J. C. Daniel Award

J. C. Daniel Award
Awarded forLifetime achievement
LocationKerala
CountryIndia
Presented byKerala State Chalachitra Academy
Reward(s)₹500,000 (US$6,000)
First awarded1992
Last awarded2023
Recent winnerT. V. Chandran
Highlights
Total awarded30
First winnerT. E. Vasudevan

The J. C. Daniel Award is the highest award in Malayalam cinema, established by the Government of Kerala, India. It is presented annually by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, a non-profit institution operating under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Kerala. Instituted in 1992, the award recognizes individuals for their "outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema".[1][2] Recipients are selected by a jury appointed by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the Department of Cultural Affairs.[1][3] As of 2021, the honourees receive a statuette, a citation, and a cash prize of ₹500,000 (US$6,000). They are honoured at the Kerala State Film Awards ceremony.[4]

The Government of Kerala created the award to commemorate the contribution of Indian filmmaker J. C. Daniel, who is often regarded as the "father of Malayalam cinema".[5] The J. C. Daniel Award was managed by the Department of Cultural Affairs until 1997. In 1998, the Government of Kerala constituted the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, and since that year, the Academy has hosted the award.[1][6] A cash prize of ₹50,000 (US$600) was granted with the award until 2002.[7] In 2003, the prize money was doubled and, as part of a technical correction to update it, no award was presented that year. Actor Madhu was the first recipient of the award with the increased monetary prize of ₹100,000 (US$1,200) in 2004.[8][9] Since 2016, the cash prize is ₹500,000 (US$6,000).[10]

Since its inception, the J. C. Daniel Award has been bestowed on 30 individuals. The award was first presented to film distributor and producer T. E. Vasudevan in 1992. Actress Aranmula Ponnamma was the first woman to receive the honour, in 2005. The 2011 recipient, actor Jose Prakash, died before the award ceremony. His son accepted the award on his behalf. The most recent winner is filmmaker T. V. Chandran.

  1. ^ a b c "Activities". Kerala State Chalachithra Academy. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. ^ "M T Vasudevan Nair chosen for J C Daniel Award". Madhyamam Daily. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  3. ^ "M T Vasudevan Nair selected for J C Daniel award". Deccan Chronicle. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  4. ^ "State Film Awards Distributed". The New Indian Express. Express News Service. 27 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ^ Bingham, Adam (2013). Directory of World Cinema: INDIA. Intellect Books. p. 117. ISBN 9781841506227. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  6. ^ Josh, Jagran (2015). Current Affairs October 2015 eBook. Jagran Josh. p. 334. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference menon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference madhu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference 50k was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "47th state film awards presented". The Times of India. Times News Network. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.