Dhanush Responds to Backlash Over Raayan’s National Film Award Win

Dhanush Reacts to National Award Controversy

Actor-director Dhanush recently found himself slap-bang in the middle of a massive online storm and the internet loves a good controversy. The winners list of the 72nd National Film Awards was announced today and his directorial project Raayan bagged the Best Tamil Film honour, while he also won a Special Mention for his acting in Captain Miller.

The announcement didn’t receive polite applause, but a deluge of grumbling on social media. Cinephiles resorted to the timeline arguing Meiyazhagan and Maharaja were robbed, insisting those films deserved the hardware way more than Raayan. Rather than dismissing the buzz, Dhanush took to a public mic in Tamil Nadu to address the backlash directly.

Hear the Cry, Ignore the Buzz

Dhanush surprised everyone by siding with a section of critics instead of going to a defensive mode. He told the audience straight up that there were genuine, better nominees in the movie landscape that year.

Dhanush candidly said, "I got a National Film Award for Raayan". There were definitely better films that year than that one. The fans of those films loved them, and I have a lot of respect for them."

He even threw it back to his own vault of past work, reminding everyone how the business works. He pointed out that fan favourites and cult films like Pudhupettai, Mayakkam Enna, Vada Chennai, Maryan, Karnan and Raanjhanaa did not even get a National Award in their year, despite fans clamouring for them to win. “Awards are funny beasts,” he said, “and they’re really about timing and shifting tastes.

Rallying the Fans to See the Big Picture

Dhanush also said some other films deserved a nod too but urged his fans not to let the negativity on the internet overshadow a milestone for regional cinema. He reminded the audience that a Tamil artist winning two national honours is still a massive win for the home crowd, no matter how mixed the critical reception for individual scenes may have been.

He noted the absolute sweat and exhaustion that went into making those projects happen, emphasising the blood and tears behind the camera were absolutely authentic. Dhanush's concluding thoughts were a sly nod to star Ajith Kumar's prevailing swagger, standing proud in the digital mob. He urged everyone to abandon the acrimonious debates, to celebrate a regional victory, and to remember that perseverance always triumphs over a temporary storm on Twitter.