After winning acclaim from cinegoers as well as critics, Aditya Chopra's 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' has begun the awards season in the New Year in a grand style, winning three trophies at the Aaj Tak Movie Masala awards including the awards for Best film of the year and the best director award.

'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' was adjudged the best film of the year 2008 in the 'Movie Masala awards', which bases its honours exclusively on the votes of the Aaj Tak viewers.

Anushka Sharma won the award for the best debutante of the year and Aditya Chopra's return behind the camera was acknowledged by viewers as the best directorial turn of the year.

Sources in the Yashraj Films, the producers of the Shahrukh Khan Anushka Sharma-starrer, said the award was a fitting recognition of the sensitivity and humour with which the film depicted the initial moments in the life of a newly married couple which, they said, has struck a chord with Indian viewers.

''Aditya Chopra's delicate direction has not gone unnoticed and Anushka's richly textured performance has surprised viewers with its maturity, especially as this was her first acting performance of any kind in any medium,''those at Yashraj Films said.

Asked to comment on her winning the award, Anushka said,''It is honour enough to work with Aditya, Shahrukh and the entire Yash Raj Films team.'' ''To win any kind of recognition on top of that is just icing on the cake. I hope my subsequent work will live up to the expectations that viewers have of me after this kind of a stellar launch that Yash Raj Films has given me,'' she said.

At the same time, they expressed confidence that the film, which has endeared itself to the viewers with its theme of ''there is an extraordinary love story in life of every ordinary couple'', would bag a major chunk of awards in the coming season of popular film awards.

''Knowing how much the story of "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" has resonated with the viewers, it should just be a matter of time before other awards start pouring in. 2008 ended with a bang for Yash Raj Films. Now it's the turn of the batch of 2009 films from YRF, starting with the unusual tale of "New York" to weave their magic with the viewers,''sources in the production house said.