South Indian actor Dhanush has addressed the criticism surrounding his recent National Film Awards recognition. The debate began after he received a Special Jury Award for his performance in Captain Miller and Best Tamil Feature Film honors for Raayan, prompting widespread discussion on social media.
Speaking at a recent event, Dhanush acknowledged that several Tamil films released that year may have been stronger than Raayan, but said that should not diminish the hard work he and his team invested in the film.
“I received the National Award for Raayan. There were certainly better Tamil films released that year. I completely respect the love and admiration fans have shown for those films,” he said.
Although he did not mention any titles directly, Dhanush recalled several earlier performances that many believed deserved National Awards but ultimately went unrecognized.
He said that during the release of Aadukalam, many people were convinced he would win the award, and as a young actor, he also shared that expectation. He added that the same was said after Pudhupettai, but the recognition did not come.
Dhanush also referred to several other acclaimed films in his career, including 3, Mayakkam Enna, Vada Chennai, Karnan, Maryan, and Raanjhanaa, noting that audiences had repeatedly predicted National Award success for those performances as well.
Reflecting on his latest honor, he said:
“Some things do not happen before their time, no matter how hard you try. For me, that moment has come now. Whatever people may think about the film, I worked sincerely for it. As a Tamil artist, I have now received two National Awards. Instead of belittling this achievement, celebrate it.”
Dhanush also quoted actor Ajith Kumar while encouraging his fans to stay positive.
“As Ajith sir has said, no one can defeat you unless you give up on yourself.”
Following the National Film Awards announcement, many social media users argued that Meiyazhagan, starring Karthi and Arvind Swamy, or Maharaja, featuring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap, were more deserving of the Best Tamil Feature Film award than Raayan. While Raayan received mixed reviews from critics, it went on to become a commercial success at the box office.
