The winners of the 68th National Film Awards were announced on Friday evening. Ajay Devgn and Suriya received the Best Actor award for the year for their work in ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ and ‘Soorarai Pottru’, respectively. After his big win, Ajay Devgn in a statement said that he’s elated to win the Best Actor Award along with Suriya, reported news agency PTI. He thanked his creative team, audience and fans, and expressed gratitude to his parents and the Almighty. He further congratulated the other winners.
This is the third time Ajay Devgn has won the National Award in the Best Actor category. He had previously won the award for his performances in ‘Zakhm’ (1998) and ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ (2002).
‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’, directed by Om Raut and co-produced by Ajay Devgn and Bhushan Kumar, also starred Kajol, Saif Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi and Sharad Kelkar in pivotal roles.
The film also won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at this year's National Film Awards.
The other big winners at the 68th National Awards include Soorarai Pottru, which also won Best Feature Film, Best Actress for Aparna Balamurali, Best Screenplay, and Best Background Score.
Sachidanandan KR won Best Direction for Malayalam film ‘AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ and Biju Menon won the Best Supporting Actor for the film.
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