Dhanush Fires Back at National Award Backlash Over Raayan

Actor Dhanush has finally responded to criticism over his recognition at the National Film Awards. While he received a Special Mention for his performance in Captain Miller, it was Raayan’s National Award win for Best Tamil Film that triggered widespread discussion on social media.

Speaking at a recent event, Dhanush admitted that several strong Tamil films released in the same year but appealed to the audience not to undermine the recognition of Raayan or the hard work that went into its production.

“I received the National Film Award for Raayan. There were definitely better films than this that year. Fans of these films expressed their love and I fully respect them,” Dhanush said, without referring to any particular film.

The actor also reviewed many performances that he believed could have won him a National Award but ultimately did not.

“Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam” was released a long time ago. Everyone said that I would definitely get an award for this. I was young too and hoped for this, but it didn’t happen. Then there was Pudhupettai,” he recalled.

Dhanush talked about many critically acclaimed movies including 3, Mayakkam Enna, Vada Chennai, Karnan, Maryan and Raanjhanaa. “You all said I would win again for these films, but I didn’t,” he added.

Talking about finally receiving another National Award, Dhanush said that people should celebrate this achievement rather than question it.

“No matter how hard you try, some things happen on their own. That’s exactly what happened in my case. I grabbed the opportunity. No matter what people thought about the film, the effort I put into the film was real. As a Tamilian, I got two more National Awards. Don’t leave it aside. Celebrate it,” he said.

Dhanush also quoted actor Ajith Kumar while encouraging his fans to stay positive. “As Thala Ajith Sir says, no one can beat you until you accept defeat,” he remarked, before finishing with his trademark quote, “If you are bad, I am your father.”

After the National Film Awards were announced, many social media users argued that films like Meiyazhagan, starring Karthi and Arvind Swami, and Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap, were more deserving of the Best Tamil Film award than Raayan. While Raayan was a commercial success, it received mixed reviews from critics, leading to disagreements over its National Award victory.