It a rarity that a movie can fetch a National award and also score well in the box office. Pithamagan did when it was released on a October Deepavali in 2003. Bala directed Vikram and Surya by giving them equal importance on screen. Though Vikram mouthed very lines in the movie, he went on to win the National award for Best Actor. Though there were comedy scenes in the beginning, the audience came out with heavy hearts at the end.