Thiruvananthapuram: Jnanapith winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair has been selected as the 21st recipient of the J.C. Daniel award, the ultimate recognition in Malayalam films, for multi-fold contribution to cinema. The award, which carries a cash prize of '1 lakh, a certificate and a plaque, will be presented on October 17. This was announced by the minister for cinema, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
MT, who debuted as scriptwriter with the 1965 film ‘Murappennu’ (the screen version of his novel of the same name), had written 60 screenplays and directed seven films. He had won the national award for screenplay four times. His debut film as director, 'Nirmalyam', won the national award for best film in 1974. MT, who is 81, is also a Padma Bhushan recipient.
MT was selected by a jury comprising Malayalam University vice chancellor and former bureaucrat K. Jayakumar, actor Madhu, producer P.V. Gangadharan and Chalachithra Academy chairman Rajeev Nath. The jury, in a press note, said that MT was selected for the contributions he had made to Malayalam cinema for more than half a century.
