THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yesteryear actor Sarada has been chosen for the 2024 JC Daniel Award, the highest film honour instituted by the state government, for overall contribution to Malayalam cinema. The award comprises a purse of Rs five lakh, statuette and citation. Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan informed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award to Sarada at a function to be held at Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram on January 25.
Sarada was chosen for the award by a jury chaired by 2017 JC Daniel Award winner Sreekumaran Thampi with actor Urvashi and director Balu Kiriyath as members. Chalachitra Academy secretary C Ajoy was the panel's member secretary. Sarada is the 32nd film personality to receive the award. The jury noted that Sarada had won the national award for best actress twice for Malayalam cinema.
For over two decades in the 1960s, she had immortalised the Malayali woman on celluloid. She aplty portrayed the endurance and plight of the Malayalai woman earning her the first national best actress award in 1968 for 'Thulabharam'. Sarada won the national honour again in 1972 for 'Swayamvaram'. Her third win of the national award for best actress was in 1977 for the Telugu movie 'Nimajjanam'. She immortalised the characters she essayed in movies such as 'Thriveni', "Murappennu', 'Mooladhanam' and 'Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam'.
Born as Saraswathi Devi in 1945 to Venkateswara Rao and Sathyavaani Devi in Tenali village in Andhra Pradesh, she took the screen name "Sarada' for her first movie 'Irumithralu' in Telugu. She entered Malayalam films through the movie 'Inapravukal' in 1965 and became popular after movies such as'Murappennu' and 'Iruttinte Aatmaavu'. Sarada also essayed memorable roles in over 125 movies such as 'Udyogastha', 'Yakshi', 'Adimakal', 'Asuravithu', 'Koottukudumbam', 'Nadhi', 'Enippadikal', 'Elippathaayam' and 'Raappakal'. She was the first actress from Malayalam chosen in the retrospective category in the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Her movies were screened in the 24th edition of IFFK held in 2019.