State-instituted annual film awards in India
TheNational Film Award for Best Music Direction (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at theNational Film Awards by theNational Film Development Corporation of India to a musician who has composed the best score for films produced within theIndian film industry .[ 1] The award was first introduced at the15th National Film Awards in 1967. At the42nd National Film Awards , an award for "Best Background Score" was instituted. It was however discontinued after that, and it was not until2009 that the category was re-introduced. Later, during the70th National Film Awards both the categories — Best Background Score and Best Background Music were clubbed together and named as "Best Background Music". A total of 51 awards—including award for Best Background music—to 40 different composers.[ 2]
Although the Indian film industry produces films in around 20languages and dialects ,[ 1] the recipients of the award include those who have worked in seven major languages:Hindi (19 awards),Tamil (12 awards),Telugu (10 awards),Malayalam (9 awards),Bengali (7 awards),Kannada (5 awards) andMarathi (2 awards).
The first recipient of the award wasK. V. Mahadevan who was honoured for his composition in theTamil film Kandan Karunai (1967).[ 3] A. R. Rahman is the most frequent winner having won 7 awards.A. R. Rahman is also the only composer to have received a national award in his debut movie itself.Ilaiyaraaja has won it 5 times.Jaidev andVishal Bhardwaj have won it three times each.[ 4] Four musicians—B. V. Karanth ,K.V. Mahadevan ,Satyajit Ray ,Johnson andM. M. Keeravani have won the award twice each.Ilaiyaraaja is the only composer to have won the award for achieving in three different languages — Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. WhileA. R. Rahman won the award for performing in two different languages — Tamil and Hindi (including one for his debut film)Roja (1992).[ 5] [ a]
Johnson won the inaugural "Best Background Score" award—forSukrutham —in 1994. When the award was reinstated in 2009, Ilaiyaraaja won it for the Malayalam filmPazhassi Raja .[ 8]
Indicates winner for Best Background music
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1967–1980 1981–2000
2001–2008 2009–2020
2021–present
Lifetime Achievement Feature Films
Golden Lotus Awards Silver Lotus Awards
Silver Lotus Awards (Regional)
Discontinued Awards
Non-Feature Films
Golden Lotus Awards Silver Lotus Awards
Discontinued Awards
Writing on Cinema
Golden Lotus Awards Special Awards
Awards by year
1953–1960 1961–1980 1981–2000 2001–2020 2021–present