Biography

Was a matinée idol among Malayalee youth in the 1970s; some of the college campuses in Kerala even observed the 20th death anniversary of the action star by wearing the typical Jayan costume of bell-bottom pants, tight shirts and dark sunglasses. The college union of one of the city colleges in Kochi renamed its annual youth festival as 'Jayanothsavam' (Jayan Festival).

Krishnan Nair was Jayan's original name. It was Actor Jose Prakash who gave the name "Jayan" to Krishnan Nair.

Some conspiracy theories emerged regarding the circumstances of his death, primarily because the pilot and his co-star Balan K. Nair, who was in the helicopter, survived with minor or no injuries. Nevertheless, it has been confirmed as a genuine accident.

Breathtaking action scenes, tight and risky stunts and fiery dialogues of Jayan truly made watching the film a thrilling experience, but Keralites had a rude shock when news broke that Jayan was crushed under a chopper that accidentally hit the ground while shooting the film 'Kolilakkam' at Cholavaram. Jayan was hanging down from the landing bars of the chopper by rejecting the director's offer for a dupe. He was killed instantly.

In December 2010, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his death, it was announced that a new movie with Jayan in the lead is in the works, using advanced animation and graphics technologies. The movie, titled Avatharam (Incarnation), was announced to be directed by Vijeesh Mani and scripted by T. A. Shahid. The project is inspired by the star's posthumous popularity as an action legend. It was announced that the actor would be brought back to the big screen by twelve top technicians from Hollywood.