Actress Sharada has been selected for the 2024 J.C. Daniel Award, given for lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema, as announced by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cheriyan in a press release. The J.C. Daniel Award is the highest film honor conferred by the state government and carries a cash prize of five lakh rupees, a citation, and a statuette. The award will be presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Kerala State Film Awards ceremony to be held at Nishagandhi, Thiruvananthapuram, on January 25, 2026.

The 2017 J.C. Daniel Award winner Sreekumaran Thampi, along with actress Urvashi, director Balu Kuriakose, and Film Academy Secretary C. Ajoy as Member Secretary, formed the committee that selected the awardee. Sharada, aged 80, is the 32nd artist to receive this highest honor from the Kerala government.

The jury noted that Sharada demonstrated exceptional talent as an actress, winning the National Award for Best Actress twice for Malayalam films. Over two decades from the 1960s onward, she immortalized the experiences of Malayali women on screen. Sharada received her first National Award in 1968 for the film Thulabharam, followed by recognition for Swayamvaram (1972) directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and the Telugu film Nimajjanam (1977).

Sharada portrayed numerous unforgettable characters in Malayalam cinema in films such as Thriveni, Murappennu, Mooladhanam, and Oru Minnaminungu’s Nuranjuvettam. The jury concluded that she is undoubtedly deserving of the Kerala government’s highest cinematic honor.