Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has announced the long-pending State Film Awards covering films released between 2016 and 2022, bringing official recognition to seven years of Tamil cinema in one consolidated declaration. The awards honour excellence in acting, direction, music and technical craftsmanship across genres and themes. The announcement was made on Thursday.

Each award includes a gold medal weighing one sovereign, along with a memento and a certificate. In the Best Film category, the first prize carries a cash award of ₹2 lakh, while the second and third prizes receive ₹1 lakh and ₹75,000 respectively. The list features several prominent artistes whose work defined Tamil cinema during this period.

2022 awards

For films released in 2022, ‘Karki’ won the Best Film (First Prize), while ‘Taanakkaran’ and ‘Witness’ secured the second and third prizes respectively. Vikram Prabhu won Best Actor for ‘Taanakkaran’ and Sai Pallavi received Best Actress for ‘Gargi’. Gowtham Ramachandran was named Best Director, A R Rahman won Best Music Director for ‘Ponniyin Selvan – I’, and late Robo Shankar was recognised as Best Comedian for ‘Iravin Nizhal’.

2021 awards

In 2021, ‘Jai Bhim’ topped the Best Film category, followed by ‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’ and ‘Karnan’. Arya won Best Actor for ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’, while Lijomol Jose was named Best Actress for ‘Jai Bhim’. T J Gnanavel received Best Director, Sean Roldan won Best Music Director and Yogi Babu was awarded Best Comedian for ‘Doctor’.

2020 awards

For 2020, ‘Koozhangal’ emerged as Best Film, with ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and ‘Sandakkari’ finishing second and third. Suriya and Aparna Balamurali won Best Actor and Best Actress respectively for ‘Soorarai Pottru’. Sudha Kongara was awarded Best Director, and G V Prakash Kumar won Best Music Director, both for the same film. Rakshan received the Best Comedian award for ‘Kannum Kannum’.

2019 awards

In 2019, ‘Asuran’ secured the Best Film honour, followed by ‘Otha Seruppu – Size 7’ and ‘Comali’. R Parthiban won both Best Actor and Best Director for ‘Otha Seruppu – Size 7’. Manju Warrier was named Best Actress for ‘Asuran’, Karunakaran won Best Comedian for ‘Monster’, and D Imman received Best Music Director for ‘Mahaan’.

2018 awards

For films released in 2018, ‘Pariyerum Perumal’ won Best Film, with ‘Kadaikutty Singam’ and ‘96’ taking second and third places. Dhanush received Best Actor for ‘Vada Chennai’, and Jyothika won Best Actress for ‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’. Mari Selvaraj was named Best Director for ‘Pariyerum Perumal’, Santhosh Narayanan won Best Music Director for ‘Vada Chennai’, and Yogi Babu was recognised as Best Comedian for ‘Mohini’.

2016 and 2017 awards

For 2017, ‘Aramm’ emerged as Best Film, followed by ‘Vikram Vedha’ and ‘Tharamani’. Karthi won Best Actor for ‘Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru’, while Nayanthara received Best Actress for ‘Aramm’. Pushkar–Gayathri were awarded Best Director for ‘Vikram Vedha’, Hiphop Tamizha won Best Music Director for ‘Kavan’, and Bala Saravanan was named Best Comedian.

For 2016, ‘Managaram’ won the Best Film (First Prize), with ‘Puriyatha Puthir’ and ‘Maaveran Kittu’ securing second and third places. Vijay Sethupathi received Best Actor for ‘Puriyatha Puthir’, Keerthy Suresh won Best Actress for ‘Paambhu Sattai’. Lokesh Kanagaraj was named Best Director for ‘Managaram’, C S Sam won Best Music Director for ‘Puriyatha Puthir’, and late Robo Shankar received the Best Comedian award.