Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director

Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director
State award for contributions to Kannada cinema
Awarded for	Director Of The First Best Film
Sponsored by	Government of Karnataka
Reward(s)	Gold Medal ₹ 1,00,000
First award	1967-68
Final award	2018
Most recent winner	P. Sheshadri
Highlights
Total awarded	53
First winner	Puttanna Kanagal

Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honors Kannada language films. This award is presented to the Director of First Best Film award-winning film. This award is named after H. L. N. Simha. The first director of Kannada Cinema who was brought First National Award to Kannada Cinema.

The award is usually given to the director of the Karnataka State Film Award for First Best Film.^{[ citation needed ]}

Superlatives

Awardees	wins
Girish Kasaravalli	6 times
Puttanna Kanagal	5 times
T. S. Nagabharana	3 times

Award winners

The following is a complete list of award winners and the name of the films for which they won.

Girish Kasaravalli, the highest number of award winner with 6 awards

Nagabharana won the award thrice

Kavita Lankesh, the only woman director to win the award till date

Year	Winner	Film	Ref.
2019	P. Sheshadri	Mohandas	[1]
2018	Dayal Padmanabhan	Aa Karaala Ratri	[2] [3]
2017	Adarsh Eshwarappa	Shuddhi	[4]
2016	B. M. Giriraj	Amaravathi	[5]
2015	Raam Reddy	Thithi	[6]
2014	Manjunath S. Reddy	Harivu	[7]
2013	Nikhil Manjoo	Hajj
2012	N. Sudarshan	Thallana
2011	Manoj K. Sathi	Prasad
2010-11	K. Shivarudraiah	Maagiya Kaala	[8]
2009-10	Ruthwik Simha	Rasarushi Kuvempu	[9]
2008-09	Narendra Babu	Kabaddi	[10]
2007-08	Ramadas Naidu	Moggina Jade	[11]
2006-07	Yogaraj Bhat	Mungaaru Male	[12]
2005-06	Girish Kasaravalli	Naayi Neralu	[13]
2004-05	Indrajith Lankesh	Monalisa	[14]
2003-04	T. S. Nagabharana	Chigurida Kanasu	[15]
2002-03	B. Suresha	Artha	[16]
2001-02	Girish Kasaravalli	Dweepa	[a]
2000-01	P. R. Ramadas Naidu	Mussanje	[18]
1999-2000	Kavitha Lankesh	Deveeri
1998-99	K. Shivarudraiah	Chaithrada Chiguru
1997-98	Girish Kasaravalli	Thaayi Saheba
1996-97	Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar	America America
1995-96	Chindodi Bangaresh	Sangeetha Sagara Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai
1994-95	Vasanth Mokashi	Gangavva Gangamaayi
1993-94	Sunil Kumar Desai	Nishkarsha
1992-93	Dorai - Bhagwan	Jeevana Chaitra
1991-92	Ravindranath	Veerappan
1990-91	S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu	Muthina Haara
1989-90	Sadananda Suvarna	Kubi Matthu Iyala
1988-89	N. T. Jayarama Reddy	Yaaru Hone
1987-88	T. S. Nagabharana	Aasphota
1986-87	Girish Kasaravalli	Tabarana Kathe
1985-86	K. V. Jayaram	Hosa Neeru
1984-85	Shankar Nag	Accident
1983-84	Baraguru Ramachandrappa	Benki
1982-83	Singeetam Srinivasa Rao	Haalu Jenu
1981-82	M. S. Sathyu	Bara
1980-81	Puttanna Kanagal	Ranganayaki
1979-80	Katte Ramachandra	Arivu
1978-79	T. S. Nagabharana	Grahana
1977-78	Girish Kasaravalli	Ghatashraddha
1976-77	P. Lankesh	Pallavi
1975-76	B. V. Karanth	Chomana Dudi
1974-75	Puttanna Kanagal	Upasane
1973-74	Siddalingaiah	Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu
1972-73	P. V. Nanjaraja Urs	Sankalpa
1971-72	Girish Karnad	Vamsha Vriksha
	B. V. Karanth
1970-71	Puttanna Kanagal	Sharapanjara
1969-70	Puttanna Kanagal	Gejje Pooje
1968-69	M. R. Vittal	Hannele Chiguridaga
1967-68	Puttanna Kanagal	Belli Moda

See also

• Cinema of Karnataka
• List of Kannada-language films

Notes

1. The Deccan Herald article incorrectly bolded Ravichandran for Ekangi (the winner of the state award for second best film) as the best director instead of Girish Kasaravalli for Dweepa (the winner of the state award for first best film) . ^[17]

References

1. "Karnataka State Film Awards 2019 List Out". TimesofIndia.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
2. "KARNATAKA STATE FILM AWARDS 2018: RAGHAVENDRA RAJKUMAR AND MEGHANA RAJ BAG TOP HONOURS; CHECK OUT ALL WINNERS". bangalore mirror. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. "Karnataka State Film Awards 2018: Raghavendra Rajkumar and Meghana Raj Bag Top Honours". News18. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
4. "ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಪ್ರಕಟ: ಶುದ್ದಿ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಚಿತ್ರ". Vijay Karnataka.
5. "Karnataka State Film Award Winners for 2016". 11 April 2017 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
6. "Karnataka State Film Awards, 2015: Full List". Bangalore Mirror.
7. "After national honour, 'Harivu' bags top State film award". Deccan Herald.
8. "Kannada State Film Awards list 2010-11 - Times of India". The Times of India . 25 October 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
9. "Vishnuvardhan Anu Prabhakar | Karnataka State Film Awards | Aaptha Rakshaka Pareekshe". Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
10. "INFORMATION: STATE FILM AWARDS 2008-09 (KARNATAKA)".
11. "Moggina Jade - 2008 (Fascination) DVD (Award Winning), Kannada Store Kannada DVD Buy DVD, VCD, Blu-ray, Audio CD, MP3 CD, Books, Free Shipping". www.kannadastore.com.
12. Karnataka State Film Awards – 2006-2007 Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
13. "Karnataka State Film Awards 2005-06 announced - Nayi Neralu bagged the first best film award". www.viggy.com.
14. "Karnataka State Film Awards 2004-05 announced - Monalisa bagged the first best film award". www.viggy.com.
15. "The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Entry only to invitees at film awards function". 16 April 2007. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007.
16. "Karnataka State Film Awards 2002-2003 announced - Artha of B. Suresh bagged the Best Film Award". www.viggy.com.
17. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
18. "Mussanje (The Dusk) - 2001 DVD (Award Winning), Kannada Store Kannada DVD Buy DVD, VCD, Blu-ray, Audio CD, MP3 CD, Books, Free Shipping". www.kannadastore.com.