Thiruvananthapuram: Evergreen actress Sheela has bagged the J. C. Daniel Award of 2018 for overall contributions to the Malayalam film industry.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a memento and a citation.
Culture minister A. K. Balan said the award would be presented to her on July 27 at a function held at Nishagandhi Auditorium along with state film awards.
J. C. Daniel Award is the highest honour in Malayalam cinema.
The state instituted the award to commemorate the contribution of J. C. Daniel, regarded as the father of Malayalam cinema. Prominent director K. S. Sethumadhavan headed the jury with Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal and culture secretary Rani George as members.
Earlier, the prize money was Rs 1 lakh. The present government increased it to Rs 5 lakh. The previous recipients include Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Sreekumaran Thampi.
Sheela’s first film in Malayalam was P. Bhaskaran’s Bhagya Jathakam.
She told reporters in Chennai that it was a great honour to receive the award.
“I never expected the coveted award. But I am really honoured and thankful that one of the greatest awards has been bestowed on me.”
