Former judge of the Supreme Court Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer received the second Prem Nazir International Award at a function held here at the Durbar Hall open-air theatre on Thursday.
Film actor Mammootty handed over the award instituted by the Prem Nazir International Foundation to the ace jurist.
The foundation chose Kerala for the award ceremony to mark the 25th death anniversary of the actor.
The function will return to foreign soil in the next edition as was in the inaugural edition.
Minister for Panchayats M.K. Muneer presided over the function.
Actor Balachandra Menon delivered the Prem Nazir memorial lecture. The function was organised jointly by the District Tourism Promotion Council, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and the State Film Development Corporation.
Light and sound showThe award function was followed by a light and sound show titled ‘Sangam’ directed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy.
The show, held as a tribute to legendary musician Mohammed Rafi, exemplified the concept of unity in diversity. The show, based on the Gandhian concept of India, offered a visual spectacle with a variety of art forms from various parts of the country being staged simultaneously.
Bharatanatyam staged by a group from Chennai, Kathak performed by a Delhi-based group, traditional dance forms performed by Samudra Performing Arts, and the musical beats of Manipur were some of the attractions of the show.
Fusion music featuring drums, thavil, tabla, chenda and dolak, Sufi Kathak along with Hindi songs left the audience enthralled.
Hibi Eden, MLA, and film director Sasi Kumar were among those present. District collector P.I. Sheikh Pareeth welcomed the gathering and Prem Nazir International Foundation joint secretary Rafeek Yunus proposed the vote of thanks.
