# National Film Award for Best Lyrics

The National Film Award for Best Lyrics is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) to a lyricist who has composed the best song for films produced within the Indian film industry. The award was first introduced at the 16th National Film Awards in 1969. It was intermittently awarded until the 22nd National Film Awards (1975). From then on, no award was presented until the 32nd National Film Awards (1985). However, since 1985 every year the award has been presented with the exception of the 34th National Film Awards (1987).
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 (17 awards), Tamil (11 awards), Telugu, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam (4 awards each), Punjabi and Haryanvi (1 award each).
Tamil poet Kannadasan was the first recipient of the award. He won the prize for his work in the 1967 Tamil film Kuzhanthaikkaga. The lyricist who won the most Rajat Kamal awards is Vairamuthu (Tamil) with seven wins, followed by Javed Akhtar (Hindi) with five wins. Four lyricists: Gulzar (Hindi), Swanand Kirkire (Hindi), Prasoon Joshi (Hindi) and Na. Muthukumar (Tamil) have won the award on two occasions.

## List of recipients

* Indicates a joint award for that year
List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), song(s), film(s) and language(s) :
| Year | Recipient(s) | Song(s) | Film(s) | Language(s) |
| 1968 (16th) | Kannadasan | – | Kuzhanthaikkaga | Tamil |
| 1969 (17th) | Kaifi Azmi | "Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan" | Saat Hindustani | Hindi |
| 1970 (18th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1971 (19th) | Prem Dhawan | – | Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar | Punjabi |
| 1972 (20th) | Vayalar Ramavarma | – | Achanum Bappayum | Malayalam |
| 1973 (21st) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1974 (22nd) | Sri Sri | "Telugu Veera Levara" | Alluri Seetharamaraju | Telugu |
| 1975 (23rd) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1976 (24th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1977 (25th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1978 (26th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1979 (27th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1980 (28th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1981 (29th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1982 (30th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1983 (31st) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1984 (32nd) | Vasant Dev | – | Saaransh | Hindi |
| 1985 (33rd) | Vairamuthu | – | Muthal Mariyathai | Tamil |
| 1986 (34th) | No Award | No Award | No Award | No Award |
| 1987 (35th) | Gulzar | "Mera Kuchh Saamaan" | Ijaazat | Hindi |
| 1988 (36th) | O. N. V. Kurup | – | Vaishali | Malayalam |
| 1989 (37th) | Satarupa Sanyal | – | Chhandaneer | Bengali |
| 1990 (38th) | Gulzar | – | Lekin... | Hindi |
| 1991 (39th) | K. S. Narasimhaswamy | – | Mysore Mallige | Kannada |
| 1992 (40th) | Vairamuthu | "Chinna Chinna Aasai" | Roja | Tamil |
| 1993 (41st) | Veturi | "Raali Poye Puvva" | Mathru Devo Bhava | Telugu |
| 1994 (42nd) | Vairamuthu | • "Poralae Ponnuthayi" • "Uyirum Neeye" | • Karuththamma • Pavithra | Tamil |
| 1995 (43rd) | Amit Khanna | "Kuch Is Tarah" | Bhairavi | Hindi |
| 1996 (44th) | Javed Akhtar | – | Saaz | Hindi |
| 1997 (45th) | Javed Akhtar | – | Border | Hindi |
| 1998 (46th) | Javed Akhtar | "Maati Re Maati Re" | Godmother | Hindi |
| 1999 (47th) | Vairamuthu | "Mudhal Murai Killipparthaein" | Sangamam | Tamil |
| 2000 (48th) | Yusufali Kechery | "Gayam Hari Nama Dhayam" | Mazha | Malayalam |
| 2000 (48th) | Javed Akhtar | "Panchchhi Nadiyaan" | Refugee | Hindi |
| 2001 (49th) | Javed Akhtar | • "Ghanan Ghanan" • "Radha Kaise Na Jale" | Lagaan | Hindi |
| 2002 (50th) | Vairamuthu | "Oru Deivam Thantha Poove" | Kannathil Muthamittal | Tamil |
| 2003 (51st) | Suddala Ashok Teja | "Nenu Saitham" | Tagore | Telugu |
| 2004 (52nd) | P. Vijay | "Ovvoru Pookalume" | Autograph | Tamil |
| 2005 (53rd) | Baraguru Ramachandrappa | "Barutheve Naav Barutheve" | Thaayi | Kannada |
| 2006 (54th) | Swanand Kirkire | "Bande Me Tha Dum" | Lage Raho Munna Bhai | Hindi |
| 2007 (55th) | Prasoon Joshi | "Maa" | Taare Zameen Par | Hindi |
| 2008 (56th) | Anindya Chatterjee | "Pherari Mon" | Antaheen | Bengali |
| 2008 (56th) | Chandril Bhattacharya | "Pherari Mon" | Antaheen | Bengali |
| 2009 (57th) | Swanand Kirkire | "Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh" | 3 Idiots | Hindi |
| 2010 (58th) | Vairamuthu | "Kallikkaattil Pirandha Thaayae" | Thenmerku Paruvakaatru | Tamil |
| 2011 (59th) | Amitabh Bhattacharya | "Agar Zindagi" | I Am | Hindi |
| 2012 (60th) | Prasoon Joshi | "Bolo Naa" | Chittagong | Hindi |
| 2013 (61st) | Na. Muthukumar | "Ananda Yaazhai Meettugirai" | Thanga Meenkal | Tamil |
| 2014 (62nd) | Na. Muthukumar | "Azhagu" | Saivam | Tamil |
| 2015 (63rd) | Varun Grover | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage" | Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Hindi |
| 2016 (64th) | Vairamuthu | "Entha Pakkam" | Dharma Durai | Tamil |
| 2016 (64th) | Anupam Roy | "Tumi Jaake Bhalobasho" | Praktan | Bengali |
| 2017 (65th) | J. M. Prahlad | "Muthu Ratnada Pyate" | 22 March | Kannada |
| 2018 (66th) | Manjunatha S. Reddy (ManSoRe) | "Maayavi Manave" | Nathicharami | Kannada |
| 2019 (67th) | Prabha Varma | "Aarodum Parayathe Vayya" | Kolaambi | Malayalam |
| 2020 (68th) | Manoj Muntashir | – | Saina | Hindi |
| 2021 (69th) | Chandrabose | "Dham Dham Dham" | Konda Polam | Telugu |
| 2022 (70th) | Naushad Sadar Khan | "Salaami" | Fouja | Haryanvi |