For Rajkumar Periasamy, winning the National Award for Best Director for Amaran was as unexpected as it was overwhelming. “I’ve been constantly on calls and replying to messages since the announcement. I haven’t even had time to draft my own thank-you post on X,” he says, adding, “I’m overwhelmed with happiness. I can’t complain.”The filmmaker says that the recognition has given him the confidence to push himself further. “Getting the award at this point in time encourages me to attempt more genres and move forward with a sort of assurance as well as reassurance.”What Amaran’s producer Kamal Haasan said…On his exchange with Kamal Haasan, who produced the film along with R Mahendran, Rajkumar says, “Kamal sir is in Chicago right now. He called and conveyed his wishes. He was very happy. I told him, ‘Thank you for everything,’ but he replied, ‘I didn’t do anything. I’m just happy Amaran was produced under RKFI (Raaj Kamal Films International, his production house).’”‘THE THOUGHT WAS ALWAYS AT THE BACK OF MY MIND’Though the win came as a surprise, Rajkumar admits the possibility had crossed his mind. “Ever since Amaran released, we’ve been receiving a lot of appreciation. Every time I met someone or accepted an award, they would tell me, ‘You’ll definitely win a National Award for Amaran .’ Many even said that several others from the film would be honoured too. So, the thought was always at the back of my mind, but I wasn’t prepared for it yesterday. Actually, I was expecting an award for the Best Actress and Actor (for Sai Pallavi and Sivakarthikeyan, respectively) as well.”‘IT’S A BIG RECOGNITION FOR ME’What makes this recognition particularly special, he says, is what it represents. “I’m happy that a film made with the right intent, like Amaran , a regional film, has won Best Direction. There’s only one Best Director award for the entire country, so it’s a big recognition for me. I’m delighted to join the list of filmmakers who have received this recognition, especially those from Tamil cinema. I was in college when Bala sir won the National Award, and that inspired me very much,” he shares.Interestingly, the stars of his current film, OM , Mammootty and Dhanush, have also found a place among this year’s National Award winners. Rajkumar, however, brushes it off as coincidence. “That is purely coincidence. Mammootty sir and Dhanush sir have won National Awards before. I don’t even know if Mammootty sir keeps count anymore. When I visited his home in Kerala for script reading, the first thing I noticed was his National Awards. I even told him that he might win one for Bramayugam .”‘Major Mukund’s parents were delighted when I shared the news’After hearing the news of his win, the first people he reached out to were the parents of Major Mukund Varadarajan, whose life inspired Amaran . “They were attending an Army event and were delighted when I shared the news. This morning, Mukund sir’s mother, Geetha amma , called me again. After watching the film, she had told me I would win a National Award because she could see a clear direction, and she had also said that the presentation and the making were good.”Winners from Tamil cinemaBest Direction – Rajkumar Periasamy (Amaran)Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Sachana Namidass (Maharaja)Special Mention (Actor) – Dhanush (Captain Miller)Best Music Direction (Background Music) – GV Prakash Kumar (Amaran)Best Action Direction (Stunt Choreography) – Anl Arasu (Maharaja)Best Tamil Film – RaayanBest Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values – Captain MillerBest Editing – R Kalaivannan (Amaran)Special Mention (Film Sound Mix Engineer) – Suren G (Meiyazhagan)Best Sound Design (non feature) – T S Hari Hara Sudhan (Blue)