By Manigandan K.R.

Chennai, Jul 23 (IANS): One of Tamil cinema's fastest rising stars, Sivakarthikeyan, treated the 'Mandela' director Madonne Ashwin and his technical co-workers to dinner after the film won two National Awards, which were announced in New Delhi on Friday.

Talking to IANS, director Madonne Ashwin said, "We are very happy at winning these awards. We actually didn't expect this recognition. It is a small film with good content that was released only on OTT."

"As a team, we had the conviction that this film would work. The recognition that we have got made us feel that this was the time to celebrate as a team," he said.

So, how did you celebrate the news?

Ashwin says, "We were on a video call with actor Sivakarthikeyan when the National Awards were being announced. It so happened that when our announcement came, he was there online. He congratulated us and invited us for dinner."

"The technical team that worked on 'Mandela' is the same team that is working on our next film together titled 'Maaveran'. So, my team and I met Sivakarthikeyan sir who took us out for dinner on Friday night," he stated.