View source for Jayaraj

{{short description|Indian filmmaker}}
{{For|the name (and list of people with the name)|Jayaraj (name)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2023}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jayaraj
| image              = Jayaraj.jpg
| imagesize          =
| caption            =
| birth_name         = Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1960|05|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Kottayam district|Kottayam]], [[Kerala]], India
| occupation         = {{hlist|Director|Screenwriter|Producer}}
| years_active       = 1990&ndash;present
| spouse             =
| children           =
}}
'''Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair''', professionally credited as '''Jayaraj''' (born 31 May 1960), is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in the [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam film industry]].
He has won many awards, including [[Crystal Bear]] at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]], the Golden Peacock award at the [[International Film Festival of India|IFFI]], and the FIPRESCI Award from the [[International Federation of Film Critics]]. He is also a seven-time recipient of the [[National Film Awards|National Film Award]] and several [[Kerala State Film Awards]]. His films include ''[[Paithrukam]]'' (1993), ''[[Desadanam]]'' (1996), ''[[Kaliyattam]]'' (1997), ''[[4 The People]]'' (2004),  ''[[Vellapokkathil (film)|Vellapokkathil]]'' (2007), ''[[Ottaal]]'' (2015), [[Veeram (2016 film)|Veeram]] (2016)  and ''[[Bhayanakam]]'' (2018).
==Early life==
During his stay at [[Thiruvananthapuram]], he attended film festivals including the [[International Film Festival of Kerala]] and watched many world classics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jayaraj.html |title=cinemaofmalayalam.net: Profile |access-date=4 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426203320/http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jayaraj.html |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Akira Kurosawa|Kurosawa]]'s ''[[Rashomon (film)|Rashomon]]'' and [[DeSica]]'s ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]'' were among them, and they influenced him immensely.<ref>{{cite web | title = Jayaraj: A director's profile |work=Rediff.com movies| url = http://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/dec/20jay.htm |date=December 20, 2005| access-date = 2014-08-14 }}</ref>
==Career==
Bharathan was impressed by Jayaraj and made him his assistant director for ''Chilambu''(1986). Jayaraj then went on to be the assistant to Bharathan in six more films including the critically acclaimed ''[[Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam]]'' (1987) and ''[[Vaishali (film)|Vaishali]]'' (1988). Jayaraj debuted as director with ''Vidyarambham'' (1990). His early career mainly produced commercially oriented films like ''[[Aakasha Kottayile Sultan]]'' (1991), ''Johnnie Walker'' (1992), ''High Way'' (1995), ''Thumboli Kadappuram'' (1995) and ''Arabia'' (1995).{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}
Notable in his early career were ''Kudumbasametham'' (1992), ''[[Paithrukam]]'' (1993) and ''Sopanam'' (1993).  ''[[Desadanam]]'' (1997) was followed by ''[[Kaliyattam]]'' (1997) which was an adaptation of [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Othello]]''. It won him the [[National Film Award for Best Direction]].
In 1999 Jayaraj started his nine-film series project ''Navarasa'' with ''[[Karunam]]'', followed by ''[[Shantham]]'' (2001). ''[[Shantham]]'' won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]. The third in the ''Navarasa'' series was ''Bheebhatsa'', a [[Hindi]] film followed by ''Adbutham'' and [[Veeram (2016 film)|''Veeram'']]. In 2018, the sixth film in the series ''[[Bhayanakam]]'' was released and had won awards for [[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]], [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] and [[National Film Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] at the 2017 [[National Film Awards]]. On 10 June 2019, [[Tovino Thomas]] officially announced and shared the poster of ''Roudram 2018'', the seventh film in the series. While sharing the poster on Facebook Tovino wrote, "The movie is based on real-life incidents that occurred in central Travancore, during the devastating floods that Kerala survived. ''Roudram 2018'' portrays the tempestuous ferocity of nature, and the utter helplessness of humankind before that might."{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}
Of late he has been doing commercial and art films and is successful in both genres. While ''[[Thilakkam (film)|Thilakkam]]'' (2003) and ''[[4 The People]]'' (2004) were huge commercial successes ''[[Kannaki]]'' (2002), ''Makalkku'' (2005), ''[[Daivanamathil]]'' (2005) and ''[[Ottaal]]'' (2015) were critically acclaimed. ''[[Ottaal]]'' made history, becoming the first ever Malayalam movie to have swept all the top awards in the 20-year history of the International Film Festival of Kerala. The film was one of four Malayalam films selected to be a part of the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India in Goa in November 2015.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}
==Philanthropy==
In an earnest effort towards conserving nature and strengthening people's welfare, Jayaraj founded the Jayaraj Foundation in 2010 and officially launched it on 6 June 2014. World Organisation of Hope's (WOH) ambitious programme ''SMART'' (Sports, Music, Art and Recreation Therapy (Yoga and Meditation)) and ''Birds Club International'' are the two projects initiated by the foundation.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birds Club International |url=https://birdsclubinternational.com/ }}</ref>
World Organisation of Hope (WOH) is an organisation aimed at building children's awareness of their rights and to protect them. The programme SMART [Sports, Music, Art and Recreation Therapy (Yoga and Meditation)] is an offshoot of WOH. It supports children and adolescents in their own struggle to secure and defend their dreams.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}
Birds Club International (BCI) aims at creating miniature rain forests in schools and colleges, to make a better environment both for birds and humans. It plans to bring together the [[future generation]] and integrating more of society towards nature conservation activities. Several units of BCI have been started in many schools and colleges in Kerala, with the help of the Government of Kerala, to achieve this.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}
==Awards==
;International awards
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Award (s)
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Ottaal]]''
| Crystal Bear, Suvarna Chakoram, FIPRESCI award, NETPAC award, Rajatha Chakoram
|-
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Daivanamathil]]''
| Best Film Award in Spain, Madrid International Film Festival
|-
| 2000
| ''Karunam''
| Golden Peacock Award, International Film Festival of India- Awards from Federation of International Film Societies, Berlin International Film Fest, Special Mention in Kerala International Film Festival.
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Shantham]]''
| Best Cinematography in Festival De 3 Continents, France
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Desadanam]]''
| Special Mention at [[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] in competition section.
|}
;[[National Film Awards]]
[[File:Noted Filmmaker Jayaraj being felicitated at the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2015), in Panaji, Goa on November 26, 2015.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Jayaraj being felicitated at [[International Film Festival of India|IFFI]] ([[46th International Film Festival of India|2015]]) ]]
*1996 : [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam|Best Feature Film in Malayalam]] - ''[[Desadanam]]''
*1997 : [[National Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]] - ''[[Kaliyattam]]''
*2001 : [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Film]] - ''[[Shantham]]''
*2005 : [[Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration|Best Film on National Integration]] - ''[[Daivanamathil]]''
*2007 : [[National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Direction|Best Non-Feature Film Direction]] - ''[[Vellapokkathil (film)|Vellapokkathil]]'' (''The Deluge'')
*2014 : [[National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation|Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation]] - ''[[Ottaal]]''
*2017 : Best Director - ''[[Bhayanakam]]''
*2017 : [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] - ''Bhayanakam''
*2017 : Special Jury  mention - Rebirth
;[[Kerala State Film Awards]]
*1992 : [[Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film]] - ''Kudumbasametham''
*1996 : [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Director]] - ''[[Deshadanam]]''
*1997 : [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Popular Film|Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value]] - ''[[Kaliyattam]]''
*1999 : [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Film]] - ''[[Karunam]]''
*2015 : [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Film]] - ''[[Ottaal]]''
;Filmfare Awards South
* 1997 : [[Filmfare Award for Best Director (Malayalam)|Best Director]] : ''[[Kaliyattam]]''
* 2000 : [[Filmfare Award for Best Director (Malayalam)|Best Director]] : ''[[Karunam]]''
* 2000 : [[Filmfare Award for Best Film – Malayalam|Best Film - Malayalam]]  : ''[[Karunam]]''
;V. Shantharam Awards
*1997 : ''[[Kaliyattam]]''
*2001 : ''[[Shantham]]''
;John Abraham Awards
*2000 : ''[[Karunam]]''
*2012 : ''[[Vellapokkathil (film)|Vellapokkathil]]''
;[[Asianet Film Awards]]
* 2002: Asianet Film Award for Best Director for [[Kannaki]]
;Ramu Karyatt Awards
*1996 : ''[[Desadanam]]''
;P. Padmarajan Awards
*1996 : ''[[Desadanam]]''
*2000 : ''[[Karunam]]''
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! class="unsortable"  | Title
! class="unsortable"  | Notes
! class="unsortable"  | {{abbr|Ref(s)|references}}
|-
| 1990 || ''[[Vidhyarambham]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Aakasha Kottayile Sultan]]'' || Story credits ||
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Johnnie Walker (film)|Johnnie Walker]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Kudumbasametham]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Paithrukam]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Sopanam (film)|Sopanam]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1995 || ''Arabia'' ||  ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Highway (1995 film)|High Way]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Thumboli Kadappuram]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[Desadanam]]'' || Also Producer ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[Kaliyattam]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Sneham (1998 film)|Sneham]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Thalolam (movie)|Thalolam]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Karunam]]'' || Part 2, Navarasa series. Also producer ||
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Millennium Stars]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Shantham]]'' || Part 1, Navarasa series ||
|-
| 2002 || ''Bhibatsa'' || Part 3, Navarasa series Hindi Language ||<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bollywood/Bibhatsa/articleshow/853027.cms|title=Bibhatsa|website=The Times of India|date=16 September 2004 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-24}}</ref>
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Kannaki (film)|Kannaki]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2003 || [[Thilakkam (film)|''Thilakkam'']] ||  ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[4 the People]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Rain Rain Come Again]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Yuvasena]]'' (Telugu) ||  ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[By the People (2005 film)|By the People]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Daivanamathil]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Makalkku]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2006 || ''Adbutham'' || Part 4, Navarasa series Released on Rootsvideo OTT Platform in 2021 April 14 ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Aanachandam]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Ashwaroodan]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2007 || [[Anandabhairavi (2007 film)|''Anandabhairavi'']] ||  ||
|-
| 2008 || ''Gulmohar'' ||  ||
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Of The People]]'' || Writer and producer credits ||
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Sila Nerangalil]]'' || Tamil film ||
|-
| 2008 || ''Vellapokkathil'' ||  ||<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/films-on-hope-and-rebuilding/article25650003.ece|title=Films on hope and rebuilding|author=Staff Reporter|date=2018-12-03|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-12-24|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
|-
| 2009 || [[Loudspeaker (film)|''Loudspeaker'']] || Writer and producer credits ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Naayika]]'' ||  ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expressbuzz.com/entertainment/news/another-new-film-on-shrividhya/241312.html|title=Another new film on Shrividhya|date=21 January 2011|work=[[The Indian Express]]}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Pakarnnattam]]'' ||  ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2011/01/14/stories/2011011450890200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108165806/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2011/01/14/stories/2011011450890200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2012|title=Lambs to the sacrifice |author=P.K.Ajith Kumar|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 January 2011}}</ref>
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Camel Safari]]'' ||  ||<ref>{{cite web|title=Love in the sands of Pushkar|url=http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/Love-in-the-sands-of-Pushkar/2013/05/30/article1611903.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906052325/http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/Love-in-the-sands-of-Pushkar/2013/05/30/article1611903.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2013|publisher=The New Indian Express}}</ref>
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Ottaal]]'' ||  ||<ref>{{cite web|title='Ottal' is more than an environmental film: Jayaraj|url=http://english.manoramaonline.com/entertainment/interview/jayaraj-national-award-film-ottal-is-more-than-an-environmental-film.html|publisher=Manorama Online}}</ref>
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Veeram (2016 film)|Veeram]]'' || Part 5, Navarasa series. Also writer. Released also in Hindi & English ||
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Bhayanakam]]'' || Part 6, Navarasa series. Also writer ||
|-
| 2019 || ''Roudram 2018'' || Part 7, Navarasa series. Also writer ||
|-
| 2020 || ''Haasyam'' || Part 8, Navarasa series. ||
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Backpackers (film)|Backpackers]]'' ||  ||
|-
| 2023 || ''Oru Perumgaliyattam'' || Shooting Started (Releasing on Rootsvideo OTT Platform) ||
|-
| 2023 || ''[[Kadhikan]]'' || Story and producer credits ||
|-
|Rowspan=2|2024
|''[[Manorathangal]]'' || Anthology series Segment:"Swargam Thurakkuna Samayam" ||
|-
| {{Pending film|Highway -2}} || Announced ||
|}
{{commons category|Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0419687|name=Jayaraj}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070309103715/http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/06/stories/2005070602080200.htm All in the name of God] [[The Hindu]] - 5 July 2005
{{NationalFilmAwardBestDirection}}
{{National Film Award Best Screenplay}}
{{Filmfare Award Best Malayalam Director}}
{{Kerala State Film Award for Best Director}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayaraj}}
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Malayalam film directors]]
[[Category:Kerala State Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Tamil film directors]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards South winners]]
[[Category:Best Director National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Artists from Kottayam]]
[[Category:Film directors from Kottayam district]]
[[Category:Telugu film directors]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Film producers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Kerala]]
[[Category:Malayalam screenwriters]]
[[Category:Best Adapted Screenplay National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation National Film Award]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Film on National Integration National Film Award]]