National Film Award for Best Tamil Feature Film

National Film Award for Best Tamil Feature Film
National award for contributions to Indian Cinema
Awarded for	Best Tamil Feature Film(s) of the year
Sponsored by	National Film Development Corporation of India
Formerly called	President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Tamil (1954–1968) National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (1969–2021)
Reward(s)	Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) ₹2,00,000
First awarded	1955
Last awarded	2022
Most recent winner	Ponniyin Selvan: I
Highlights
Total awarded	81
First winner	Malaikkallan

The NationalFilm Award for Best Tamil Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).

The National Film Awards, established in 1954, are the most prominent film awards in India that merit the best of the Indian cinema. The ceremony also presents awards for films in various regional languages.

Awards for films in seven regional language (Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu) started from 2nd National Film Awards which were presented on 21 December 1955. Three awards of "President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film", "Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film" and "Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film" were instituted. The later two certificate awards were discontinued from 15th National Film Awards (1967). Since the 70th National Film Awards, the name was changed to "Best Tamil Feature Film". ^[1]

The 1954 film, directed by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu, Malaikkallan was honoured with the first president's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Certificate of Merit for Second and Third Best Feature Films in Tamil were received by Andha Naal and Edhir Paradhathu respectively.

Winners

Award includes 'Rajat Kamal' (Silver Lotus Award) and cash prize. Following are the award winners over the years:

Awards legends
*	President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film
*	Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film
*	Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film
*	Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film

List of award films, showing the year (award ceremony), producer(s), director(s) and citation
Year	Film(s)	Producer(s)	Director(s)	Citation	Refs.
1954 (2nd)	Malaikkallan	Pakshiraja Studios	S. M. Sriramulu Naidu	–	[2]
	Andha Naal	AVM Productions	S. Balachander	–
	Edhir Paradhathu	•Saravanabhava  •Unity Pictures	Ch. Narayanamoorthy	–
1955 (3rd)	Mangaiyar Thilakam	Vaidya Films	L. V. Prasad	–	[3]
1956 (4th)	Kuladeivam	S. K. Pictures	Krishnan–Panju	–	[4]
1957 (5th)	Mudhalali	M. A. V. Pictures	Muktha V. Srinivasan	–	[5]
1958 (6th)	Thanga Padhumai	Jupitor Pictures Pvt Ltd.	A. S. A. Samy	–	[6]
	Annaiyin Aanai	A. M. M. Ismayil	Ch. Narayanamoorthy	–
1959 (7th)	Bhaaga Pirivinai	G. N. Velumani	A. Bhimsingh	–	[7]
	Veerapandiya Kattabomman	B. R. Panthulu	B. R. Panthulu	–
	Kalyana Parisu	•Sarvashri S. Krishnamurthy  •T. Govindarajan  • C. V. Sridhar	C. V. Sridhar	–
1960 (8th)	Parthiban Kanavu	Jubilee Films Pvt Ltd.	D. Yoganand	–	[8]
	Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar	Kumari Films Pvt Ltd.	Nemai Ghosh	–
	Kalathur Kannamma	AVM Productions	A. Bhimsingh	–
1961 (9th)	Kappalottiya Thamizhan	Padmini Pictures	B. R. Panthulu	–	[9]
	Pasamalar	Rajamani Pictures	A. Bhimsingh	–
	Kumudham	Modern Theatres	Adurthi Subba Rao	–
1962 (10th)	Nenjil Oor Alayam	Chithralaya	C. V. Sridhar	–	[10]
	Annai	AVM Productions	Krishnan–Panju	–
	Sarada	Al. Srinivasan	K. S. Gopalakrishnan	–
1963 (11th)	Naanum Oru Penn	Murugan Brothers	A. C. Tirulokchandar	–	[11]
	Karpagam	K. S. Sabarinathan	K. S. Gopalakrishnan	–
	Karnan	B. R. Panthulu	B. R. Panthulu	–
1964 (12th)	Kai Koduttha Dheivam	M. S. Velappan	K. S. Gopalakrishnan	–
	Pazhani	A. P. Chinnappa	A. Bhimsingh	–
	Server Sundaram	AVM Productions	Krishnan–Panju	–
1965 (13th)	Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum	AVM Productions	Krishnan–Panju	–	[12]
	Thiruvilayadal	Shri Vijayalakshmi Pictures	A. P. Nagarajan	–
1966 (14th)	Ramu	AVM Productions	A. C. Tirulokchandar	–
1967 (15th)	Aalayam	M/s. Sunbeam	•Thirumalai  •Mahalingam	–	[13]
1968 (16th)	Thillana Mohanambal	Shri Vijayalakshmi Pictures	A. P. Nagarajan	–	[14]
1969 (17th)	Iru Kodugal	•N. Selvaraj  •B. Doraisamy  •N. Krishan  •V. Govindarajan	K. Balachander	–	[15]
1970 (18th)	Raman Ethanai Ramanadi	P. Madhavan	P. Madhavan	–	[16]
1971 (19th)	Veguli Penn	Abdul Kabar	S. S. Devadass	–
1972 (20th)	Pattikada Pattanama	P. Madhavan	P. Madhavan	–	[17]
1973 (21st)	Dikkatra Parvathi	•M. Lakshmikantha Reddy  •H. M. Sanjeeva Reddy	Singeetham Srinivasa Rao	–	[18]
1974 (22nd)	No Award				[19]
1975 (23rd)	Apoorva Raagangal	•P. R. Govindarajan  •J. Duraisamy	K. Balachander	–	[20]
1976 (24th)	No Award
1977 (25th)	Agraharathil Kazhuthai	–	John Abraham	For bold experimentation in a conservative milieu; for poetic intensity on a variety of levels; for creating a parable set against the orthodoxies and superstitions of a Brahmin village community; for its sympathy with the dumb world of animals and the equally dumb world of handicapped human beings; for the memorable impression it leaves on the minds of the viewers through the striking visual use of the verses of Subramanya Bharati, the first Tamil modernist.	[21]
1978 (26th)	No Award				[22]
1979 (27th)	Pasi	G. Lalitha	Durai	–	[23]
1980 (28th)	Nenjathai Killathe	K. Rajgopal Chetty	Mahendran	For artistically portraying the gradual development of a girl from adolescence to womanhood, for depicting in a gentle moving narrative her emotional suffering and how she overcomes them.	[24]
1981 (29th)	Thaneer Thaneer	•P. R. Govindarajan  •J. Duraisamy	K. Balachander	For powerfully projecting the helplessness of a village community living in a drought-affected area and its valiant efforts to solve its problem through self-help being thwarted by an insensitive administrative system.	[25]
1982 (30th)	Ezhavathu Manithan	Palai N. Shanmugam	K. Hariharan	For focusing attention on the important topical problems of pollution and industrial exploitation.	[26]
1983 (31st)	Oru Indhiya Kanavu	•T. P. Varadarajan  •Vijayalakshmi Desikan	Komal Swaminathan	For its honesty of purpose to articulate the cause of tribal welfare.	[27]
1984 (32nd)	Achamillai Achamillai	•Rajam Balachander  •V. Natarajan	K. Balachander	–	[28]
1985 (33rd)	Muthal Mariyathai	Bharathiraja	Bharathiraja	For a love story about the suffering of a man who is destined to live with his memories, spending his last days in a hut on the banks of river in idyllic surroundings.	[29]
1986 (34th)	Mouna Ragam	G. Venkateswaran	Mani Ratnam	For its sensitive portrayal of an urban young woman's voyage to self-discovery.	[30]
1987 (35th)	Veedu	Kaladas	Balu Mahendra	For a deeply compassionate portrayal of a middle class working woman with an old grandfather and sister as her dependents, attempting to retain the integrity of her family in the present day urban milieu.	[31]
1988 (36th)	No Award				[32]
1989 (37th)	Pudhea Paadhai	A. Sundaram	R. Parthiban	For its depiction of the transforming effects of a woman's courage and devotion on her husband.	[33]
1990 (38th)	Anjali	M/S Sujatha Productions (P) Ltd	Mani Ratnam	For the unusual usage of film form, utilising music, choreography and sound with depth, achieving the highest aesthetic excellence to narrate the emotional nearness of the mentally retarted.	[34]
1991 (39th)	Vanna Vanna Pookkal	Kalaipuli S. Dhanu	Balu Mahendra	For the truthful and effective portrayal of juvenile romance ending in unexpected tragedy.	[35]
1992 (40th)	Thevar Magan	Kamal Haasan	Bharathan	For its dynamic depiction of an educated youth who returns to his roots to fight injustice and in the process is forced to unleash the animal within him.	[36]
1993 (41st)	Mahanadi	S. A. Rajakannu	Santhana Bharathi	For depicting the aspiration and frustrations of the protagonist, his separation from reunion with his children, spanning a vast canvas of various cinema skills put together into an epic saga of a struggle against justice.	[37]
1994 (42nd)	Nammavar	B. Venkatarama Reddy	K. S. Sethumadhavan	For professionally assembled tale of a college professor who encounters student violence, marked by several impressive performances.	[38]
1995 (43rd)	Anthimanthaarai	Tilaka Ganesh (Mega Movie Makers)	Bharathiraja	For a most heart breaking portrayal of the unrecognised and lonely life of people who fought for the freedom of this country.	[39]
1996 (44th)	Kadhal Kottai	Sivashakthi Pandian	Agaththian	For a charming love story with unusual twists and turns of fate told in an interesting manner with good production values.	[40]
1997 (45th)	The Terrorist	A. Sriram	Santosh Sivan	For the film's stylised, evocative presentation of a theme that introspectively and in a silent, subtle manner says a loud "NO" to violence.	[41]
1998 (46th)	Housefull	R. Parthiban	R. Parthiban	For telling the story of a theatre manager and his passionate bonding with his audience. A bomb is discovered in the theatre bharat talkies during show time but removed in the nick of time saving the lives of those in the audience. In denouncing violence, the film makes a strong statement against terrorism.	[42]
1999 (47th)	Sethu	A. Kandasamy	Bala	For an impressive debut by a director with a commendable grasp of the grammar of mainstream cinema. It deserves special mention for combining popular elements with the unconventional.	[43]
2000 (48th)	Bharati	Messers Media Dreams (P) Ltd	Gnana Rajasekaran	For depicting the life and times of Subramaniya Bharati in a very authentic manner, unfolding the history of our freedom struggle. The compositions of this great visionary poet stand out with great relevance today.	[44]
2001 (49th)	Ooruku Nooruper	L. Suresh	B. Lenin	For depicting a thought provoking story about crime, based on ideology. It reflects upon life, death and justice.	[45]
2002 (50th)	Kannathil Muthamittal	• Mani Ratnam  •G. Srinivasan	Mani Ratnam	For its superb craftsmanship and commitment to a contemporary tragedy.	[46]
2003 (51st)	Iyarkai	V. R. Kumar	S. P. Jananathan	For a rich visual portrayal of a love story set against a unique canvas.	[47]
2004 (52nd)	Navarasa	Sunil Doshi	Santosh Sivan	For its credible exploitation of the world of the third gender blended with director’s own cinematic style.	[48]
2005 (53rd)	Aadum Koothu	Light and Shadow Movie Makers	T. V. Chandran	For its imaginative portrayal of a young girl who travels between past and present time zones.	[49]
2006 (54th)	Veyil	S. Shankar	Vasanthabalan	For a moving portrayal of sibling bonding in a turbulent family.	[50]
2007 (55th)	Periyar	M/s Liberty Creations Ltd.	Gnana Rajasekaran	A biographical feature which takes on issues like superstition, untouchability, widow remarriage etc by forcefully depicting the life of the great social reformer Shri E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker popularly known as Periyar.	[51]
2008 (56th)	Vaaranam Aayiram	V. Ravichandran	Gautham Vasudev Menon	For its engaging depiction of a father and son relationship.	[52]
2009 (57th)	Pasanga	M. Sasikumar	Pandiraj	For the unconventional, imaginative and energetic joyride of children that is delightful and uplifting.	[53]
2010 (58th)	Thenmerku Paruvakaatru	Shibu Issac	Seenu Ramasamy	For an emotive articulation of the combative spirit of a mother for whom her son’s happiness is paramount.	[54]
2011 (59th)	Vaagai Sooda Vaa	•S. Muruganandham  •N. Puranna	A. Sarkunam	For its inventive mix of folklore, politics and rural deprivation. Instead of mimicking the grim realities of an illiterate, poor and barren village, the director paints the hopeful desires of brick-kiln workers and their children who want to come out of their desolation to redeem themselves. The story is set in 1968 when Tamil Nadu undertook a series of social reforms.	[55]
2012 (60th)	Vazhakku Enn 18/9	N. Subhash Chandra Bose	Balaji Sakthivel	A love story unfolding to a horrific tragedy and the ugly face of an unforgiving system come through strongly in this well-narrated film.	[56]
2013 (61st)	Thanga Meengal	JSK Film Corporation	Ram	An emotional tale of a man who separates from his wife and beloved eight-year-old daughter to look for a job in a distant city. The consequences that follow, finally lead to an emotional and heart-warming reunion.	[57]
2014 (62nd)	Kuttram Kadithal	•Chris Pictures  • JSK Film Corporation	G. Bramma	For the pervasive empathy with which it examines the guilt and the anger that follows upon a school teacher’s impulsive slapping of a student.	[58]
2015 (63rd)	Visaranai	Wunderbar Films	Vetrimaaran	A gripping drama about the atrocities thrust on by the police on innocent citizens, based on a true story.	[59]
2016 (64th)	Joker	Dream Warrior Pictures	Raju Murugan	A Political satire film which criticises the present political absurdities .	[60]
2017 (65th)	To Let	Prema Chezhian	Chezhiyan		[61]
2018 (66th)	Baaram	• Priya Krishnaswamy  •Ardra Swaroop	Priya Krishnaswamy	A man’s fight to expose the traditional practice of euthanasia in a Tamil village.	[62]
2019 (67th)	Asuran	Kalaipuli S. Thanu	Vetrimaaran	Beautiful narration of a remote village life, their rivalries, consequences and finally conveying the message that only education can encounter the treachery and social malice.	[63]
2020 (68th)	Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum	Hamsa Productions	Vasanth	A tale of three young women in modern day India who strive to assert their individuality.	[64]
2021 (69th)	Kadaisi Vivasayi	Tribal Arts Production	M. Manikandan	–	[65]
2022 (70th)	Ponniyin Selvan: I	• Madras Talkies  • Lyca Productions	Mani Ratnam	–	[66]

References

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External links

• Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India
• National Film Awards Archives