# 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. 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.
Although the Indian film industry produces films in around 20 languages and dialects, 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). A. R. Rahman is the most frequent winner having won 7 awards. A. R. Rahman is also the only composer to have received a national award in his debut movie itself. Ilaiyaraaja has won it 5 times. Jaidev and Vishal Bhardwaj have won it three times each. 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).
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.

## Winners

* Indicates winner for Best Background music
List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), film(s) and language(s) :
| Year | Recipient(s) | Film(s) | Language |
| 1967 (15th) | K. V. Mahadevan | Kandan Karunai | Tamil |
| 1968 (16th) | Kalyanji Anandji | Saraswatichandra | Hindi |
| 1969 (17th) | S. Mohinder | Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai | Punjabi |
| 1970 (18th) | Madan Mohan | Dastak | Hindi |
| 1971 (19th) | Jaidev | Reshma Aur Shera | Hindi |
| 1972 (20th) | Sachin Dev Burman | Zindagi Zindagi | Hindi |
| 1973 (21st) | Satyajit Ray | Ashani Sanket | Bengali |
| 1974 (22nd) | Ananda Shankar | Chorus | Bengali |
| 1975 (23rd) | Bhupen Hazarika | Chameli Memsaab | Assamese |
| 1976 (24th) | B. V. Karanth | Rishya Shringa | Kannada |
| 1977 (25th) | B. V. Karanth | Ghatashraddha | Kannada |
| 1978 (26th) | Jaidev | Gaman | Hindi |
| 1979 (27th) | K. V. Mahadevan | Sankarabharanam | Telugu |
| 1980 (28th) | Satyajit Ray | Hirak Rajar Deshe | Bengali |
| 1981 (29th) | Khayyam | Umrao Jaan | Hindi |
| 1982 (30th) | Ramesh Naidu | Meghasandesam | Telugu |
| 1983 (31st) | Ilaiyaraaja | Saagara Sangamam | Telugu |
| 1984 (32nd) | Jaidev | Ankahee | Hindi |
| 1985 (33rd) | Ilaiyaraaja | Sindhu Bhairavi | Tamil |
| 1986 (34th) | M. Balamuralikrishna | Madhvacharya | Kannada |
| 1987 (35th) | Vanraj Bhatia | Tamas | Hindi |
| 1988 (36th) | Ilaiyaraaja | Rudra Veena | Telugu |
| 1989 (37th) | Sher Choudhury | Wosobipo | Karbi |
| 1990 (38th) | Hridaynath Mangeshkar | Lekin... | Hindi |
| 1991 (39th) | Rajat Dholakia | Dharavi | Hindi |
| 1992 (40th) | A. R. Rahman | Roja | Tamil |
| 1993 (41st) | Johnson | Ponthan Mada | Malayalam |
| 1994 (42nd) | Ravi (As Bombay Ravi) | • Sukrutham • Parinayam | Malayalam |
| 1994 (42nd) | Johnson | Sukrutham | Malayalam |
| 1995 (43rd) | Hamsalekha | Sangeetha Sagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai | Kannada |
| 1996 (44th) | A. R. Rahman | Minsara Kanavu | Tamil |
| 1997 (45th) | M. M. Keeravani | Annamayya | Telugu |
| 1998 (46th) | Vishal Bhardwaj | Godmother | Hindi |
| 1999 (47th) | Ismail Darbar | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Hindi |
| 2000 (48th) | Anu Malik | Refugee | Hindi |
| 2001 (49th) | A. R. Rahman | Lagaan | Hindi |
| 2002 (50th) | A. R. Rahman | Kannathil Muthamittal | Tamil |
| 2003 (51st) | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Kal Ho Naa Ho | Hindi |
| 2004 (52nd) | Vidyasagar | Swarabhishekam | Telugu |
| 2005 (53rd) | Lalgudi Jayaraman | Sringaram | Tamil |
| 2006 (54th) | Ashok Patki | Antarnad | Konkani |
| 2007 (55th) | Ouseppachan | Ore Kadal | Malayalam |
| 2008 (56th) | Ajay–Atul | Jogwa | Marathi |
| 2009 (57th) | Amit Trivedi | Dev.D | Hindi |
| 2009 (57th) | Ilaiyaraaja | Pazhassi Raja | Malayalam |
| 2010 (58th) | Vishal Bhardwaj | Ishqiya | Hindi |
| 2010 (58th) | Isaac Thomas Kottukapally | Adaminte Makan Abu | Malayalam |
| 2011 (59th) | Neel Dutt | Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona | Bengali |
| 2011 (59th) | Mayookh Bhaumik | Laptop | Bengali |
| 2012 (60th) | Shailendra Barve | Samhita | Marathi |
| 2012 (60th) | Bijibal | Kaliyachan | Malayalam |
| 2013 (61st) | Kabir Suman | Jaatishwar | Bengali |
| 2013 (61st) | Shantanu Moitra | Naa Bangaaru Talli | Telugu |
| 2014 (62nd) | Vishal Bhardwaj | Haider | Hindi |
| 2014 (62nd) | Gopi Sundar | 1983 | Malayalam |
| 2015 (63rd) | M. Jayachandran | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Malayalam |
| 2015 (63rd) | Ilaiyaraaja | Tharai Thappattai | Tamil |
| 2016 (64th) | Bapu Padmanabha | Allama | Kannada |
| 2016 (64th) | Bapu Padmanabha | Allama | Kannada |
| 2017 (65th) | A. R. Rahman | Kaatru Veliyidai | Tamil |
| 2017 (65th) | A. R. Rahman | Mom | Hindi |
| 2018 (66th) | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Padmaavat | Hindi |
| 2018 (66th) | Shashwat Sachdev | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi |
| 2019 (67th) | D. Imman | Viswasam | Tamil |
| 2019 (67th) | Prabuddha Banerjee | Jyeshthoputro | Bengali |
| 2020 (68th) | Thaman S | Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo | Telugu |
| 2020 (68th) | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Soorarai Pottru | Tamil |
| 2021 (69th) | Devi Sri Prasad | Pushpa: The Rise | Telugu |
| 2021 (69th) | M. M. Keeravani | RRR | Telugu |
| 2022 (70th) | Pritam | Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva | Hindi |
| 2022 (70th) | A. R. Rahman | Ponniyin Selvan: I | Tamil |