The 71st National Awards ceremony took place in New Delhi on Tuesday saw celebrities and film personalities across India gather in one room to celebrate cinema and receive accolades from President Droupadi Murmu. In the Tamil Industry, director Ramkumar Balakrishnan received multiple national awards for his debut feature film Parking. For his script he received the National Award for Best Screenplay (Original) along with winning the National Award for Best Tamil Film. He shared the win for Best Screenplay with Sri Rajesh Neelam, who won for Baby. KS Sinish, who backed Parking also received the award from the President.
A visibly gleeful MS Bhaskar also took home the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film. He shared the accolade with actor Vijayaraghavan, for his performance in Pookkaalam. Parking also stars Harish Kalyan, Indhuja Ravichandran, Prathana Nathan, Rama Rajendra, and Ilavarasu.
Parking, released in 2023 tells the story of a young tenant (Harish) who gets into a conflict with his house's owner (Bhaskar) over parking space. What stars as a conflict over territory turns into an ego battle.
In an exclusive interview with Cinema Express, MS Bhaskar spoke about the impact of the film, noting, "Films of different titles may come and go, but nothing can replace human ego. But to represent ego in the form of such a small issue lies with the talent of the director, Ramkumar. I am happy that the film has been well received."
GV Prakash won an award in the Best Music Direction category for his songs in Vaathi, starring Dhanush and Samyuktha in the lead roles. This is GV Prakash's second National Award. He won his first for the background score of Soorarai Pottru, starring Suriya and Aparna Balamurali. Expressing his happiness GV Prakash said, "Thank you, grateful. For the second time."
Earlier, he released a note on his X handle stating that he is "truly overwhelmed and deeply grateful" to win the award. He extended his gratitude to Dhanush, the jury and selection committee and the whole Vaathi team.
Films that were certified from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, were eligible for these awards.