He was born in Poypallilkulam family of Thakazhi village of Kuttanad, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. He was the first artist to get the Indian national award for Kathakali. He was honoured with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards (the highest award for an artist in India). He was the mastermind in creating fresh aesthetics of Kathakali acting/dancing, by the sublime presentation of rasa and bhava abhinaya and was also known for his pacha and kathi roles. Pacha and Kathi (two of the five make-up codes in Kathakali) characters were Kunchu Kurups speciality. The Hamsa (the swan), Kaattaala (the barbarian), Kuchela and Brahman were his notable characters.