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{{Short description|Indian actor, director (1900–1975)}}
{{About|the film-maker|the naturalist|J. C. Daniel (naturalist)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = J.C. Daniel
| image = JC_Daniel.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Joseph Chellaiya Daniel
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1900|02|26}}
| birth_place = [[Neyyattinkara]], [[Travancore]] (now [[Kerala]])
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1975|04|27|1900|11|28}}
| death_place = [[Agasteeswaram]], [[Kanyakumari District]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| height =
| occupation = Filmmaker, dentist
| education = [[Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram|Maharaja's College]], [[Trivandrum]]
| years active = 1926–
| spouse = Janet Raechel
| children = Sundaram Daniel, Gnana Sulochana, Subamathy Vijaya, Janet Lalitha, Harris Daniel
| parents = Dr N.J.Daniel, Gnanammal
| website =
| awards =
}}
'''Joseph Chellaiya Daniel''' (26 February 1900 {{endash}} 27 April 1975) was an Indian filmmaker, widely recognised as the "father of [[Malayalam cinema]]". He was the first filmmaker from [[Kerala]]. He produced, directed, wrote, photographed, edited and starred in ''[[Vigathakumaran]]'' (''The Lost Child'', 1928 or 1930), the first Malayalam feature film, made in Kerala.{{efn|name=fn1}} He also established the first [[film studio]] in Kerala, ''Travancore National Pictures''. In 1992, the [[Government of Kerala]] instituted the [[J. C. Daniel Award]], the highest honour in Malayalam cinema, as part of the [[Kerala State Film Awards]], in recognition of his contributions to the industry.

==Early life and education==
Joseph Chellaiya Daniel<ref name=hindu2013>{{cite web | title=The pioneer | website=[[The Hindu]] | date=10 November 2013 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/the-pioneer/article5335492.ece | access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref><ref name=Pankaj/> was born in [[Neyyattinkara]],<ref name=hindu2013/> [[Travancore]] (now [[Kerala]]) on 26 February 1900,<ref name="Foundation"/> into a wealthy Tamil Christian [[Nadar (caste)|Nadar]] family that owned substantial property.<ref name=Pankaj>{{cite web | last=Pankaj | first=Ashwini Kumar | title=Will Indian Cinema acknowledge its Bahujan forefathers? | website=[[Forward Press]] | date=11 July 2013 | url=https://www.forwardpress.in/2013/07/will-indian-cinema-acknowledge-its-bahujan-forefathers/ | access-date=27 May 2025| quote=Published in the July 2013 issue of the ''Forward Press'' magazine.}}</ref> His father, N. Joseph Daniel (died 1915), was a doctor, who worked as chief medical officer at the government hospital. Daniel was the seventh of 11 children born to his mother Gnanammal Daniel, but two siblings died. Gnanammal was an only child and inherited a fortune from her parents. In 1905 the family moved to a little village called Puthuveedu.<ref name="Foundation">{{cite web |title=Biography |url=https://jcdanielfoundation.org/biography/ |website=JC Daniel Foundation |access-date=17 March 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317105257/https://jcdanielfoundation.org/biography/| archive-date= 17 March 2024}}</ref>{{Efn|This source says he was born in [[Neyyattinkara]], Kerala.<ref name="Foundation"/>}}

Daniel attended Scott Christian School in [[Nagercoil]] from the age of 10.<ref name="Foundation"/> He finished his formal education from [[Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram|Maharaja's College]] in [[Trivandrum]].<ref name="Foundation"/> He practised the Indian martial art [[Kalarippayattu]] as a child, continuing his training at college.<ref name=hindu2013/>

He published an English book titled ''Indian Art of Fencing and Sword Play'' in 1915, when he was 15 years old.<ref name=Pankaj/>

==Career==
===Learning filmmaking===
Daniel was well aware of the scope of cinema as a public medium. He wished to popularise [[Kalarippayattu]] by harnessing the popular influence of cinema. At that time, ordinary people in Kerala were not even aware of the medium of cinema, so the idea was quite a challenge. He took up the challenge and left for [[Madras]] (now Chennai) to learn techniques of film-making and to acquire necessary equipment for the purpose.<ref name="Biography">cinemaofmalayalam.net – [http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jcdaniel.html Biography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606225929/http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jcdaniel.html |date=6 June 2009 }}</ref> [[Madras]] was the budding centre of film production in [[South India]] and had the only permanent [[talkies]] cinema in South India, named Gaiety, established in 1917.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} However, he was unable to realise his plans in Madras and was even denied entry to various studios in the city.{{cn|date=May 2025}} He then travelled to [[Bombay]] (now Mumbai), the centre of [[Hindi cinema]] production. He was able to obtain entry into film studios in the city, claiming that he was a teacher from Kerala and wanted to teach his students about cinema. He gathered enough knowledge and equipment for film production from [[Bombay]] before returning to Kerala.<ref name="Biography"/>

===Production of ''Vigathakumaran''===

In 1926, Daniel established the first film studio in Kerala, called Travancore National Pictures. It was near the present Public Service Commission office, Pattom, Trivandrum.<ref name="Profile: Page 2">Weblokam – [http://www.weblokam.com/cinema/profiles/0504/19/1050419031_2.htm Profile: Page 2] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029133605/http://www.weblokam.com/cinema/profiles/0504/19/1050419031_2.htm |date=29 October 2008 }}</ref><ref name=hindu2013/> He obtained funds for this purpose by selling a piece of land in his name for an amount of Rs.400,000.<ref name="Profile: Page 2"/> With everything set, Daniel finally started the production work of the film of his dreams. He wrote the script and titled it ''Vigathakumaran''. The film did not have sound or dialogue. He directed and wielded the camera for the film and also played the role of the protagonist in the film. [[P. K. Rosie]] acted as the heroine. He also did most of the post-production work including [[film editing|editing]]. The theme of the film was of social significance and was one of the earliest films of the genre.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Post-release of ''Vigathakumaran''===

[[File:GrandParents.jpg|thumb|Daniel with his wife Janet]]
''Vigathakumaran'' was exhibited in Trivandrum at the ''Capitol Theatre'' on 7 November 1928<ref name="Biography"/> or 23 October 1930.{{Efn |name=fn1|Many sources cite the release date as 23 October 1930, a topic explored at length in an article by journalist Adv Narayan published in 2012. His view is that [[Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan]]'s "meticulous research", putting the date at 7 November 1928, was lost after various sources, after an unverified copy of a handbill about the film, which came to light during the 8th [[International Film Festival of Kerala]] in 2003, giving the date as 23 October 1930. This was widely reported in the media, and was repeated by journalist Kunnukuzhi Mani.<ref name=Narayan2012>{{cite web | title=Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan's meticulous research weighed against a Handbill.|first=Adv| last= Narayan | website=OLD MALAYALAM CINEMA | date=3 December 2012 | url=https://malayalam137.rssing.com/chan-6007866/article20.html | access-date=23 May 2025}}</ref> Many sources cite the 1928 release date.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vg9xu4J7L-oC |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |date=1999 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-57958-146-6 |pages=251 |language=en |quote=Vigathakumaran (1928); Hailed as the first Malayalam film, released in November 1928 in Trivandrum. Its lack of success ruined the director and no literature about, or footage from, the film appear to have survived.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=C |first1=Sunitha Srinivas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hTwpEQAAQBAJ |title=The Aesthetics of Ugliness in Contemporary Malayalam Cinema |last2=K |first2=Arunlal |date=27 September 2024 |publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-0364-0937-1 |pages=56 |language=en |quote=The first Malayalam film (silent), Vigathakumaran by J.C. Daniel, was made in 1928}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Baruah |first=Parthajit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UOHH0AEACAAJ |title=A History of India's North-East Cinema: Deconstructing the Stereotypes |date=2025 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=979-8-7651-2765-0 |pages=65 |language=en |quote=In 1928, J. C. Daniel, the director of the first Malayalam film, spent almost six months searching extensively before finding a female lead for Vigathakumaran (The Lost Boy).}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gokulsing |first1=K. Moti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djUFmlFbzFkC |title=Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas |last2=Dissanayake |first2=Wimal |date=2013-04-17 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-77284-9 |pages=105 |language=en |quote=From the very beginning of the twentieth century Kerala, or the erstwhile kingdoms of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar, had a thriving film culture. Touring film companies brought the flavors of Tamil, Marathi and Hindi cultures to Malayalee populations. Only two films were produced during the silent era of Malayalam cinema-Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child) in 1928 and Marthandavarma in 1931.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pillai |first=Meena T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6iiPSQAACAAJ |title=Women in Malayalam Cinema: Naturalising Gender Hierarchies |date=2010 |publisher=Orient BlackSwan |isbn=978-81-250-3865-8 |pages=28 |language=en |quote=The origin of Malayalam cinema dates back to the late 1920s, the fag end of the Silent era. The first Malayalam film Vigathakumaran (Silent) was made in 1928 by J. C. Daniel.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifjFnAEACAAJ |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo |date=1987 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-1803-1 |pages=751 |language=en |quote=CINEMA (Malayalam); The first movie in Malayalam came out in 1928. J.C. Daniel's Vigathakumaran was a silent film. Efforts to make a sound film (Talkies) started and as a result the film Balan came out in 1938.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Barclay |first1=Francis Philip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m57WEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT214 |title=Gender and Popular Visual Culture in India: 'Benevolent' Sexism and Disguised Discrimination |last2=Laskar |first2=Kaifia Ancer |date=3 November 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-99702-6 |language=en |quote=Gender issues in the Malayalam film industry have a long-standing history, starting from the controversial casting of the Dalit woman P. K. Rosy in the first Malayalam film Vigathakumaran (1928).}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Anjali Gera |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4MfRoQEACAAJ |title=Travels of Bollywood Cinema: From Bombay to LA |last2=Chua |first2=Beng Huat |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-945415-0 |pages=154 |language=en |quote=In 1928, the first Malayalam silent movie Vigathakumaran was produced.}}</ref> Kiran Ravindran, who made the documentary ''The Lost Child'', asserts that ''Vigathakumaran'' was first released in 1928, not 1930.<ref>{{cite web | title=Screening of documentary on J C Daniel on Wednesday | website=[[The New Indian Express]] | date=5 November 2012 | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2012/Nov/05/screening-of-documentary-on-j-c-daniel-on-wednesday-422519.html | access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref> R. Gopalakrishnan, author of ''Broken Dreams'' (2020) presents evidence in his book that the film was not released in 1928, saying in an interview "If the movie was released in 1928, why is there no news of it in any of the newspapers? Also, there is no proof that the Capitol Cinema Hall was burned down".<ref name=gautham2020/>}} Despite being the very first film made in Kerala and having a socially-significant message, it faced the wrath of certain orthodox sections in the society due to the presence of a woman in the film. Rosie, who played the role of the female protagonist, was disbarred from entering the theatre, as upper-caste Hindus, outraged that a converted dalit played the role of a Nair woman in the film, created a ruckus.<ref name="Biography"/> During the screening, stones were pelted on the screen, damaging it.<ref name="Rosie">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100818082602/http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/14/stories/2010081451180200.htm "New media misrepresents role of women: Kumar Shahani"]. ''The Hindu''. 14 August 2010.</ref> The film did moderate business at the box office but the collections were way below the production cost.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The movie was also screened in [[Alleppey]] at the Star Theatre. Since it was a silent movie, there was an announcer at the theatre who would explain the story and the situation. Alleppey being one of the most important port towns in Kerala during that time, the audience were more liberal. They received the movie with excitement. There was a minor glitch once, when the screen faded and the audience booed. After the announcer explained that some minor problems might occur since this was the first [[Malayalam]] movie ever made and screened, the audience welcomed his statement with applause.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

''Vigathakumaran'' was also screened at [[Quilon]], [[Trichur]], [[Tellichery]], and [[Nagercoil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=13561098&programId=1073752204&channelId=-1073750705&BV_ID=@@@&tabId=3 |title=Manorama Online {{!}} Movies {{!}} Interviews {{!}} |website=www.manoramaonline.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305022823/http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentId=13561098&programId=1073752204&BV_ID=@@@&channelId=-1073750705&tabId=3 |archive-date=2013-03-05}}</ref>

Daniel became indebted as the movie was not a commercial success. To pay his debtors, he had to sell his equipment and close down the studio.<ref name="Biography"/>

==Personal life==
At the age of 19 he met and fell in love with Janet Raechel, then aged just 13, and after waiting for five years and consent of the two families, they married in 1924 at the M. M. Church in Trivandrum.<ref name="Foundation"/>

They had several children, including a son, Sundaram, and daughter Sulochana, both of whom appeared in ''Vigathakumaran''.<ref name=hindu2013/> A younger son, Harris,<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name=harris>{{Cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/How-Vigathakumaran-was-lost-to-history/articleshow/18505051.cms | title=Harris Daniel: How 'Vigathakumaran' was lost to history | website=[[The Times of India]] | access-date=23 December 2017 | archive-date=18 May 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518120110/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/How-Vigathakumaran-was-lost-to-history/articleshow/18505051.cms | url-status=live }}</ref> or Haris.<ref name=anand2013/> Harris was responsible for burning the last print of the film when six years old, an act of revenge against his older brother Sundaram, who he said had bullied him.<ref name="Foundation"/><ref name=harris/>

==Later life and death==
[[File:JC Daniel's tomb erected by his children.jpg|thumb|Daniel's tomb in [[Agastheeswaram|Agasteeswaram]], [[Kanyakumari]]]]
Daniel spent the rest of his life as a dentist at [[Palayamkottai]], Tamil Nadu.{{cn|date=May 2025}} He spent his last years in his ancestral home in [[Agastheeswaram]].{{cn|date=May 2025}} Although he applied for pension under the scheme for ailing artists, the [[Government of Kerala]] rejected it since he was from Tamil Nadu.<ref name=Pankaj/> In his books and articles, noted film journalist [[Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan]] established that ''Vigathakumaran'' was the first Malayalam film and that Daniel was its architect as director, producer, cinematographer and leading man. He described the story of ''Vigathakumaran'' in articles published since 1960, but Kerala Government initially rejected his crusade, saying that Daniel was not a Malayalee. The Government version was that if Daniel wanted a pension or financial assistance, he has to approach the Tamil Nadu Government. However, Gopalakrishnan's campaign was finally successful and Daniel obtained government recognition as a Keralite, being honoured as the "Father of Malayalam Cinema".{{cn|date=May 2025}} He is widely known by this moniker.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jcdaniel.html |last=Cinema of Malayalam |title=Dr. J C Daniel |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606225929/http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/jcdaniel.html |archive-date=6 June 2009 }}</ref>

Daniel died on 27 April 1975, and was survived by his wife, Janet.<ref name="Foundation"/> He is buried in a tomb erected by his children in Agasteeswaram.

==Recognition==
===J. C. Daniel Award===
{{Main|J. C. Daniel Award}}
The Department of Cultural Affairs, [[Government of Kerala]] instituted the [[J. C. Daniel Award]] in honour of him in 1992.<ref name="Profile: Page 2"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bingham |first=Adam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DwPsEAAAQBAJ |title=Directory of World Cinema: India |date=20 February 2015 |publisher=[[Intellect Books]] |isbn=978-1-78320-509-7 |pages=117 |language=en |quote=...his contribution to Malayalam film-making was recognized in 1992 when Kerala's Department of Cultural Affairs instigated the JC Daniel Award.}}</ref> The award, a part of the [[Kerala State Film Awards]] is to honour lifetime achievements in outstanding contributions to [[Malayalam cinema]].{{cn|date=May 2025}} From 1998, the [[Kerala State Chalachitra Academy]], an autonomous body under the Department of Cultural Affairs, [[Government of Kerala]] hosts the award.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===J. C. Foundation Awards===
The J. C. Foundation Awards are instituted by the J.C. Foundation, which was founded in memory of J.C. Daniel by his family and friends. The awards are given annually for achievements in Malayalam film-making and literature. There are a variety of categories for film, while the literature award is given for the best Malayalam novel.<ref>The Hindu – [https://web.archive.org/web/20080612210440/http://www.hindu.com/2006/07/22/stories/2006072227850300.htm J.C. Foundation awards announced]</ref>

==In popular culture==
''The Lost Life'' is a 21-minute documentary about Daniel's life made by R. Gopalakrishnan<ref>{{cite news|title=Tracing the path of a pioneer filmmaker|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/02/24/stories/2006022401080200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127091857/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/02/24/stories/2006022401080200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 November 2007|access-date=28 February 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 February 2006}}</ref> (aka Gopalakrishnan Raghavan Nair<ref>{{YouTube|oz_xJ-ktqhw| Lost Life Part 1}}, published 2012.</ref>), released in 2006. Gopalakrishnan, a [[stills photographer]] for films, was as of 2013 the general secretary of the Film Photographers' Union of [[Film Employees Federation of Kerala]] (FEFKA).<ref name=anand2013>{{cite web | last=Anand | first=Shilpa Nair | title='The Lost Life' Revisited | website=[[The Hindu]] | date=17 March 2013 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/the-lost-life-revisited/article4515992.ece | access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref> ''The Lost Life'' won a [[Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention|Special Mention in the Kerala State Film Awards]] in 2006.<ref name=gautham2020>{{cite web | last=S | first=Gautham | title=Of broken dreams | website=[[The New Indian Express]] | date=23 October 2020 | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2020/Oct/23/of-broken-dreams-2213773.html | access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Kamal (director)|Kamal]] wrote and directed a [[biopic]] on Daniel titled ''[[Celluloid (film)|Celluloid]]''. The film details the struggles of Daniel to produce and exhibit ''Vigathakumaran'', while plunging into financial crisis. The movie generated criticism over its subtle reference to an [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS Officer]] and the then [[Chief Minister of Kerala|Chief Minister]], which purportedly points to the bureaucrat and writer [[Malayattoor Ramakrishnan]] and [[K. Karunakaran]], who worked together to deny J. C. Daniel credit for his contribution to Malayalam cinema as he was a Christian,<ref>Audio recording of [[Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan]] produced by Akashawani and published by a TV channel.</ref>{{better source|date=May 2025}} Author and civil servant [[N. S. Madhavan]], as well as [[D. Babu Paul]], former Chief Secretary of Kerala, have pointed out factual inaccuracies in the film's depiction of Malayattoor and Karunakaran. The film, based partially on the novel ''Nashta Naayika'' by [[Vinu Abraham]] and the ''Life of J. C. Daniel'', a biography by film journalist [[Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan]], also deals with the life of [[PK Rosy]], the lead actress in ''Vigathakumaran''. [[Prithviraj Sukumaran|Prithviraj]] plays the role of Daniel, while [[Mamta Mohandas]] plays his wife Janet, and newcomer Chandni plays Rosie. The film won seven [[Kerala State Film Awards]] in different categories, including [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Film|Best Film]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Barbs in 'Celluloid' lead to bloodletting|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/barbs-in-celluloid-lead-to-bloodletting/article4446883.ece|access-date=25 February 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=24 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Celluloid': A belated tribute to father of Malayalam cinema|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/celluloid-a-belated-tribute-to-father-of-malayalam-cinema-113022300181_1.html|access-date=25 February 2013|newspaper=Business Standard|date=23 February 2013}}</ref>

In October 2020 R. Gopalakrishnan published a book called ''Broken Dreams'', which tells the story of Daniel, his wife Janet, producer [[R. Sunder Raj]], his wife Devaki Bai, and Rama Reddy, who owned the Capitol Cinema Hall, where ''Vigathakumaran'' was filmed. Gopalakrishnan believes that the film was not released in 1928, but must have been released at the later date. Director [[Sreekumaran Thampi]] wrote the prologue for the book.<ref name=gautham2020/>
== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|OxmdzrXmMgs|J C Daniel – Father of Malayalam Cinema – A Short Film}}
{{J. C. Daniel Award}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, J. C.}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kanyakumari district]]
[[Category:Male actors from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Filmmaking pioneers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]

J. C. Daniel - Revision history

Siddhant Babu Gamers at 00:52, 11 January 2026