Govindankutty. He is from the Maliampurakkal family of Pulnkunnu, Kuttanad, a family of earlier film producers of Kerala. Late Kunchacko, who was the producer of a number of earlier popular Malayalam films is the elder brother of his father and the grandfather of Mr. Kunchacko Boban, well known malayalam cinema actor and producer.