National Film Award for Best Lyrics

National Film Award for Best Lyrics
Awarded for	Best lyrics of a song for the feature film for a year
Sponsored by	National Film Development Corporation of India
Formerly called	Lyric Writer of the Best Film Song on National Integration (1968–1972)
Reward(s)	Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) ₹2,00,000
First award	1968
Final award	2021
Most recent winner	Naushad Sadar Khan for "Salaami" from Fouja
Highlights
Most wins	Vairamuthu (7)
Total awarded	44
First winner	Kannadasan

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.[1] 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,[1] 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,[2][3] 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

Kannadasan was the first recipient in this category.

With seven wins, Vairamuthu is the most awarded lyricist in this category.

With 5 wins, Javed Akhtar is the second-most awarded lyricist in this category.

Indicates a joint award for that year

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), song(s), film(s), language(s) and citation
Year	Recipient(s)	Song(s)	Film(s)	Language(s)	Citation	Refs.
1968 (16th)	Kannadasan	–	Kuzhanthaikkaga	Tamil	–	[4]
1969 (17th)	Kaifi Azmi	"Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan"	Saat Hindustani	Hindi	–	[5]
1970 (18th)	No Award					[6]
1971 (19th)	Prem Dhawan	–	Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar	Punjabi	–	[7]
1972 (20th)	Vayalar Ramavarma	–	Achanum Bappayum	Malayalam	–	[8]
1973 (21st)	No Award					[9]
1974 (22nd)	Sri Sri	"Telugu Veera Levara"	Alluri Seetharamaraju	Telugu	–	[10]
1975 (23rd)	No Award					[11]
1976 (24th)	No Award					[12]
1977 (25th)	No Award					[13]
1978 (26th)	No Award					[14]
1979 (27th)	No Award					[15]
1980 (28th)	No Award					[16]
1981 (29th)	No Award					[17]
1982 (30th)	No Award					[18]
1983 (31st)	No Award					[19]
1984 (32nd)	Vasant Dev	–	Saaransh	Hindi	–	[20]
1985 (33rd)	Vairamuthu	–	Muthal Mariyathai	Tamil	For imaginative use of folk images and form which blend with the pastoral and idyllic backdrop of the film.	[21]
1986 (34th)	No Award					[22]
1987 (35th)	Gulzar	"Mera Kuchh Saamaan"	Ijaazat	Hindi	For an extremely elegant lyric using subtle similes and metaphors to express attachment, desire and parting and finally to serve as a definition to love within the context of the film.	[23]
1988 (36th)	O. N. V. Kurup	–	Vaishali	Malayalam	For the rare poetic heights reached in all lyrics in the film.	[24]
1989 (37th)	Satarupa Sanyal	–	Chhandaneer	Bengali	For rare poetic heights reached in all the lyrics for the film.	[25]
1990 (38th)	Gulzar	–	Lekin...	Hindi	For evoking beautiful imagery, created through lyrical poetry.	[26]
1991 (39th)	K. S. Narasimhaswamy	–	Mysore Mallige	Kannada	For the depth and poetic quality of the lyrics.	[27]
1992 (40th)	Vairamuthu	"Chinna Chinna Aasai"	Roja	Tamil	For his charming, simple poem which has been become a new nursery rhyme on the lips of every child in Tamil Nadu.	[28]
1993 (41st)	Veturi	"Raali Poye Puvva"	Mathru Devo Bhava	Telugu	For his lyric, which demonstrates his poetic imagination, enriched by his deep experience of life and a consequential competence in using language with felicity.	[29]
1994 (42nd)	Vairamuthu	• "Poralae Ponnuthayi"  • "Uyirum Neeye"	• Karuththamma  • Pavithra	Tamil	Through their lyrics, he is able to bring to the fore his rich repertory of poetic expression which sensitively enhances the mood of the films.	[30]
1995 (43rd)	Amit Khanna	"Kuch Is Tarah"	Bhairavi	Hindi	The lyrics are meaningful, poetic and sensitively enhance the overall mood of the song sequence, thereby elevating the film.	[31]
1996 (44th)	Javed Akhtar	–	Saaz	Hindi	For its poetic and traditional expression.	[32]
1997 (45th)	Javed Akhtar	–	Border	Hindi	For its evocative wording that is imbued with compassion for our nation and for human beings at large.	[33]
1998 (46th)	Javed Akhtar	"Maati Re Maati Re"	Godmother	Hindi	For the authentic blend of dialect and emotion. a song of patriotism and passion, the lyrics are lucid and thought provoking.	[34]
1999 (47th)	Vairamuthu	"Mudhal Murai Killipparthaein"	Sangamam	Tamil	For the lyric "Mudhal Murai Killipparthaein" in the Tamil film Sangamam. In his own imitable style, the renowned poet has imparted a certain lyrical charm to the song.	[35]
2000 (48th)	Yusufali Kechery	"Gayam Hari Nama Dhayam"	Mazha	Malayalam	For depicting the right mix of the ethos of our land in an invocation to lord Krishna.	[36]
	Javed Akhtar	"Panchchhi Nadiyaan"	Refugee	Hindi	For his inimitable style, speaks of transcending borders and countries, with beautifully written words for love and compassion.
2001 (49th)	Javed Akhtar	• "Ghanan Ghanan"  • "Radha Kaise Na Jale"	Lagaan	Hindi	For using very simple language to bring out the richness of the Kutch locale.	[37]
2002 (50th)	Vairamuthu	"Oru Deivam Thantha Poove"	Kannathil Muthamittal	Tamil	For rising above the conventions of film songs to reach the realms of poetry.	[38]
2003 (51st)	Suddala Ashok Teja	"Nenu Saitham"	Tagore	Telugu	For relating Sri Sri's poem to contemporary times in order to awaken the masses against social evils.	[39]
2004 (52nd)	P. Vijay	"Ovvoru Pookalume"	Autograph	Tamil	For or meaningful and powerful lyrics generating hope for a better future.	[40]
2005 (53rd)	Baraguru Ramachandrappa	"Barutheve Naav Barutheve"	Thaayi	Kannada	For the lyric which heightened the effect of the entire film.	[41]
2006 (54th)	Swanand Kirkire	"Bande Me Tha Dum"	Lage Raho Munna Bhai	Hindi	For rousing words that lyrically combine tradition with modernity to reach the masses.	[42]
2007 (55th)	Prasoon Joshi	"Maa"	Taare Zameen Par	Hindi	For the soulful poetry that captures the trauma of a family beset with a rare problem of their little son who is happily saved by an understanding teacher.	[43]
2008 (56th)	Anindya Chatterjee	"Pherari Mon"	Antaheen	Bengali	For its simple composition of verses to contribute meaningfully to the film.	[44]
	Chandril Bhattacharya
2009 (57th)	Swanand Kirkire	"Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh"	3 Idiots	Hindi	For the simplicity and depth of feelings conveyed through evocative imagery.	[45]
2010 (58th)	Vairamuthu	"Kallikkaattil Pirandha Thaayae"	Thenmerku Paruvakaatru	Tamil	For giving a meaningful expression to the narrative through contextual amplification of the emotion.	[46]
2011 (59th)	Amitabh Bhattacharya	"Agar Zindagi"	I Am	Hindi	Through selective use of commonly used language, He evocatively conjures images that convey a young man's yearning for the bare minimum in the larger context of our social reality. At the same time, the song states a belief in the individual's ability to attain a sense of completeness in life.	[47]
2012 (60th)	Prasoon Joshi	"Bolo Naa"	Chittagong	Hindi	Simple yet profound lines that provokes imagery of varied dimensions.	[48]
2013 (61st)	Na. Muthukumar	"Ananda Yaazhai Meettugirai"	Thanga Meenkal	Tamil	For giving a poetic expression to the narrative through contextual amplification of emotions.	[49]
2014 (62nd)	Na. Muthukumar	"Azhagu"	Saivam	Tamil	For embodying the world as seen through the eyes of a child using common place images to make an appeal to an adult world.	[50]
2015 (63rd)	Varun Grover	"Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"	Dum Laga Ke Haisha	Hindi	For the fresh simple array of metaphors, in the form of a song, expressing love.	[51]
2016 (64th)	Vairamuthu	"Entha Pakkam"	Dharma Durai	Tamil	It elucidates the philosophy of hope and happiness.	[52]
	Anupam Roy	"Tumi Jaake Bhalobasho"	Praktan	Bengali	Extolling the pathos of the situation gelling beautifully with the philosophy of 'letting go'.
2017 (65th)	J. M. Prahlad	"Muthu Ratnada Pyate"	22 March	Kannada		[53]
2018 (66th)	Manjunatha S. Reddy (ManSoRe)	"Maayavi Manave"	Nathicharami	Kannada	Revolutionary thoughts strung together to convey the innermost feelings of a young woman ready to break societal shackles.	[54]
2019 (67th)	Prabha Varma	"Aarodum Parayathe Vayya"	Kolaambi	Malayalam	For the perfect blend of poetry and emotions to create the required effect.	[55]
2020 (68th)	Manoj Muntashir	–	Saina	Hindi	For motivational lyrics of the song to depict the inner strength of the national champion.	[56]
2021 (69th)	Chandrabose	"Dham Dham Dham"	Konda Polam	Telugu	For the awe-inspiring lyrics beautifully describe human relationship with mother nature.	[57]
2022 (70th)	Naushad Sadar Khan	"Salaami"	Fouja	Haryanvi

References

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External links

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