Chief guest and 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra handed over the award to the film's director Ram at the valedictory of the CIFF here.
"Movies are not homogeneous. Every film is special. We are
not making cars here. We are not making bikes here. Every film is special. Chennai Film Festival has truly connected the festival with the masses," Mehra said in his speech.
Special certificates were given to child artistes Prithviraj Das and Sadhana for their roles in 'Haridas' and 'Thanga Meengal' respectively.
'Haridas' was also adjudged the second best Tamil film.
A total of 106 films were screened from 58 countries in five venues in the city.