ROSY AWARD

P.K ROSY AWARD

Chief minister Oommen Chandy announced on Monday,10^th September,2012, that a award in the name of the first Malayalee actor Rosy would be instituted. He said the award in the name of Rosy would find a place in the coming state awards. Rosy was the female lead in J C Daniel's `Vigathakumaran'.The place where J C Daniel was laid to rest will be taken over by the govt. Talks with Minister K B Ganesh Kumar was held regarding this. If the land is not given to the govt then other means of takeover will be contemplated, Chandy said.

Malayalam cinema might have forgotten its very first heroine P K Rosy, but plans are in place to revive her memories and honour her work by instating a film award sponsored by the government in her name.

At the muhurth of Celluloid that revolves around Mollywood's first director J C Daniel, Chief Minister Oommen Chandi   said, "I have received a request to honour Malayalam film's first actress Rosy by instating a film award and I am pleased to announce that the state government is all for it." This is a positive change that has resulted out of Kamal's new venture, Celluloid, which sheds light on the first Malayalam film Vigathakumaran and its cast and crew.The flick stars Prithviraj as Daniel, Mamta Pregith as his wife Janet, and newcomer Chandini, who was spotted in a reality music show by Kamal's wife, as Rosy. The director, who did research for four years on the film, said that not much is known about Rosy, who was a dalit woman from Trivandrum. "We couldn't find a photograph of her and though a snap had surfaced claiming that it was hers, no one was sure. Also, all prints of the film were destroyed. Because we didn't know how she looked, I wanted a new face to play her role," says Kamal.Incidentally, if the plan to institute the award in Rosy's name materialises, it would be another milestone to honour the film and its makers, as the annual J C Daniel Award to honour lifetime achievements and outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema is the most coveted one.
Acting in a film couldn't have been more life-changing than it was for Malayalam cinema's first actress P K Rosy. The actress had to face the ire of society for taking such a bold step in 1928, when acting in a movie by a woman was taboo. The actress was not even allowed to see her own work when it was exhibited in Capital Theatres in Trivandrum as the top tier of society was angered that a Dalit woman could portray a Nair lady onscreen. She had to run away from her village after her house was set on fire. The last that was heard of her was that the outrage forced her to flee from Kerala to  Tamil Nadu in a lorry; later, it is said, she married its driver. Noted film historian Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan, in his biography of J C Daniel, states that Rosy may have lived in Tiruchirappalli or Nagercoil.

Prof. John Kurakar