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 award honors lyricists who have worked in seven major languages: Hindi (17 awards), Tamil (11 awards), Telugu (5 awards), Kannada and Malayalam (4 awards each), Bengali (3 awards), 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. Five lyricists: Gulzar (Hindi),. Swanand Kirkire (Hindi), Prasoon Joshi (Hindi) Na. Muthukumar (Tamil) and Manoj Muntashir (Hindi) 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 Kannadasan Kuzhanthaikkaga Tamil 1969 Kaifi Azmi "Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan" Saat Hindustani Hindi 1970 No Award 1971 Prem Dhawan Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar PunjabiNational Film Awards – 1972 1972 Vayalar Ramavarma Achanum Bappayum Malayalam 1973 No Award 1974 Sri Sri "Telugu Veera Levara" Alluri Seetharamaraju Telugu 1975 No Award 1976 No AwardNational Film Awards – 1977 1977 No Award 1978 No Award 1979 No Award 1980 No Award 1981 No Award 1982 No Award 1983 No Award 1984 Vasant Dev Saaransh Hindi 1985 Vairamuthu Muthal Mariyathai Tamil 1986 No Award 1987 Gulzar "Mera Kuchh Saamaan" Ijaazat Hindi 1988 O. N. V. Kurup Vaishali Malayalam 1989 Satarupa Sanyal Chhandaneer Bengali 1990 Gulzar Lekin... Hindi 1991 K. S. Narasimhaswamy Mysore Mallige Kannada 1992 Vairamuthu "Chinna Chinna Aasai" Roja Tamil 1993 Veturi "Raali Poye Puvva" Mathru Devo Bhava Telugu 1994 Vairamuthu "Poralae Ponnuthayi""Uyirum Neeye" KaruththammaPavithra Tamil 1995 Amit Khanna "Kuch Is Tarah" Bhairavi Hindi 1996 Javed Akhtar Saaz Hindi 1997 Javed Akhtar Border Hindi 1998 Javed Akhtar "Maati Re Maati Re" Godmother Hindi 1999 Vairamuthu "Mudhal Murai Killipparthaein" Sangamam Tamil 2000 Yusufali Kechery "Gayam Hari Nama Dhayam" Mazha Malayalam Javed Akhtar "Panchchhi Nadiyaan" Refugee Hindi 2001 Javed Akhtar "Ghanan Ghanan""Radha Kaise Na Jale" Lagaan Hindi 2002 Vairamuthu "Oru Deivam Thantha Poove" Kannathil Muthamittal Tamil 2003 Suddala Ashok Teja "Nenu Saitham" Tagore Telugu 2004 P. Vijay "Ovvoru Pookalume" Autograph Tamil 2005 Baraguru Ramachandrappa "Barutheve Naav Barutheve" Thaayi Kannada 2006 Swanand Kirkire "Bande Me Tha Dum"Lage Raho Munna Bhai Hindi 2007 Prasoon Joshi "Maa" Taare Zameen Par Hindi 2008 Anindya Chatterjee "Pherari Mon" Antaheen Bengali Chandril Bhattacharya 2009 Swanand Kirkire "Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh" 3 Idiots Hindi 2010 Vairamuthu "Kallikkaattil Pirandha Thaayae" Thenmerku Paruvakaatru Tamil 2011 Amitabh Bhattacharya "Agar Zindagi" I Am Hindi 2012 Prasoon Joshi "Bolo Naa" Chittagong Hindi 2013 Na. Muthukumar"Ananda Yaazhai Meettugirai" Thanga Meenkal Tamil 2014 Na. Muthukumar"Azhagu" Saivam Tamil 2015 Varun Grover"Moh Moh Ke Dhaage" Dum Laga Ke Haisha Hindi 2016 Vairamuthu"Entha Pakkam" Dharma Durai Tamil Anupam Roy"Tumi Jaake Bhalobasho" Praktan Bengali 2017 J. M. Prahlad "Muthu Ratnada Pyate" 22 March Kannada 2018 Manjunatha S. Reddy "Maayavi Manave" Nathicharami Kannada 2019 Prabha Varma "Aarodum Parayathe Vayya" Kolaambi Malayalam 2020 Manoj Muntashir Saina Hindi 2021 Chandrabose "Dham Dham Dham" Konda Polam Telugu 2022Naushad Sadar Khan "Salaami" Fouja Haryanvi 2023Kasarla Shyam "Ooru Palletooru" BalagamTelugu 2024Manoj Muntashir "Jaane Do" MaidaanHindi
References
External links Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India National Film Awards Archives