Veteran Actress Sarada Honored with Kerala's Top Cinema Award
The Kerala government has selected veteran actress Sarada for the prestigious JC Daniel Award for 2024. This award represents the highest honor in cinema that the state government confers. It recognizes an individual's lifelong contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Award Announcement and Details
Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian announced this annual award on Friday. The award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh. It also includes a statuette and a citation. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award to Sarada on January 25. The ceremony will take place at Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sarada becomes the 32nd film personality to receive this distinguished honor. The 80-year-old actress was chosen by a jury headed by lyricist and filmmaker Sreekumaran Thampi. Thampi himself received the award in 2017. Other jury members included veteran actress Urvashi, filmmaker Balu Kiriyath, and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy secretary C Ajoy as member secretary.
Sarada's Illustrious Career Journey
The jury highlighted Sarada's remarkable career. For over two decades starting from the 1960s, she became a representative of Malayali women on screen. She portrayed numerous immortal characters in both mainstream and independent cinema.
Born Saraswathi Devi on June 25, 1945, in Tenali village, Andhra Pradesh, she adopted the stage name Sarada after entering movies. She changed her name during her debut film 'Iddaru Mitrulu', a Telugu production. She ventured into Malayalam cinema in 1965 with 'Inapravukal'. This film was written by ace writer Muttathu Varkey and directed by Kunchacko.
National Awards and International Recognition
Sarada has won the National Award three times. Two of these awards were for her Malayalam films. She received her first National Award in 1968 for her role in 'Thulabharam', directed by A Vincent. She bagged her second National Award in 1972 for the globally acclaimed film 'Swayamvaram'. This film was helmed by iconic filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan. She won her third National Award in 1977 for the Telugu film 'Nimajjanam'.
In 2019, Sarada's films were screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala. She became the first actress from Malayalam cinema selected in the retrospective category at IFFK.
Memorable Films and Recent Work
Some of her other popular Malayalam films include:
- 'Elippathayam'
- 'Thriveni'
- 'Murappennu'
- 'Mooladhanam'
- 'Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam'
- 'Raappakal'
Her last Malayalam film appearance was in 'Ammakkoru Tharattu', released in 2015.
