Top 10 Tamil Filmmakers Who Received National Awards

There are numerous super hit films produced by the Kollywood movie industry over the years of its existence. One of the most significant roles played in the making of a movie is by the person directing the entire process and, in this article, we will talk about those Kollywood filmmakers who were able to leave a footprint in the hearts of the viewers and bagged the National awards as appreciation to their work.

1. R Parthiban

Radhakrishna Parthiban is an actor and filmmaker who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He has a very different perspective and way of filmmaking and comes up with unique concepts in his movies. He has directed 15 films, produced 13 and appeared on screen in over 70 films since the beginning of his career. He received the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil. He also won National Film Award – The Special Jury Award for Otha Seruppu in 2019.

2. K Balachander

The late Kailasam Balachander was a filmmaker in Tamil cinema who was known for his inventive style of direction. His films were mostly free-spirited and revolved around uncustomary social themes. He was well known for the vivid portrayal of women being the main attraction of his movies. He has also introduced many actors in the movie industry and helped them kick-start their careers. He has won 9 National Film Awards and was honored with the Padma Shri in 1987. He also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his career in Indian cinema. He has contributed over 100 feature films throughout his career span and is still considered as one of the greatest and irreplaceable filmmakers of India.

3. Mani Ratnam

Gopalaratnam Subramaniam, professionally named as Mani Ratnam is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for the diversity in his work and he mainly works in Tamil cinema. He has also worked in some Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. He has won 6 National Film Awards, 2 out of which were for movies based on National Integration. He has also been honored with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his unrivaled contribution to the film industry. He was the director of the lauded movies Nayakan (1987) and Anjali (1990). He was also highly appreciated for his direction in Roja, Dil se... and Bombay.

4. P Madhavan

Late Palakrishnan Madhavan was a Tamil film director and producer in the 1960s and 1970s. He has directed 49 films under the banner Arun Prasad Movies. He was awarded the National Film Award twice for the movies Raman Ethanai Ramanadi and Pattikada Pattanama in 1970 and 1972, respectively. He has also directed some of his films’ remakes in Hindi language.

5. Bharathiraja

Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who mainly works in Tamil cinema. He is well-identified for his pragmatic way of picturing rural life in his films. He has won 6 National Film Awards as of 2017 and has also been honored with the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contribution to the Indian film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films.

6. Vetrimaaran

Vetrimaaran is an Indian director, producer, and screenwriter who dominantly works in Tamil movies. He is the director of the movie Aadukalam (2011), which bagged 6 National Film Awards in itself, and as a director, he has won 5 National Film Awards as of 2021. In 2016, one of his directed movies, ‘Visaranai’ made it to India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. In 2019, his film Asuran received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

7. Gautham Vasudev Menon

Gautham Menon is an Indian film director, producer, actor, voice actor, and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is also known for directing his films remakes in Hindi and Telugu. His films Vaaranam Aayiram (2008) and Thanga Meengal (2013) achieved the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil in their respective years of presence.

8. Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, and politician who has predominantly worked in the Tamil film industry. He has also added value to some Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali films. He has won several awards in his entire career, including National awards. He has received the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil, one Rashtrapati Award, and has also been honored with the Padma Shri in 1990.

9. Balu Mahendra

Balanathan Benjamin Mahendra, professionally known as Balu Mahendra, was an Indian cinematographer, filmmaker, screenwriter, and film editor who mainly worked in Tamil and Malayalam movies. He was born in Sri Lanka and started his career as a cinematographer in the film industry. After working his role for 20 films in cinematography, he made his directorial debut with the Kannada movie ‘Kokila’. He received 6 National Film Awards, including 2 for best cinematographer.

10. Cheran

Cheran is an Indian filmmaker, producer, actor, and lyricist who mainly works in the Tamil film industry. He was born on 12^th December 1970 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is married to Selvarani. In his career as a filmmaker, he has received 4 National Film Awards for his work in the movies Vetri Kodi Kattu (2000), Autograph (2004), Thavamai Thavamirundhu (2005) and Aadum Koothu (2005).