It is once again the year of the South in the 68th National Awards that were announced earlier today. Director Vasanth S Sai's compelling anthology, Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, won the Best Feature Film (Tamil). 

The film also won actor Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli her maiden National award for playing the titular role. Veteran editor and eight-time National Award winner Sreekar Prasad won his ninth award for SISP. 

Talking about her win, Lakshmipriyaa said, "I am still processing the win. I have been bombarded with calls, and it has still not sunk in. I am actually shooting in Chennai, and when a TV channel reached out for a quote, I didn't know why they were reaching out. It was a pleasant surprise, and I'm doubly glad that the film won the Best Tamil feature and Sreekar Prasad sir won for Best Editor."

In an interaction after the win, the editor said, "I am glad I won the award for a film that took cinema seriously." 

The other Tamil films to make a splash in this edition of the awards were Mandela and Soorarai Pottru. While Madonne Ashwin won Best debut director and Best Dialogues for Mandela, Soorarai Pottru took home a rich haul of awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Suriya), Best Actress (Aparna Balamurali), Best Background Score (GV Prakash), and Best Screenplay (Shalini Usha Nair and Sudha Kongara)