# Dhanush wins first National Award as director for Raayan, third as actor

2026-09-22T15:26:18+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Actor Dhanush won his first National Film Award as a director for Raayan and received a Special Mention as an actor for Captain Miller at the 72nd National Film Awards in Kevadia, Gujarat. President Droupadi Murmu presented the honours on September 22. Dhanush now has three National Awards as an actor and one as a director. Captain Miller also won Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values. Dhanush's sons Linga and Yatra attended the ceremony. After the awards were announced, some critics argued that films like Maharaja were more deserving. Dhanush later acknowledged there were better films in 2024, but urged for support, saying he had missed awards for earlier acclaimed performances.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Dhanush's dual win was built on a year of great Tamil cinema, yet the framing of his awards remarks varied. Times Now highlighted his public response to criticism that 'better films' like Maharaja were overlooked, a government-critical angle that positions the awards as contested. Odisha TV and Times of India reported the ceremony neutrally, focusing on the director's praise and the film's themes. The coverage difference shows that while the awards themselves were celebrated, Dhanush's own acknowledgement of debate opened the door to questioning the selection process. The key number to track is how many award-winning films from 2024 find OSL streaming audiences in the coming months.

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com (sensationalist) <https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/south/72nd-national-film-awards-dhanush-receives-first-best-director-honour-for-raayan-article-156203178>
  led with Dhanush addressing public debate over the award, foregrounding contestation
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/dhanush-is-a-brilliant-actor-so-half-your-job-is-done-arun-matheswaran-praises-his-captain-miller-actor-after-national-award-win/articleshow/134414107.cms>
  straight reporting on the director's praise for Dhanush and the film's themes
- odishatv.in (neutral report) <https://odishatv.in/entertainment/dhanush-scores-double-national-award-glory-first-as-director-for-raayan-third-as-actor-for-captain-miller-12565661>
  straight reporting on the award list and fan reaction

Tags: Arun Matheswaran, Captain Miller, Dhanush, Droupadi Murmu, National Film Awards, Raayan
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