DK FlipBook-Magzter January 2019

hardly had the money to buy a pair
of formal clothing required for the
new job. That was when I started a
mini chit fund involving 10 members
with a monthly installment of
Rs. 60. The first month’s collection
was my commission and I used it for
the purpose,” he said.
In 1975, Gopalan got a promotion
and was about to be transferred. “By
then, Sree Gokulam Chit Funds had
become a reasonably big business.
After office hours I used to work
for my personal venture and it grew
substantially. So I decided to quit the
job and run the chit business on a
full-time basis. I registered the company
in 1975 and new branches were
subsequently set up,” he added.
ENTRY TO TINSEL TOWN
Though the business began flourishing,
Gopalan’s love for cinema
didn’t in anyway wane. As a result, in
1976, he took the plunge by producing
‘Allari Vayasu’, a Telugu film,
which was the directorial debut of
Chandrasekhar, father of present-day
superstar of Tamil, Vijay. “The film
was well received but financially, it
did not yield any substantial gains
forme. So, I decided to focus more
on my chit business,” he said. Now,
Sree Gokulam Movies has become
a major production house bringing
out big-budget films like Kayankulam
Kochunni, which bagged record
collection of Rs. 100 crore-plus, and
Pazhassi Raja, a period film.
MEGA LAUNCHES IN 2019
If things go as per plan, Sree
Gokulam Group will foray into retail
sector in Kerala market this year.
Gokulam Galleria, a mall project in
Kozhikode, is nearing completion
and is expected to be commissioned
in the first quarter of 2019-20. “Our
plan is to position the mall as a
fashion hub since the urban population
of Kozhikode has awareness
about and exposure to international
fashion brands. Taking this into
consideration, we have given a lot of
thought while designing the structure
and its interiors,” Gopalan said.
In fact, Gokulam Galleria is a
mall-cum-hotel project. There will
be a multiplex with five screens.
“The seven-storey mall space will
have a gross lease area of around two
lakh sq.ft. The Food Court will have
the space to accommodate 500-plus
seats. The 73-key four star business
hotel will have 14 suite rooms, four
banquet halls and roof garden restaurant.
Overall, there will be facility
to park around 500 cars,” Gopalan
informed.
GOKULAM GALLERIA,
A MALL PROJECT
IN KOZHIKODE, IS
IS EXPECTED TO BE
OPENED IN THE FIRST
QUARTER OF 2019-20
Gokulam Park Hotels & Resorts,
the hospitality arm of Sree Gokulam
Group, has recently acquired MSR
Hotel and Spa Bengaluru, which was
earlier being operated as Movenpick
Hotel and Spa Bengaluru Hotel. The
acquisition marks the Group’s entry
into the five star segment and the
new property will be operated under
the brand name Gokulam Grand
Hotel and Spa.
“We have always maintained
excellent service standards across all
our properties and this has helped
us gain customer loyalty in a big
way. Now, tapping into the goodwill,
we would like to expand the hospitality
portfolio. Going forward,
we will have three brands at three
different price points – Gokulam
Grand, Gokulam Park and Gokulam
Residency,” Gopalan said.
A few weeks ago, the Group
launched Gokulam Park Munnar, a
four star leisure hotel at the scenic
Chithirapuram valley. Gokulam
Grand Resort & Spa, the upcoming
five star property at Kumarakom
spread over 10 acres of land, is
expected to be operational later this
year. The luxury resort will have individual
cottages with private pools and
facilities for MICE activities as well.
The other hotels promoted by the
Group include Gokulam Park Chennai,
Gokulam Park, Coimbatore;
Gokulam Park Sabari – OMR, Chennai;
Gokulam Park Hotel & Convention
Centre, Kochi; Sree Gokulam
Nalanda Resorts, Nileswaram; Sree
Gokulam Sabari and Sree Gokulam
Vanamala, Guruvayur; Sree Gokulam
Residency, Thrissur and Hotel
Gokulam Fort, Thalassery. Gokulam
Park Doha, a four star hotel, is the
Group’s first overseas hotel venture.
Under the banner Gokulam Cruise
Lines, the Group also operates luxury
houseboat service at Kumarakom.
The hospitality division contributes
around 15 per cent of the
Group’s turnover and it aims at
increasing this share to 25 per cent
in the near future.“We have plans
to expand operations to national
and international levels. This can be
greenfield projects or management
contracts,” he said.
Gokulam Gopalan is also keen on
investing in a heli-tourism project in
Kerala. “I believe there is immense
scope for such a tourism product in
Kerala. Who will not want to enjoy
and explore the beauty of Kerala
from above?” he asks.
Recently, the Group forayed into
retail business in the UAE in collaboration
with Al Madeena Group
and now runs two hypermarkets
in Dubai. It has also invested in an
educational venture in the UAE,
which runs the Dovecote Green
Primary School, an English curriculum
school in Dubai. Study World
Education Holding, the Group’s
educational investment arm, has
plans to start schools in Sharjah
and Abu Dhabi as well. In 2015,
Sree Gokulam Group entered into
the construction sector in Dubai by
acquiring Golden Readymix, which
supplies readymix concrete.
Also, Gopalan acquired the
Thiruvananthapuram-based GG
January 2019 • Destination Kerala / 35