The Galatta Nakshatra Awards 2023 held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on November 30 was a day to remember as many leading names in the film fraternity were honored on the big stage. Blockbuster Tamil director Atlee too joined in on the celebrations and was presented with the 'Box Office King of Indian Cinema' accolade by Kavery Kalanithi, which is his first big honor after the grand commercial success of his big Bollywood debut, Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, released earlier this year. Receiving the 'Box Office King of Indian Cinema' award at the Galatta Nakshatra Awards 2023, Atlee also extended his gratitude to his wife Priya and mother revealing how they have been the biggest pillars of strength in his journey as a filmmaker, while also narrating a 'Kutti Story' on success.
During his speech at the Galatta Nakshatra Awards 2023, Atlee had special words for his wife Priya saying, "First of all, I haven't yet decided my next film as I'm still writing. Several good opportunities have come my way. As I keep going forward, I also want to spend time now with my son for the next 2-3 months. So, maximum, I'll start the work in January and those are my plans as of now. Jawan was the result of three years of hard work and I thank God for all the appreciation. But, if there's someone who I can place above God, that person is my wife. If I wanted something to happen, I'd go ask God. But, now I instead ask my wife and she'd encourage me to keep going ahead saying good things will indeed happen. All the good things that have happened are because of her wishes. So, she's everything to me and I love you Suji. Thanks for always being with me and you're the best friend I have. All those who are going to get married, do not search for a woman. Look for a friend. And, those who are already married, don't look for a wife. Search for friendship in your wife. I think your life will be greater than me and that's all I want to say."
Sharing his deep admiration, respect, and love for his mother, Atlee stated in his heartfelt speech, "She saw me as a superstar when I started. Irrespective of how all the kids usually dance, she'd tell me that there was no one better than me when I was a child. She would tell me that there's no other short film than the one I made. She's my first fan, who will always be my fan, and I will forever be grateful to her. My mother is the reason I'm here, the reason why I have such a beautiful and loving wife, and the reason why I have such an amazing child Meer. So, I always will be loyal to her and my father, and love them."
Concluding his speech at the Galatta Nakshatra Awards 2023, Atlee shared a 'Kutti Story' of his own and said, "There was a person who washed clothes in a pond located between two villages. So, he would keep a big load of clothes on his donkey and head towards the pond every day. The people in one village questioned him whether he was a human being for making the donkey carry such a heavy load of clothes. Upon hearing this, he immediately took off the load from the donkey and carried the clothes on his head. The people in the second village then asked him whether he had any common sense and questioned him on why did not use the donkey to carry the heavy load instead. The person is then bewildered and puts down the load of clothes on the ground. The moral of the story is that we have to carry forward with doing what we want to do. People will have different opinions. If we keep going ahead with what we're doing, the donkey will do its job and the man will do his job. We'll keep winning if we keep doing our work. We should never hear others because I've come across many people who said my film with Shah Rukh sir would never happen. I've also seen people who said that there's no other miracle bigger than this film that will ever happen again. So, there will be a lot of opinions, but we have to do what we want, Thalaiva."
Watch Atlee at the Galatta Nakshatra Awards 2023 in the video below:
