Kollywood corners glory at the 62nd National Awards

Bobby Simhaa
Best Supporting Actor (Jigarthanda)
I was shooting for Paambu Sattai when I started getting calls on the award. The first call was from my nanban Karthik Subbaraj, who sounded extremely happy that I had won.
Even during the shoot of Jigarthanda, Karthik kept telling me that I will definitely win an award if I perform well. And, Siddharth sir predicted during the Telugu audio launch of the film that I will win the award. Every day’s shoot of the film was a memorable day to me. And, yes, I would like to relive the character one more time. In fact, Karthik has been suggesting that I should act in the role if he remakes the film in Hindi.

Vignesh and Ramesh
Best Child Artist (Kaaka Muttai)
Director Manikandan says, “They are brothers in real life. A day’s shoot must have cost us close to a lakh. But these boys were not aware of all these things. They would fight on the set and would not act together on a particular day and we’d have to cancel the shoot for them. But that’s how children are. They are so genuine and casual and that worked big time for this film. When I told them that they have received the National Award, they did not know anything about it. But they were very excited about the fact that they would be travelling to another city to get this award. Their happiness is this simple.”

Brahmma, Director
Best Tamil Film (Kuttram Kadithal)
I came to know about the news when I was travelling on my bike. I stopped and called few people to know more details about the award, but then, unfortunately my mobile got switched off. It was only after an hour that I came to know that my film has received the National Award.

I must thank the entire team for making this happen. Now, I feel more responsible as a filmmaker, and my upcoming films will also be socially responsible. We shot the film on the outskirts of the city, with many kids. It was an interesting experience. We worked hard for days without sleep, and I think this is a reward for it. I am happy.
We will have the audio launch of the film next week, and during the release of the film we will celebrate it with kids.

G Dhananjayan
Best Book On Cinema – Special Mention
I was watching the New Zealand-South Africa match when I got a call from Jagadish, an assistant of Bharathirajaa, who asked me to follow the National Award coverage.

After I had published Best Of Tamil Cinema in 2011, people kept suggesting films that I had missed out. ‘Best’ being a subjective term, I realized I cannot make everyone happy. So, I decided to come out with a book on Tamil films that have won a National Award or were selected for the Oscars or the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival Of India. I had a lot of difficulty in getting the DVDs of these films. I had to check in the international market and with TV channels for that. The biggest high was when the book was released in the Indian Panorama. After the release of the book, Madhu Ambat asked me if I could lend him the DVD of Aadum Koothu, for which he was the cameraman. Singeetham Srinivasa Rao was so happy to finally see a DVD of his Dhikkatra Parvathi. This act of giving back to the creators their own works and seeing them feel proud again is one of the most rewarding moments.

The award gives me satisfaction because my effort to capture the glories of Tamil cinema has been noted. I don’t believe in celebrations, but, my daughter, who I would say is the editor of the book, wanted a treat and so, I went out for a dinner with my family.

Manikandan, Director
Best Children’s Film (Kaaka Muttai)
I was editing my next film when I was told by my assistant director about the award. I was very happy because this award means a lot to me. I struggled for four years to get an opportunity to direct this film. Also, we’re planning for a summer release and this award would bring in mainstream audience to the theatres.

I wanted the film to be very realistic without any filmi touch. I’d to choose my actors from real-life so that the story did not lose its essence. That’s how I cast Vignesh (14) and Ramesh (12), who stay in a slum in Chennai. Cinema shoot and film unit are completely new to them. They were very natural on the set and we captured their original emotions.

Vivek Harshan
Best Editing (Jigarthanda)
I have no words to express my delight. I am blessed to have worked with a brilliant team. In fact, it was Karthik Subbaraj, who first called me to inform that I have been conferred with a National Award for Jigarthanda. I was just returning home from work then. When I was working on the film, I didn’t expect any awards, but I knew it will have a great appeal for the audience as the footages were so fresh. It was those footages which made my editing look good.

Na Muthukumar
Best Lyrics (Azhage Azhagu from Saivam)
While Na Muthukumar is in Malaysia, he sent a press note, saying, “Azhage Azhagu song is very special to me as I wrote the song with love and humanity in mind. This is my second consecutive National Award and I am too happy about it. I would like to thank the little girl, Uthara, for singing my song so beautifully. I also thank director Vijay, music director GV Prakash and head of the jury director Bharathirajaa on this occasion. I also wish my colleagues in this industry who have received this award.”

Uthara Unnikrishnan
Best Female Playback Singer (Azhage Azhagu from Saivam)
Uthara’s mother Priya Unnikrishnan says, “We never expected this award. It is, in fact, quite a surprise for us. Unni is not in town, so when my son Krish informed the news to him, he was very excited. Uthara is still a little girl to understand all this. She doesn’t know what a National Award means. Her grandfather told her the news, and everyone started calling her. She was smiling and was thoroughly excited about several people wishing her.”

She adds, “Saindhavi had heard her sing, and she had told GV Prakash about Uthara’s voice. When GV asked her to come for a recording, Unni wasn’t in town. So, I took her to the studio. She wasn’t well that day, and wasn’t too comfortable about recording. But when she saw GV, who looks very young and someone who looks like a brother, she said she will sing. GV made her feel comfortable. Since she was too scared to be alone in the sound booth, I also accompanied her. GV was very happy with her voice and asked her to come the next day too since there was a lyric change. Honestly, we didn’t think she would win this award. Krish is currently writing his board exams. Once his exams are over, we will celebrate.”