They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
[1] The awards were decided by a committee headed by a Judge.
However, in the year 1977, the awards for Best Actress and Best Actor were announced for the years 1971 to 1976 by way of honorary certificates by the government led by the then chief minister M.G.Ramachandran.
[2] After winning the election for the Producers Council of Tamil cinema, the chairman Vishal revealed that he would approach the government to reinstate the awards.
[3][4] The awards were reinstated in July 2017 after the government announced the wins for 2009–2014.