P Jayachandran bags JC Daniel award

Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran playback singer P Jayachandran on Monday bagged the prestigious J C Daniel Award, the Kerala government's highest honour for lifetime contributions to Malayalam cinema.

The annual honour, named after J C Daniel, who made the first silent movie in Mollywood, comprises a purse of Rs 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque, Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan said.

An expert panel, chaired by renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and members Director Ranji Panicker, Actor Seema, Chalachitra Academy Chairman, Kamal and Culture Department Secretary Rani George selected Jayachandran, for the award.

The jury, in a statement, said Jayachandran carved out his own space in the history of music with his captivating voice for over five decades.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award on December 23, the release said.

Jayachandran, who entered the Malayalam film industry in 1965, has sung over 10,000 songs in various languages.

The veteran singer had bagged the national award for best playback singer in 1985. He has also won the state award for the best playback singer five times.

Last year the J C Daniel award was given to playback singer Hariharan.