 At the 19th National Film Awards, Ramachandran won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role, the first South Indian actor to do so.Critics promptly said that the award was inspired by the DMK, with "Blitz" alleging that Ramachandran paid for the award, a story that was carried by "Dina Thanthi" with gutso.Ramachandran retorted, "At no time, have I run seeking position, title and fame.