CHENNAI: 'Pasanga' made the biggest haul from Tamil Nadu in the 57th National Awards, having received the Best Dialogues and Best Regional Film awards along with the Best Child Actor award shared by the film’s protagonists Kishore and Sriram.
The other winners from the state are editor Sreekar Prasad — Special Jury Award for 'Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja', 'Kutty Srank' and 'Kaminey', and music director Ilayaraja for Best Background Score for Malayalam film 'Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja'.
'Pasanga', produced by filmmaker M Sasikumar and released in May 2009, was the recipient of several awards, including Best Film at International Children’s Film Festival, Puducherry Government Film Awards and Second Best Film at the Chennai International Film Festival.
“Receiving a national honour for writing the dialogues for my debut film is a big encouragement,” said an elated Pandiraj, whose latest film is 'Vamsam'.
For editor Sreekar Prasad, this is the eighth national award. Currently in Hyderabad, the Chennai-based editor said it was special to be honoured for his work in strikingly different films.
“'Pazhassi Raja' required special attention as the film was being shot for an extended period, resulting in a lot of footage, including war scenes,” he said. “'Kutty Srank' was a serious film rife with subtext. 'Kaminey', on the contrary, was fast and slickly made. I am happy that my work in these different films have been acknowledged.”