J.C. Daniel Award for P. Jayachandran

He has carved a niche for himself, says jury

Playback singer P. Jayachandran has been chosen for the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award for 2020. The award, conferred by the State government annually in recognition to an individual’s contributions to Malayalam cinema, carries a purse of ₹5 lakh, a plaque, and a citation.

He has been chosen for the award by a jury chaired by filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, with scriptwriter and actor Renji Panicker, actor Seema, Chalachitra Academy Chairperson Kamal and Culture Department Principal Secretary Rani George as members. The jury observed that Mr. Jayachandran had been a constant presence in Malayalam playback singing for over five decades and had carved a niche for himself. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award at a function to be held at the Secretariat Durbar Hall on December 23.

10,000-odd songs

Mr. Jayachandran entered Malayalam cinema by singing the song Oru Mullappoomaalayumaayi... written by P. Bhaskaran and composed by Chidambaranath for the 1965 film Kunjali Marakkar . Over the past 56 years, he has sung more than 10,000 songs in various languages. In 1985, he won the National Film Award for the best singer. He has also won the State Film Award five times. He is the 28th individual to be chosen for the award, instituted in 1992.