37th Death anniversary of malayalam cinema’s first action hero

37th Death anniversary of malayalam cinema’s first action hero….

Malayalam film actor Jayan was remembered on his 37th death anniversary on November 16.

During his film career, he was primarily an action star and was particularly famous for his macho image and unique style. He was reputed for his chauvinistic appeal, masculine persona and well known for performing stunts of dangerous nature on his own.

By late 1970s, he became the most popular lead actor and commercial superstar of Malayalam film industry and has been acclaimed as the first action hero of Malayalam cinema.

He lost his life while filming the final scene of the Malayalam film ‘Kolilakem’, this day in 1980, at an airbase in Chennai.

His death anniversary is marked on November 16 in some form or the other mostly at his hometown in Kollam and in the state capital where his fans and well-wishers gather to honor his memory.

His film career was a brief and dashing one that began in the early 1970s, peaked a few years later and the flame went out quickly, but not before he acted in more than 100 films and etched an everlasting memory in the minds of many.

In all, he acted in 124 films starting from 1972 and of these his career graph went skyrocketing starting 1977 when he acted in 19 films; in 1978, 31 films; in 1979, 25 films; and in 1980, of the 30 films that he worked in, 11 were released after his death.

What made him the darling of many was his dialogue delivery and the macho image and what his predecessors like Mammootty and Mohanlal achieved by sweating out for decades, he did it in a few years.

He even outclassed the evergreen hero in the industry, the legendary Prem Nazir, the Malayalam actor who has an entry in Guinness.

Among the major hits of Jayan are “Angadi”, “Moorken”, “Manushyamrigam” and “Chakara”, to name a few.