National Film Award for Best Music Direction

The National Film Award for Best Music Direction (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the National Film Development Corporation of India to a musician who has composed the best score for films produced within the Indian film industry.^[1] The award was first introduced at the 15th National Film Awards in 1967. At the 42nd National Film Awards, an award for "Best Background Score" was instituted. It was however discontinued after that, and it was not until 2009 that the category was re-introduced. Later, during the 70th National Film Awards both the categories — Best Background Score and Best Background Music were clubbed together and named as "Best Background Music". A total of 51 awards—including award for Best Background music—to 40 different composers.^[2]

National Film Award for Best Music Direction
National award for contributions to Indian Cinema
The 2022 co-recipient: Pritam for Music Album & A. R. Rahman for Background Music
Awarded for	Best Music Direction and background score for a feature film of the year
Sponsored by	National Film Development Corporation of India
Reward(s)	Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) ₹2,00,000
First awarded	1967 (Songs) 1994 (Background music)
Last awarded	2022
Most recent winner	Pritam (Music Album- Songs) A. R. Rahman (Background music)
Highlights
Most awards	A. R. Rahman (7)
Total awarded	53 (Songs) 10 (Background music)
First winner	K. V. Mahadevan

Although the Indian film industry produces films in around 20 languages and dialects,^[1] the recipients of the award include those who have worked in seven major languages: Hindi (19 awards), Tamil (11 awards), Telugu (10 awards), Malayalam (9 awards), Bengali (7 awards), Kannada (5 awards) and Marathi (2 awards).

The first recipient of the award was K. V. Mahadevan who was honoured for his composition in the Tamil film Kandan Karunai (1967).^[3] A. R. Rahman is the most frequent winner having won 7 awards. Ilaiyaraaja has won it 5 times. Jaidev and Vishal Bhardwaj have won it three times each.^[4] Four musicians—B. V. Karanth, K.V. Mahadevan, Satyajit Ray, Johnson and M. M. Keeravani have won the award twice each. Ilaiyaraaja is the only composer to have won the award for achieving in three different languages — Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. While A. R. Rahman won the award for performing in two different languages — Tamil and Hindi (including one for his debut film) Roja (1992).^[5][a]

Johnson won the inaugural "Best Background Score" award—for Sukrutham—in 1994. When the award was reinstated in 2009, Ilaiyaraaja won it for the Malayalam film Pazhassi Raja.^[8]

Winners

†	Indicates winner for Best Background music

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), film(s), language(s) and citation
Year	Image	Recipient(s)	Film(s)	Language	Citation	Refs.
1967 (15th)		K. V. Mahadevan	Kandan Karunai	Tamil	–	[9]
1968 (16th)	–	Kalyanji Anandji	Saraswatichandra	Hindi	–	[10]
1969 (17th)	–	S. Mohinder	Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai	Punjabi	–	[11]
1970 (18th)		Madan Mohan	Dastak	Hindi	–	[12]
1971 (19th)	–	Jaidev	Reshma Aur Shera	Hindi	–
1972 (20th)		Sachin Dev Burman	Zindagi Zindagi	Hindi	–	[13]
1973 (21st)		Satyajit Ray	Ashani Sanket	Bengali	–	[14]
1974 (22nd)	–	Ananda Shankar	Chorus	Bengali	–	[15]
1975 (23rd)		Bhupen Hazarika	Chameli Memsaab	Assamese	–	[16]
1976 (24th)	–	B. V. Karanth	Rishya Shringa	Kannada	–	[17]
1977 (25th)	–	B. V. Karanth	Ghatashraddha	Kannada	For employing the resources of sacred and folk music with unerring skill and sensitivity so as to create an atmosphere of subdued pain and loneliness and to lead the poignant theme to its tragic denouement through the tortured process of its unfolding; for the modulation of effects in terms of sound, covering music in all its variegated range within their span, for heightening the mood in each sequence, almost imperceptibly; for creating art at its concealed best.	[18]
1978 (26th)	–	Jaidev	Gaman	Hindi	For using the traditional light classical and folk music of U.P. to convey the nostalgia of rural migrants lost in a city. Music in Gaman is an integral part of the film.	[19]
1979 (27th)	–	K. V. Mahadevan	Sankarabharanam	Telugu	–	[20]
1980 (28th)		Satyajit Ray	Hirak Rajar Deshe	Bengali	For brilliant experimentation with different forms and modes of Indian music and for creating a mood of fantasy in a pleasing and harmonious style.	[21]
1981 (29th)		Khayyam	Umrao Jaan	Hindi	For a finely turned score which invokes the spirit of the period and for a felicitous use of music to enrich the central character of the film.	[22]
1982 (30th)	–	Ramesh Naidu	Meghasandesam	Telugu	For his use of classical music to enhance the aesthetic quality of the film.	[23]
1983 (31st)		Ilaiyaraaja	Saagara Sangamam	Telugu	For his lively, rich and vigorous recreation of traditional music composition and inventive musical ideas adapted to the visual demands of drama.	[24]
1984 (32nd)	–	Jaidev	Ankahee	Hindi	–	[25]
1985 (33rd)		Ilaiyaraaja	Sindhu Bhairavi	Tamil	For innovative blending of folk and classical music which lends strength and power to the story.	[26]
1986 (34th)		M. Balamuralikrishna	Madhvacharya	Kannada	For the effective use of classical music blended with folk music.	[27]
1987 (35th)	–	Vanraj Bhatia	Tamas	Hindi	For creating a thematic score on a heroic scale through melody and complex harmonic arrangements of a symphonic character to stress the human anguish during the holocaust that followed partition, helping greatly in defining the tragic dimensions of the events.	[28]
1988 (36th)		Ilaiyaraaja	Rudra Veena	Telugu	For creating an innovative score which brings out the splendour of classical tradition and blends it beautifully with modern sensitibilities.	[29]
1989 (37th)	–	Sher Choudhury	Wosobipo	Karbi	For depicting life in interior Assam with a unique background score.	[30]
1990 (38th)		Hridaynath Mangeshkar	Lekin...	Hindi	For using traditional tunes and instruments creatively, with litting melody and haunting perfection.	[31]
1991 (39th)	–	Rajat Dholakia	Dharavi	Hindi	For using music as an integral part of the film structure, furthering the meaning and dimensions of the theme.	[32]
1992 (40th)		A. R. Rahman	Roja[a]	Tamil	For the harmonious blend of western and Carnatic classical music in Roja, the separate music systems complementing each other without losing their own identities.	[33]
1993 (41st)		Johnson	Ponthan Mada	Malayalam	For his music, which exhibits imagination, competence and presentation of the changing contours of music from traditional to modern styles.	[34]
1994 (42nd)		Ravi (As Bombay Ravi)	• Sukrutham  • Parinayam	Malayalam	For his melodious rendering of his tunes. The music in both the films exhibit originality and creatively highlights the entire mood of the two films, achieving musical harmony.	[35]
		Johnson †	Sukrutham	Malayalam	For scoring the background music.
1995 (43rd)		Hamsalekha	Sangeetha Sagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai	Kannada	For his authentic utilisation of classical Indian music in both the Hindustani and Karnatic style and presenting a wholesome musical structure to the film.	[36]
1996 (44th)		A. R. Rahman	Minsara Kanavu	Tamil	For innovative compositions breaking all traditions, entering into new era.	[37]
1997 (45th)		M. M. Keeravani	Annamayya	Telugu	For the film's rich, classical music scores and its devotional fervor.	[38]
1998 (46th)		Vishal Bhardwaj	Godmother	Hindi	For the Hindi film Godmother where the narrative of the film and the music bring about an excellent blend of folk and modern music. It retains the fragrance of the soil of Gujarat.	[39]
1999 (47th)		Ismail Darbar	Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam	Hindi	For an innovative score that blends in the entire spectrum of Indian music form Classical to folk to embellish the musical narrative.	[40]
2000 (48th)		Anu Malik	Refugee	Hindi	For a score that blends with the story and heightens its narrative. A great effort has been made to ensure that the compositions have all the ingredients of the music of the soul.	[41]
2001 (49th)		A. R. Rahman	Lagaan	Hindi	For a music score, that is both regional in character and popular in appeal bringing out the ethos of Saurashtra region.	[42]
2002 (50th)		A. R. Rahman	Kannathil Muthamittal	Tamil	For his original musical score highlighting the cultural conflicts and personal anguish in the story.	[43]
2003 (51st)		Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy	Kal Ho Naa Ho	Hindi	For its wide range of styles and modes, enriching the themes of the film.	[44]
2004 (52nd)		Vidyasagar	Swarabhishekam	Telugu	For the songs that are composed as per the situation and enrich the theme of the film. From the beginning to the end he has maintained traditional classical music and used Indian acoustic instruments thus bringing out the colour and flavour of Indian music.	[45]
2005 (53rd)	–	Lalgudi Jayaraman	Sringaram	Tamil	For bringing alive an era of great musical and dance tradition through the deft use of Indian musical instruments.	[46]
2006 (54th)		Ashok Patki	Antarnad	Konkani	For a judicious range of music from the classical to pop, elevating the film.	[47]
2007 (55th)		Ouseppachan	Ore Kadal	Malayalam	For achieving through music the poignancy of the turmoil of unconventional love.	[48]
2008 (56th)		Ajay–Atul	Jogwa	Marathi	For its well-researched use of traditional and folk music to reinforce the theme of the film.	[49]
2009 (57th)		Amit Trivedi	Dev.D	Hindi	For the innovative composition that blend contemporary and folk sounds.	[50]
		Ilaiyaraaja †	Pazhassi Raja	Malayalam	For creating epic grandeur by fusing symphonic orchestration with traditional Indian.
2010 (58th)		Vishal Bhardwaj	Ishqiya	Hindi	For blending rustic flavour with the Indian classical tradition.	[51]
	–	Isaac Thomas Kottukapally †	Adaminte Makan Abu	Malayalam	For minimalistic use of appropriate background score to nurture the essence of the narrative.
2011 (59th)		Neel Dutt	Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona	Bengali	For displaying a variety of contemporary musical forms that rock the city of Kolkata today. He virtually drives the narrative flow composing a variety of songs to portray the world of an ageing rock music performer who suffers from a deep feeling of inadequacy. The songs deal with the emotional and social challenges that beset the film's protagonists.	[52]
	–	Mayookh Bhaumik †	Laptop	Bengali	For his original style in narrating the flow of events centred around a laptop. He brings in a new dimension with his unconventional musical renderings, using both live and electronic instruments to counterpoint the urban tragedies that accompany this peripatetic laptop. The music brings in a narrative element that resonates with contemporary problems in Kolkata, a city weighed down by its own contradictions.
2012 (60th)	–	Shailendra Barve	Samhita	Marathi	Versatile and soulful presentation of songs based on Raagas, backed by Indian instrumentation arranged in a manner that enhances the film.	[53]
		Bijibal †	Kaliyachan	Malayalam	Fusion of native ensemble and percussions in a period setting is a challenge well-met by the background score.
2013 (61st)		Kabir Suman	Jaatishwar	Bengali	The music director has presented a rich variety of musical genres of Bengal with appropriate voices, instruments and orchestration..	[54]
		Shantanu Moitra †	Naa Bangaaru Talli	Telugu	The music composer has kept a balance of music programming and regional acoustic instruments like Saraswati Veena, Mridangam, Ghatam, Morsing and voices to underline the theme of the film.
2014 (62nd)		Vishal Bhardwaj	Haider	Hindi	For developing the conflict of the inner and outer landscape through haunting music.	[55]
		Gopi Sundar †	1983	Malayalam	For maintaining the tempo of the film with an in-sync background score.
2015 (63rd)		M. Jayachandran	Ennu Ninte Moideen	Malayalam	Creating a haunting melodic composition, that resonates the tragic love story	[56]
		Ilaiyaraaja †	Tharai Thappattai	Tamil	For effectively using folk musical instruments and melodies, to give a harmonic layer of meaning to the world of the characters.
2016 (64th)		Bapu Padmanabha †	Allama	Kannada	For adding soul to the film through Carnatic ragas.	[57]
			Allama	Kannada	For adding soul to the film through Carnatic ragas.
2017 (65th)		A. R. Rahman †	Kaatru Veliyidai	Tamil	–	[58]
			Mom	Hindi	–
2018 (66th)		Sanjay Leela Bhansali	Padmaavat	Hindi	All the songs lift the mood of the film and give a different dimension to the narrative.	[59]
		Shashwat Sachdev †	Uri: The Surgical Strike	Hindi	For providing the right atmosphere for the film.
2019 (67th)		D. Imman	Viswasam	Tamil	For compiling the rendition of the voice with musical instruments to create a pleasing atmosphere in the film.
	-	Prabuddha Banerjee †	Jyeshthoputro	Bengali	For the subtle scoring of background music which elevates the performances and the story-telling.
2020 (68th)		Thaman S	Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo	Telugu	For the foot tapping songs of the film which reached the nook and corner.	[60]
		G. V. Prakash Kumar †	Soorarai Pottru	Tamil	For the unique background score of the film which adds to the emotional and mood of the film.
2021 (69th)		Devi Sri Prasad	Pushpa: The Rise	Telugu	For the song compositions that become an integral part of the film's story telling, enhancing impact while leaving a lasting impression.	[61]
		M. M. Keeravani †	RRR	Telugu	For the music composition that enhances the film's visual narrative, creating a holistic cinematic experience.
2022 (70th)		Pritam	Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva	Hindi		[62]
		A. R. Rahman †	Ponniyin Selvan: I	Tamil

Notes

1. The jury of the 40th National Film Awards were tied between Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja—for Thevar Magan—before Balu Mahendra, the chairman voted in favour of Rahman.^[6][7]

References

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External links

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