Gopalaswamy Doraiswamy Naidu (1893-1974), widely known as the "Edison of India," was an Indian inventor, industrialist, engineer, educator, and philanthropist whose innovations spanned electrical, mechanical, agricultural, and automotive engineering.
Naidu fiercely defended the native validation of traditional Tamil medicine. To keep the tradition alive practically, he established a specialized Siddha Medicine Training School in T. Nagar, Chennai, during the 1950s to educate and develop a new generation of skilled Siddha medical scholars.
Naidu’s crowning achievement in traditional medicine was the compiling and publication of the Siddha Research Pharmacopoeia (1973).
In the biopic G.D.N, Madhavan takes on the role of the steadfast inventor G.D. Naidu, bringing to life pivotal moments from his journey as he clashes with powerful forces threatening his groundbreaking work in a rapidly evolving India.