Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday congratulated veteran director K. Balachander for bagging the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, describing him as a ''milestone'' in Tamil cinema.

K. Balachander, who brought a whiff of fresh air with daring new style in direction and filmmaking in Tamil cinema in the 1970s, was on Friday chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010.