Burglars give director M Manikandan of Kadaisi Vivasayi his National Award trophies back: “Your efforts are yours.”

The thieves who had broken into the Madurai area of Tamil Nadu, home of National Award-winning Tamil filmmaker M Manikandan, and taken some cash, gold jewels, and awards, decided to alter their minds. Only the medals were given back, along with an apologetic message.

What was left behind by them?
A senior police officer said on Tuesday that they showed up to the director’s residence in Usilampatti on Monday night and put the medals and a handwritten letter in a carry bag at the front door. They did not leave the location undetected.

But the five sovereign gold pieces and the ₹1 lakh cash that were taken on February 8 from Manikandan’s home were never given back. On ruled scrap paper, the apology was written in Tamil and said, “Sir, forgive us, your hard work is yours.”

When Manikandan and his family were in Chennai, according to the police, some unidentified individuals broke into his home and fled with the jewelry, cash, and accolades. Following the registration of the complaint, the Usilampatti police went on the search to find and apprehend the thieves.

Concerning Manikandan
Manikandan gained notoriety in 2014 when he received the 62nd National Film Awards’ Best Children’s Picture for his feature film debut, Kaaka Muttai (The Crow’s Egg). After writing and directing the thriller Kirumi in 2015, he returned to directing with Kuttrame Thandanai (2016), a neo-noir psychological thriller, and Aandavan Kattalai (2016), a satire featuring Vijay Sethupathi, Ritika Singh, Nasser, and Yogi Baby, among others. At the 69th National Film Awards, his 2021 film Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer) took home the Best Feature Film trophy.

Manikandan started his career in Tamil cinema as an assistant cinematographer, coming from a family of police officials in Madurai. Prior to that, he also completed odd projects like ID card design for college and school kids and wedding photography. Vetrimaaran, an experienced filmmaker, assisted him in creating his first picture.