 Later that year he starred in Bala 's Pithamagan along with Suriya , Sangeetha and Laila , playing the role of <unk> , a gravedigger with autism spectrum disorders . He did not have any dialogue in the film and the actor ’ s acting muscles were stretched as he had to use body language and facial expressions to convey his feelings and thoughts , with Vikram also applying the make up for the character himself . The film won positive reviews with the critic from The Hindu calling it a " symphony on celluloid " , while noting that it will be a " milestone in Vikram 's career " and " he carves a niche for himself in the viewer 's mind with his expressions and excellent body language " . His portrayal won him both the Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award and the National Film Award for Best Actor , with the latter accolade making him only the third Tamil actor to win the award . His next release , the revenge drama Arul directed by Hari , garnered poor reviews and box office collections . 
