Dhanush Calls State Film Award for Vada Chennai a “True Honour”

Chennai, Jan 2026 : Actor Dhanush, who has been honoured with the Tamil Nadu Government’s State Film Award for Best Actor for the year 2018, has expressed heartfelt gratitude, calling the recognition a “true honour.” The award was conferred for his powerful performance in director Vetri Maran’s critically acclaimed and cult classic film Vada Chennai.

Soon after the Tamil Nadu government announced the long-pending State Film Awards, Dhanush took to social media platform X to share his appreciation. In his post, he thanked the state government for the prestigious recognition and congratulated fellow award winners. “I sincerely thank the Government of Tamil Nadu for conferring upon me the State Award for Vada Chennai. It is a true honor. My heartfelt congratulations to all the other awardees as well,” he wrote.

The film Vada Chennai emerged as one of the biggest winners for the year, sweeping awards across multiple categories. Apart from Dhanush’s Best Actor win, Samuthirakani received the Best Villain award for his intense performance in the film. Actor-director Ameer won the Best Supporting Actor award, while Santhosh Narayanan was named Best Music Director for his impactful background score and songs. Cinematographer Velraj also received the Best Cinematographer award, further highlighting the film’s technical and artistic excellence.

Adding to the film’s success, Aishwarya Rajesh, who played the female lead in Vada Chennai, won the Best Actress (Special Prize) for her performances in both Vada Chennai and Kanaa. Her nuanced portrayals in both films were widely appreciated by audiences and critics alike.

Meanwhile, actor Vishnu Vishal also shared his joy after winning the Best Actor (Special Prize) for his role in the crime thriller Ratsasan. Marking a personal milestone, he noted that the award came on the same day he completed 17 years in the film industry. In his post, he thanked the Tamil Nadu government and said the film would always remain special to him.

In the Best Picture category, director Mari Selvaraj’s Pariyerum Perumal secured the first place, while Kadaikutty Singam by Pandiraj and 96 by Premkumar won the second and third places respectively.

It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu government announced the State Film Awards for seven years, from 2016 to 2022, late on Thursday night. Each awardee will receive a gold medal, a memento, and a certificate. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held at Kalaivanar Arangam on February 13.