Singer Nanjiyamma, who won the special jury award for the Kalakkatha Sandhanameram song in the movie Ayyappanum Koshiyum, has dedicated the award to Sachy. KR Sachidanandan alias Sachy, who directed Ayyappanum Koshiyum, died in June last year following a cardiac arrest.
When the Kerala State Film Awards were announced on Saturday, Nanjiyamma bagged the special jury award for the song she rendered in the movie starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon.
"If not for Sachy, I wouldn't have got a chance to sing in the movie," the 61-year-old Nanjiyamma reacted when she came to know about the award for her.
Kalakkatha Sandhanameram was written by Nanjiyamma herself and composed by Jakess Bejoy. The song was an instant hit with the masses. She also acted in the movie.
Nanjiyamma belong to the Irula triba. She hails from a hamlet in Attappadi bordering Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Palakkad district. She started singing at the age of 13. It was while accompanying her mother and grandmother to graze cattle that the scenic surroundings of her native village inspired her to sing.
She is a singer in the Azad Kala Samithi founded by Pazhaniswami, who also acted in Ayyappanum Koshiyum. The Samithi was formed to revive the art forms of Irula people.