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.^[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).

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	Kasarla Shyam, "Ooru Palletooru" from Balagam
Highlights
Most wins	Vairamuthu (7)
Total awarded	45
First winner	Kannadasan

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 five 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) and language(s)
Year	Recipient(s)	Song(s)	Film(s)	Language(s)	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	[21]
1986 (34th)	No Award				[22]
1987 (35th)	Gulzar	"Mera Kuchh Saamaan"	Ijaazat	Hindi	[23]
1988 (36th)	O. N. V. Kurup	–	Vaishali	Malayalam	[24]
1989 (37th)	Satarupa Sanyal	–	Chhandaneer	Bengali	[25]
1990 (38th)	Gulzar	–	Lekin...	Hindi	[26]
1991 (39th)	K. S. Narasimhaswamy	–	Mysore Mallige	Kannada	[27]
1992 (40th)	Vairamuthu	"Chinna Chinna Aasai"	Roja	Tamil	[28]
1993 (41st)	Veturi	"Raali Poye Puvva"	Mathru Devo Bhava	Telugu	[29]
1994 (42nd)	Vairamuthu	• "Poralae Ponnuthayi"  • "Uyirum Neeye"	• Karuththamma  • Pavithra	Tamil	[30]
1995 (43rd)	Amit Khanna	"Kuch Is Tarah"	Bhairavi	Hindi	[31]
1996 (44th)	Javed Akhtar	–	Saaz	Hindi	[32]
1997 (45th)	Javed Akhtar	–	Border	Hindi	[33]
1998 (46th)	Javed Akhtar	"Maati Re Maati Re"	Godmother	Hindi	[34]
1999 (47th)	Vairamuthu	"Mudhal Murai Killipparthaein"	Sangamam	Tamil	[35]
2000 (48th)	Yusufali Kechery	"Gayam Hari Nama Dhayam"	Mazha	Malayalam	[36]
	Javed Akhtar	"Panchchhi Nadiyaan"	Refugee	Hindi
2001 (49th)	Javed Akhtar	• "Ghanan Ghanan"  • "Radha Kaise Na Jale"	Lagaan	Hindi	[37]
2002 (50th)	Vairamuthu	"Oru Deivam Thantha Poove"	Kannathil Muthamittal	Tamil	[38]
2003 (51st)	Suddala Ashok Teja	"Nenu Saitham"	Tagore	Telugu	[39]
2004 (52nd)	P. Vijay	"Ovvoru Pookalume"	Autograph	Tamil	[40]
2005 (53rd)	Baraguru Ramachandrappa	"Barutheve Naav Barutheve"	Thaayi	Kannada	[41]
2006 (54th)	Swanand Kirkire	"Bande Me Tha Dum"	Lage Raho Munna Bhai	Hindi	[42]
2007 (55th)	Prasoon Joshi	"Maa"	Taare Zameen Par	Hindi	[43]
2008 (56th)	Anindya Chatterjee	"Pherari Mon"	Antaheen	Bengali	[44]
	Chandril Bhattacharya
2009 (57th)	Swanand Kirkire	"Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh"	3 Idiots	Hindi	[45]
2010 (58th)	Vairamuthu	"Kallikkaattil Pirandha Thaayae"	Thenmerku Paruvakaatru	Tamil	[46]
2011 (59th)	Amitabh Bhattacharya	"Agar Zindagi"	I Am	Hindi	[47]
2012 (60th)	Prasoon Joshi	"Bolo Naa"	Chittagong	Hindi	[48]
2013 (61st)	Na. Muthukumar	"Ananda Yaazhai Meettugirai"	Thanga Meenkal	Tamil	[49]
2014 (62nd)	Na. Muthukumar	"Azhagu"	Saivam	Tamil	[50]
2015 (63rd)	Varun Grover	"Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"	Dum Laga Ke Haisha	Hindi	[51]
2016 (64th)	Vairamuthu	"Entha Pakkam"	Dharma Durai	Tamil	[52]
	Anupam Roy	"Tumi Jaake Bhalobasho"	Praktan	Bengali
2017 (65th)	J. M. Prahlad	"Muthu Ratnada Pyate"	22 March	Kannada	[53]
2018 (66th)	Manjunatha S. Reddy (ManSoRe)	"Maayavi Manave"	Nathicharami	Kannada	[54]
2019 (67th)	Prabha Varma	"Aarodum Parayathe Vayya"	Kolaambi	Malayalam	[55]
2020 (68th)	Manoj Muntashir	–	Saina	Hindi	[56]
2021 (69th)	Chandrabose	"Dham Dham Dham"	Konda Polam	Telugu	[57]
2022 (70th)	Naushad Sadar Khan	"Salaami"	Fouja	Haryanvi	[58]
2023 (71st)	Kasarla Shyam	"Ooru Palletooru"	Balagam	Telugu	[59]