National Film Award for Best Sound Design

The National Film Award for Best Sound Design is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).

National Film Award for Best Sound Design
National award for contributions to Indian Cinema
Sponsored by	National Film Development Corporation of India
Formerly called	Best Sound Recording (1976–1979) Best Audiography (1980–2021)
Reward(s)	Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) ₹2,00,000
First awarded	1976
Last awarded	2022
Most recent winner	Anand Krishnamoorthi
Highlights
Total awarded	45 (till 2008) 10 (Location sound recordist) 12 (Sound designer) 15 (Re-recordist of the final mixed track) 1 (since 2022)
First winner	S. P. Ramanathan

The award was instituted in 1976, at 24th National Film Awards and awarded annually for films produced in the year across the country, in all Indian languages; Hindi (30 awards), Malayalam (15 awards), Bengali (10 awards), Tamil (9 awards), Marathi (5 awards), Telugu, Ladakhi (two each), and Assamese, Sanskrit (one Each).

Since the 57th National Film Awards the award has been sub-categorised into Location sound recordist, Sound designer and Re-recordist of the final mixed track. At the 70th National Film Awards, the award was renamed to Best Sound Design. Two sub-categories Location Sound Recordist and Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track were discontinued, with only sound designer being eligible to the award.^[1][2] The decision to discontinue the two other sub-categories received some criticism.^[3]

Winners

Awards legends
*	Location Sound Recordist (2009–2021)
*	Sound Designer (2009–2021)
*	Re-recordist of the Final Mixed Track (2009–2021)

Award includes 'Rajat Kamal' (Silver Lotus) and cash prize. Following are the award winners over the years:

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), film(s), language(s) and citation
Year	Recipient(s)	Film(s)	Language(s)	Citation	Refs.
1976 (24th)	S. P. Ramanathan	Bhakta Kannappa	Telugu	–	[4]
1977 (25th)	S. P. Ramanathan	Godhuli	Hindi	For recording great clarity and precision, creating a beautifully modulated tone poem of the various elements; of human speech, of atmospheric effects, of natural sound and vision which makes one live within the film; for superb technical quality which helps to enhance the meaning and impact of a thought-provoking film.	[5]
1978 (26th)	Hitendra Ghosh	Junoon	Hindi	For clarity, fidelity and precision in recording music, speech and sound effects.	[6]
1979 (27th)	No Award				[7]
1980 (28th)	S. P. Ramanathan	Nenjathai Killathe	Tamil	For a highly sensitive use of sound to capture perfectly the rhythm and mood of each sequence.	[8]
1981 (29th)	P. Devdas	Elippathayam	Malayalam	For a brilliantly mixed soundtrack and impressive use of silences to underline the dramatic moments of the film.	[9]
1982 (30th)	Essabhai M. Suratwala	Namkeen	Hindi	For his skilful structuring of the sound track to create the atmosphere for the film.	[10]
1983 (31st)	S. P. Ramanathan	Adi Shankaracharya	Sanskrit	For the deft handling of the sound track to blend with the film's mood.	[11]
1984 (32nd)	P. Devdas	Mukhamukham	Malayalam	–	[12]
1985 (33rd)	Hitendra Ghosh	Ek Pal	Hindi	For his masterly use of the sound track in keeping with the atmosphere of the film.	[13]
1986 (34th)	Durga Mitra	Path Bhola	Bengali	For adding a new dimension to the film by a sensitive employment of sound.	[14]
	Jyoti Prasad Chatterjee
1987 (35th)	P. Devadas	Anantaram	Malayalam	For harnessing all the elements of sounds, music and silence to create a perfect complement to the visual design of the film.	[15]
	T. Krishnanunni
	N. Harikumar
1988 (36th)	T. Krishnan Unni	Piravi	Malayalam	For creatively helping to capture and sustain the delicate seasonal and emotional mood of the film.	[16]
1989 (37th)	N. Harikumar	Mathilukal	Malayalam	For perfection noticeable throughout the in creatively helping the director to capture the mood and sustain interest within the enclosed walls of a jail.	[17]
1990 (38th)	N. Pandurangan	Anjali	Tamil	For aesthetically weaving the soundtrack in the most creative manner to enhance the visuals of the film.	[18]
1991 (39th)	Ajay Munjan	Rukmavati Ki Haveli	Hindi	For the quality and effectiveness of sound in contributing to the ambience of stark oppression that pervades the film.	[19]
	M. M. Padmanabhan
1992 (40th)	N. Pandurangan	Thevar Magan	Tamil	For his extremely creative recording and mixing of the sound track, giving the film an added dimension.	[20]
1993 (41st)	H. Sridhar	Mahanadi	Tamil	For their capacity to the use of technique to contribute to the total effect of the film as an audio-visual gestalt.	[21]
	K. M. Surya Narayan (M/s Media Artiste Pvt. Ltd)
1994 (42nd)	A. S. Laxmi Narayanan	Kadhalan	Tamil	For combining numerous effects in multiple tracks and an often dazzling array of music, sound and dialogue with remarkable technical control.	[22]
	V. S. Murthy
1995 (43rd)	Deepan Chatterji	Kalapani	Malayalam	For the meticulous use of sound, creating the unusual aura of Cellular Jail of Andaman.	[23]
		Halo	Hindi	For the unique mixing of incidental and effect sound.
1996 (44th)	Krishnan Unni	Desadanam	Malayalam	For excellent use and blending of ambient sound with superb effects, appropriate to the spirit depicted in the film.	[24]
1997 (45th)	Sampath	Ennu Swantham Janakikutty	Malayalam	For using silence creatively to enhance a subject that deals with the isolation of a mind trapped in fantasy.	[25]
1998 (46th)	H. Sridhar	Dil Se..	Hindi	For capturing sounds as varied as the visuals and creating an unusual rhytham on the sound track.	[26]
1999 (47th)	Anup Mukhopadhyay	Uttara	Bengali	For creating the ambience of sound in different layers to create an atmosphere in support of the stark visuals. The final mixed sound track has enhanced the effect of viewing the film enormously.	[27]
2000 (48th)	Anup Dev	Moksha	Hindi	The audiographer has, with extreme care, chosen the right sound, ambience and layered the tracks in an immaculate way to create an atmosphere to support the narrative of the film.	[28]
2001 (49th)	H. Sridhar	Lagaan	Hindi	For The sound effects recorded both efficiently and imaginatively heighten the visual impact of the film.	[29]
	Nakul Kamte
2002 (50th)	A. S. Laxmi Narayanan	Kannathil Muthamittal	Tamil	For creating a sounds cape that heightens the dramatic conflicts of the story.	[30]
	H. Sridhar
2003 (51st)	Anup Mukhopadhyay	Bhalo Theko	Bengali	For the innovative use of sound, its quality and timbre.	[31]
	Deepon Chatterjee
2004 (52nd)	Anup Mukhopadhyay	Iti Srikanta	Bengali	For finest recordings of the sound in a superb way that lends an extra dimension to the film.	[32]
	Alok De
2005 (53rd)	Nakul Kamte	Rang De Basanti	Hindi	For creating a vibrant sound design that effectively supports the graph of the film.	[33]
2006 (54th)	Shajith Koyeri	Omkara	Hindi	For the brilliant sound design that enhances the moods and emotions through different layers of sound in the film.	[34]
	Subhash Sahoo
	K. J. Singh
2007 (55th)	Kunal Sharma	1971	Hindi	For capturing the mood and tension of that wartorn period which marked the climax of the deteriorating ties with our neighbours.	[35]
2008 (56th)	Pramod J. Thomas	Gandha	Marathi	For its use of dramatically scripted sounds to heighten the mood of the film.	[36]
	Anmol Bhave
2009 (57th)	Subash Sahoo	Kaminey	Hindi	For excellent live sound quality with the right tonal balance, capturing all the ambient sounds.	[37]
	Resul Pookutty, Amrit Pritam Dutta	Keralavarma Pazhassiraja	Malayalam	For creating an outstanding aural landscape that transports you to a historical era.
	Anup Dev	3 Idiots	Hindi	For the fine amalgamation of different elements of sound to create the right ambience and perspective of the film image.
2010 (58th)	Kaamod Kharade	Ishqiya	Hindi	For capturing the soft nuances and variations of the artists' voices and location ambiance in a sensorial manner.	[38]
	Subhadeep Sengupta	Chitrasutram	Malayalam	For the use of various sound effects along with existing ambience to impart a subliminal experience in this abstract work.
	Debajit Changmai	Ishqiya	Hindi	For merging voices, location ambience, background music and other sound effects to create a near-tactile experience that is both real and artistic.
2011 (59th)	Baylon Fonseca	Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara	Hindi	For providing a certain kind of purity in the audio track which is rarely heard in Indian cinema. The 'live' location sound contributes to enriching the actors' performances and feelings that the film intends to convey. He makes this rather complex task so simple, helping the viewers to immerse themselves in the sounds of the long road journey through the various landscapes of Spain.	[39]
	Baylon Fonseca	Game	Hindi	For giving a new dimension to the genre of the suspenseful 'whodunnit' cinema. His audio blueprint intermingles location sounds, dialogues, background music and songs into one united tension-packed experience. Interesting is the way he plays with sound levels in order to merge even the song sequences into the world of credible experience.
	Hitendra Ghosh	Game	Hindi	For creating a seamless narrative that traverses all over the globe from Greece to Thailand. He uses his rich experience of over 40 years behind the mixing console to deliver a sound track which brings the viewer's attention to every detail while refraining from overdoing the audio levels which films of the suspense genre are usually disposed towards.
2012 (60th)	Radhakrishnan S.	Annayum Rasoolum	Malayalam	The technology of sync-sound is effectively employed in this film with semiurban setting.	[40]
	Anirban Sengupta	Shabdo	Bengali	A deft handling of sound technology and its ramifications have contributed to make this film an unforgettable experience.
	Dipankar Chaki
	Alok De	• Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1  • Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2	Hindi	For a film done in a milieu of natural locations the final mixing of multitude tracks has added tremendous cinematic value.
	Sinoy Joseph
	Sreejesh Nair
2013 (61st)	Nihar Ranjan Samal	Madras Cafe	Hindi	Superlative professional job, in picking up minute nuances, covering indoor as well as outdoor locations.	[41]
	Bishwadeep Chatterjee	Madras Cafe	Hindi	With his competent sound design Bishwadeep adds authenticity and another dimension to the film.
	D. Yuvaraj	Swapaanam	Malayalam	A commendable job of keeping a perfect balance between, dialogues, sound effects and resonant 'chenda' playing.
2014 (62nd)	Mahaveer Sabbanwal	Khwada	Marathi	Khwada for its excellent live sound quality which skillfully captures all the ambient sounds with the right tonal balance.	[42]
	Anish John	Asha Jaoar Majhe	Bengali	Asha Jaoar Majhe for creating a brilliant soundscape which enhances the narrative even in the absence of the spoken word.
	Anirban Sengupta	Nirbashito	Bengali	Nirbashito for the seamless movement from chaos into the quietness of solitude while integrating various elements of sound.
	Dipankar Chaki
2015 (63rd)	Sanjay Kurian	Talvar	Hindi	For capturing the natural voices, with all its nuances predominantly of characters undergoing great stress.	[43]
	Bishwadeep Chatterjee	Bajirao Mastani	Hindi	For creating a rich aural tapestry, evoking the romantic moods and heroic tension.
	Justin Jose	Bajirao Mastani	Hindi	For the perfect blend of the ambiances ranging from royal palace interiors to war fronts.
2016 (64th)	Jayadevan Chakkadath	Kaadu Pookkunna Neram	Malayalam	For bringing out the 'feel' of the forest and tribal hamlet through various natural as well as other elements.	[44]
	Alok De	Ventilator	Marathi	The film brings out a delicate balance between various spoken words and silence.
2017 (65th)	Mallika Das	Village Rockstars	Assamese
	Sanal George	Walking with the Wind	Ladakhi
	Justin Jose	Walking with the Wind	Ladakhi
2018 (66th)	Gaurav Verma	Tendlya	Marathi	The flavour and mood of the small town is vastly enhanced by the ambient aural quality.	[45]
	Bishwadeep Chatterjee	Uri: The Surgical Strike	Hindi	An orchestra of created as well as recorded aural dimensions.
	M. R. Rajakrishnan	Rangasthalam	Telugu	Playing with beauty and essence of the tonal quality of the silence.
2019 (67th)	Debajit Gayan	Iewduh	Khasi	For the brilliant work of capturing natural sound of characters and atmosphere in a dingy crowded marketplace.	[46]
	Mandar Kamalapurkar	Trijya	Marathi	For designing all required sound in a film and ensuring proper execution of the same.
	Resul Pookutty	Oththa Seruppu Size 7	Tamil	For meticulously balancing the various soundtracks to elevate the mood of the film.
	Bibin Devassy
2020 (68th)	Anmol Bhave	Me Vasantrao	Marathi	For conceiving the architecture of the soundscape that not only recreates. nuances of a classical era but also enthralls with its elegance.	[47][48]
	Vishnu Govind	Malik	Malayalam	For creating a life like ambience through a dextrous audio scope.
2021 (69th)	Arun Asok, Sonu KP	Chavittu	Malayalam		[49]
	Aneesh Basu	Jhilli	Bengali
	Sinoy Joseph	Sardar Udham	Hindi
2022 (70th)	Anand Krishnamoorthi	Ponniyin Selvan: I	Tamil

References

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33. "53rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
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35. "55th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
36. "56th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
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41. "61st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
42. "62nd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
43. "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
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47. Bureau, The Hindu (22 July 2022). "68th National Film Awards | Updates". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 January 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
48. [[[Special:PermanentLink/1135046160]] "68th National Film Awards"], Wikipedia, 22 January 2023, retrieved 1 February 2023 {{citation}}: Check |url= value (help)
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External links

• Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India
• National Film Awards Archives
• National Film Awards at IMDb