President of India Pratibha Patil on Friday presented three awards to the Tamil movie ‘Pasanga’ at the 57th National Film Awards-2009 ceremony at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

The award for the best child artist went to D S Kishore and Sreeraam for their portrayal as ‘Anbukkarasu' and ‘Jeeva' in the film directed by Pandiraj and produced by Sasikumar. The Rajat Kamal for the best Tamil movie too was won by ‘Pasanga’.

At the function, the President presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Tollywood movie mogul D Ramanaidu, who holds the Guinness Record for producing the highest number of films in his career spanning over four decades.

The President presented the Best Actor Award to Amitabh Bachchan amid rousing reception for his portrayal of a 13-year-old schoolboy in the Hindi film ‘Paa’, directed by Balki from Tamil Nadu.

The award for the best music direction (songs) was presented to Amit Trivedi for the Hindi film ‘Dev D’ and for the best background score (a new category) to Kollywood’s pride Ilayaraja for the Malayalam film ‘Pazhassi Raja’.

In her address, Pratibha Patil said: “Cinema is a very potent medium for conveying a message and it has become an important factor in influencing social norms. Cinema operates within the context of a social scenario and, thus, has a stake in the stability, prosperity and progress of society.

The President also called upon young filmmakers that while they experimented with the format, they needed to keep in mind, the content of the film they were producing. This would enable them to take their work to a wider audience.

“All involved in the film industry should consider themselves social leaders and stakeholders in the welfare of people. Striking a balance between entertainment and social relevance is an essential call for the industry and the response will define its role in society”.

Minister of Information & Broadcasting Ambika Soni said the year 2013 will be celebrated as a centenary milestone to showcase the cinematic heritage of the Indian film industry in the last 100 years.

Listen to 'Pasanga' songs on Raaga!