Kottayam: Director K.P. has been awarded the 2021 JC Daniel Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Malayalam Film Industry. Kumaran was chosen. The state government’s highest film award carries a cash prize of five lakh rupees, a citation and a sculpture. Minister VN Vasavan announced that the award will be presented at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram on August 3.
Playback singer P. The award winner was decided by a committee consisting of chairman Jayachandran, director CB Malail, chairman of the film academy Ranjith and principal secretary of the culture department Rani George.
A native of Thalassery, K.P. Kumaran resides in Thiruvananthapuram. From ‘Rock’, which won an international award in 1972, to ‘Grama Vrikshathile Kuil’, directed by Kumaranashan in 2020 at the age of 83, the film was judged to be a filmmaker who took a sincere and meaningful approach to the medium. ‘Athithi’, which has a crucial place in the new wave films, and ‘Rugmini’, which won the National Award for Best Malayalam Film in 1988, are rare visual sculptures in the history of Malayalam cinema. Rock, a one-and-a-half-minute long film, won an award at the 1972 Asia Film Festival.