President of India Pratibha Patil on Friday presented the National Award for Best Director to Bala at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi. The filmmaker said it was one of the happiest moments in his life since he was honoured by the first citizen of the country.

The director, who received the award for ‘Naan Kadavul’, said, “Getting selected for a National Award is not an ordinary thing. I feel honoured and it is time for me to ensure that I work hard in the future too.”

Many others who have connections with Tamil cinema too received National Awards from the President Friday. While Hariharan was honoured as the Best Playback Singer, Priyanka Chopra, who had acted opposite Vijay in ‘Thamizhan’, received the Best Actress award for the film ‘Fashion’.

Kangana Ranaut, who was seen romancing ‘Jayam’ Ravi in ‘Dhaam Dhoom’ received the Best Supporting Actress award from Pratibha Patil at the 56the National Film Award function in the nation’s capital.