Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada

The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada (Sandalwood) films. The award was first given in 1972.^[1][2]

Superlatives

Superlative	Best Director
Most awards	Girish Kasaravalli Sunil Kumar Desai T. S. Nagabharana Puttanna Kanagal Girish Karnad	3

Winners

Year	Director	Film	Ref
2023	Hemanth M. Rao	Sapta Saagaradaache Ello - Side A	[3]
2022	Kiranraj K	777 Charlie	[4]
2020-21	Raj B. Shetty	Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana	[5]
2018	Mansore	Nathicharami	[6]
2017	Tarun Sudhir	Chowka	[7]
2016	Rishab Shetty	Kirik Party	[8]
2015	Anup Bhandari	RangiTaranga	[9]
2014	Rakshit Shetty	Ulidavaru Kandanthe	[10]
2013	Pawan Kumar	Lucia	[11]
2012	Vijaya Prasad	Sidlingu	[12]
2011	Jayathirtha	Olave Mandhara	[13]
2010	Girish Kasaravalli	Kanasemba Kudureyaneri	[14]
2009	Guruprasad	Eddelu Manjunatha	[15]
2008	Shashank	Moggina Manasu	[citation needed]
2007	K. M. Chaitanya	Aa Dinagalu	[16]
2006	Indrajith Lankesh	Aishwarya	[17]
2005	Ratnaja	Nenapirali	[citation needed]
2004	P. Vasu	Aaptamitra	[18]
2003	P.A. Arun Prasad	Kiccha	[16]
2002	Girish Kasaravalli	Dweepa	[19]
2001	Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar	Nanna Preethiya Hudugi	[20]
2000	Sunil Kumar Desai	Sparsha	[21]
1999	Upendra	Upendra	[22]
1998	Girish Kasaravalli	Thaayi Saheba	[23]
1997	T. S. Nagabharana	Nagamandala	[24]
1996	T. S. Nagabharana	Janumada Jodi	[25]
1995	Sunil Kumar Desai	Beladingala Baale	[26]
1994	Rajendra Singh Babu	Mahakshathriya	[27]
1993	Rajendra Singh Babu	Hoovu Hannu	[28]
1992	T. S. Nagabharana	Mysore mallige	[29]
1991	Lokesh	Bhujangayyana Dashavathara	[30]
1990	Suresh Heblikar	Prathama Ushakirana	[31]
1989	Sunil Kumar Desai	Tarka	[32][33]
1988	Dinesh Baboo	Suprabhatha	[34]
1987	Singeetham Srinivasa Rao	Pushpaka Vimana	[35]
1986	K. V. Jayaram	Hosa Neeru	[36]
1985	N. Lakshmi Narayan	Bettada Hoovu	[37]
1984	Kashinath	Anubhava	[38]
1983	Prema Karanth	Phaniyamma	[39]
1982	M. S. Sathyu	Bara	[40]
1981	Puttanna Kanagal	Ranganayaki	[41]
1980	Shankar Nag	Minchina Ota	[42]
1979	Puttanna Kanagal	Dharmasere	[43]
1978	Girish Karnad	Ondanondu Kaladalli	[44]
1977	K. S. Prakash Rao	Ganda Hendati	[45]
1976	G. V. Iyer	Hamsa Geethe	[46]
1975	B. V. Karanth	Chomana Dudi	[47]
1974	Girish Karnad	Kaadu	[48]
1973	Puttanna Kanagal	Edakallu Guddada Mele	[49][50]
1972	• B. V. Karanth  • Girish Karnad	Vamsha Vriksha	[51][52][53]