The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.
Superlatives
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Achievement
! Director
! Record
|-
| Most awards
| Bimal Roy
| 7
|-
| Most nominations
| Yash Chopra
| 12
|-
| Most consecutive wins
| Bimal Roy
| 3
|-
| Most nominations without a Win
| Mahesh Bhatt
| 6
|-
| Youngest winner
| Aditya Chopra
| age 24
|-
| Oldest winner
| Vidhu Vinod Chopra
| age 71
|}
Bimal Roy has the record of winning most awards (7) and the distinction of winning the award thrice in a row, on 2 separate occasions (1954–1956 and 1959–1961). He also won the award whenever he was nominated (7/7). Sanjay Leela Bhansali has received the award 5 times, Yash Chopra and Raj Kapoor has received the award 4 times each.
Yash Chopra received 12 nominations, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has received 8 nominations, while Raj Kapoor has received 6 nominations. Mahesh Bhatt was nominated thrice in a row (1984–1986). However, he hasn't received any award even after having been nominated 6 times. Also, no director has ever won if one has been nominated twice in the same year – Gulzar in 1974 (for Achanak and Koshish), Basu Chatterjee in 1977 (for Chhoti Si Baat and Chitchor) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee in 1980 (for Gol Maal and Jurmana).
Sai Paranjpye was the first of 5 women to have won this award, the second being Zoya Akhtar, the third being Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, the fourth being Meghna Gulzar and the fifth being Kiran Rao. Sai Paranjpye won it for Sparsh in 1985. Paranjpye had earlier been nominated for Chashme Buddoor in 1982. Zoya Akhtar won it for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in 2012. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari won it for Bareilly Ki Barfi in 2018 and Meghna Gulzar won it in for Raazi in 2019, after previously being nominated in 2016 for Talvar. Akhtar won the award again for Gully Boy in 2020, thus becoming the only woman to win the award twice. Kiran Rao won the award for Laapataa Ladies in 2025. Other women directors to have been nominated are Mira Nair for Salaam Bombay! in 1990, Farah Khan for Main Hoon Na in 2005 and for Om Shanti Om in 2008, Gauri Shinde for English Vinglish in 2013 and Seema Pahwa for Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi in 2022.
Rajkumar Santoshi remains the only director to have won the award for his first two films – for Ghayal in 1991 and for Damini in 1994.
Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari are the only married couple to win the award. Additionally, they won the award in consecutive years – the former won the award for Dangal in 2017 and the latter won the award for Bareilly Ki Barfi in 2018.
Only once have two siblings been nominated in the same year; Zoya Akhtar for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Farhan Akhtar for Don 2 in 2012, with Zoya winning the category.
Multiple wins and nominations
The following Directors have received multiple Best Director nominations. The list is sorted by the number of total awards (with the number of total nominations listed in parentheses).
- 7 : Bimal Roy (7)
- 5 : Sanjay Leela Bhansali (8)
- 4 : Yash Chopra (12)
- 4 : Raj Kapoor (6)
- 2 : Rakesh Roshan (5)
- 2 : Karan Johar (6)
- 2 : Rajkumar Santoshi (5)
- 2 : Vidhu Vinod Chopra (4)
- 2 : Ashutosh Gowariker (3)
- 2 : Manoj Kumar (3)
- 2 : Zoya Akhtar (2)
- 2 : Govind Nihalani (2)
- 2 : Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (2)
- 1 : Subhash Ghai (6)
- 1 : Gulzar (6)
- 1 : B. R. Chopra (5)
- 1 : Rajkumar Hirani (5)
- 1 : Mansoor Khan (4)
- 1 : Shyam Benegal (3)
- 1 : Basu Chatterjee (3)
- 1 : Aditya Chopra (3)
- 1 : Sohanlal Kanwar (3)
- 1 : Sooraj Barjatya (3)
- 1 : Mukul S. Anand (2)
- 1 : J. P. Dutta (2)
- 1 : Shekhar Kapur (2)
- 1 : Mehboob Khan (2)
- 1 : Sai Paranjpye (2)
- 1 : Ramanand Sagar (2)
- 1 : Asit Sen (2)
- 1 : V. Shantaram (2)
- 1 : Meghna Gulzar (2)
- 1 : Nitesh Tiwari (2)
- 1 : Kunal Kohli (1)
- 1 : Sujoy Ghosh (1)
- 1 : Aamir Khan (1)
- 1 : Vikas Bahl (1)
- 1 : Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (1)
- 1 : Om Raut (1)
- 1 : Vijay Anand (1)
- 1 : Abrar Alvi (1)
- 1 : Satyajit Ray (1)
- 1 : Muzaffar Ali (1)
- 1 : Kiran Rao (1)
- 0 : Mahesh Bhatt (6)
- 0 : Hrishikesh Mukherjee (5)
- 0 : Ram Gopal Varma (5)
- 0 : Shoojit Sircar (4)
- 0 : Ramesh Sippy (3)
- 0 : Imtiaz Ali (3)
- 0 : Anurag Kashyap (3)
- 0 : Anurag Basu (3)
- 0 : Vishal Bhardwaj (3)
- 0 : Ayan Mukerji (3)
- 0 : Farhan Akhtar (3)
- 0 : Shakti Samanta (3)
- 0 : Prakash Mehra (2)
- 0 : Indra Kumar (2)
- 0 : Rajiv Rai (2)
- 0 : Dharmesh Darshan (2)
- 0 : Abbas–Mustan (2)
- 0 : Abhishek Kapoor (2)
- 0 : Aanand L. Rai (2)
- 0 : Farah Khan (2)
- 0 : Kabir Khan (2)
- 0 : Madhur Bhandarkar (2)
- 0 : Sriram Raghavan (2)
- 0 : L. V. Prasad (2)
- 0 : Raj Khosla (2)
- 0 : David Dhawan (2)
- 0 : Vikram Bhatt (2)
- 0 : Rahul Rawail (2)
- 0 : Siddharth Anand (2)
- 0 : Anees Bazmee (2)
- 0 : Amar Kaushik (2)
Winners and nominees
In the list below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees. The films are listed by the years when the award was presented. The announcing of nominations became regular after 1959.
thumb|upright|The first and most (7 times) winner: [[Bimal Roy]]
thumb|upright|[[V. Shantaram won for Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1956)]]
thumb|upright|[[Mehboob Khan won for Mother India (1957)]]
thumb|upright|[[B. R. Chopra won for Kanoon (1961)]]
thumb|upright|[[Abrar Alvi won for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)]]
thumb|upright|[[Raj Kapoor won three times]]
thumb|upright|[[Manoj Kumar won two times]]
thumb|upright|[[Yash Chopra won four times]]
thumb|upright|[[Gulzar won for Mausam (1975)]]
thumb|upright|[[Basu Chatterjee won for Swami (1977)]]
thumb|upright|[[Govind Nihalani won twice for Aakrosh (1980) & Ardh Satya (1983)]]
thumb|upright|[[Mansoor Khan won for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)]]
thumb|upright|[[Vidhu Vinod Chopra won twice for Parinda (1989) & 12th Fail (2023)]]
thumb|upright|[[Rajkumar Santoshi won twice for Ghayal (1990) & Damini (1993)]]
thumb|upright|[[Subhash Ghai won for Saudagar (1991)]]
thumb|upright|[[Sooraj Barjatya won for Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1993)]]
thumb|upright|[[Shekhar Kapur won for Bandit Queen (1996)]]
thumb|upright|[[J. P. Dutta won for Border (1997)]]
thumb|upright|[[Karan Johar won twice for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) & My Name is Khan (2010)]]
thumb|upright|[[Rakesh Roshan won twice for Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) & Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)]]
thumb|upright|[[Sanjay Leela Bhansali won five times]]
thumb|upright|[[Ashutosh Gowariker won twice for Lagaan (2001) & Jodhaa Akbar (2008)]]
thumb|upright|[[Zoya Akhtar won twice for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2012) & Gully Boy (2019); first woman to win twice]]
thumb|upright|[[Meghna Gulzar won for Raazi (2018)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Table key
|-
| height:20px; width:20px" |
|}
1950s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1954<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Do Bigha Zamin
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center;| No Nominees
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1955<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Parineeta
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center;| No Nominees
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1956<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Biraj Bahu
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center;| No Nominees
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1957<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | V. Shantaram
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center;| No Nominees
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1958<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Mother India
|rowspan="2"|
|-
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center;| No Nominees
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1959<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Madhumati
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|
|Sadhna
|-
|
|Talaaq
|-
|}
1960s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1960<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sujata
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|
|Choti Bahen
|-
|V. Shantaram
|Navrang
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1961<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Parakh
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|
|Mughal-e-Azam
|-
|
|Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1962<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" |
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kanoon
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Nitin Bose
|Gunga Jumna
|-
|Radhu Karmakar
|Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1963<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Abrar Alvi
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Biren Nag
|Bees Saal Baad
|-
|Mehboob Khan
|Son of India
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1964<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bimal Roy
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bandini
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|B. R. Chopra
|Gumrah
|-
|C. V. Sridhar
|Dil Ek Mandir
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1965<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Raj Kapoor
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sangam
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
|Shehar Aur Sapna
|-
|Satyen Bose
|Dosti
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1966<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Yash Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Waqt
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Chetan Anand
|Haqeeqat
|-
|Ramanand Sagar
|Arzoo
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1967<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Vijay Anand
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Guide
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Asit Sen
|Mamta
|-
|Hrishikesh Mukherjee
|Anupama
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1968<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Manoj Kumar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Upkar
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|A. Bhimsingh
|Mehrban
|-
|A. Subba Rao
|Milan
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1969<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ramanand Sagar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ankhen
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|Bhappi Sonie
|Brahmachari
|-
|Ram Maheshwari
|Neel Kamal
|-
|}
1970s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1970<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Yash Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ittefaq
|rowspan="3"|
|-
|
|Jeene Ki Raah
|-
|Shakti Samanta
|Aradhana
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1971<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Asit Sen
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Safar
|rowspan="3"|
|-
| Raj Khosla
|Do Raaste
|-
|Sohanlal Kanwar
|Pehchan
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1972<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Raj Kapoor
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Mera Naam Joker
|rowspan="3"|
|-
| Hrishikesh Mukherjee
|Anand
|-
|Shakti Samanta
|Kati Patang
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1973<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sohanlal Kanwar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Be-Imaan
|rowspan="3"|
|-
| Kamal Amrohi
|Pakeezah
|-
|Manoj Kumar
|Shor
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1974<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Yash Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Daag
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Gulzar
|Achanak
|-
|Gulzar
|Koshish
|-
|Raj Kapoor
|Bobby
|-
|Rajendra Bhatia
| Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1975<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Manoj Kumar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Anil Ganguly
| Kora Kagaz
|-
| Basu Bhattacharya
| Avishkaar
|-
| M. S. Sathyu
| Garm Hava
|-
| Shyam Benegal
| Ankur
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1976<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Yash Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Deewaar
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Gulzar
| Aandhi
|-
| Ramesh Sippy
| Sholay
|-
| Shakti Samanta
| Amanush
|-
| Sohanlal Kanwar
| Sanyasi
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1977<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Gulzar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Mausam
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Basu Chatterjee
| Chhoti Si Baat
|-
| Basu Chatterjee
| Chitchor
|-
| Rajkumar Kohli
| Nagin
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Kabhi Kabhie
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1978<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Basu Chatterjee
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Swami
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Asrani
| Chala Murari Hero Banne
|-
| Bhimsain
| Gharaonda
|-
| Gulzar
| Kinara
|-
| Manmohan Desai
| Amar Akbar Anthony
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1979<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Satyajit Ray
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Shatranj Ke Khilari
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Prakash Mehra
| Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
|-
| Raj Kapoor
| Satyam Shivam Sundaram
|-
| Raj Khosla
| Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Trishul
|-
|}
1980s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1980<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Shyam Benegal
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Junoon
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Hrishikesh Mukherjee
| Gol Maal
|-
| Hrishikesh Mukherjee
| Jurmana
|-
| Manmohan Krishna
| Noorie
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Kaala Patthar
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1981<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Govind Nihalani
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Aakrosh
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| B. R. Chopra
| Insaaf Ka Tarazu
|-
| Esmayeel Shroff
| Thodisi Bewafaii
|-
| Hrishikesh Mukherjee
| Khubsoorat
|-
| J. Om Prakash
| Aasha
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 1982<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Muzaffar Ali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Umrao Jaan
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| K. Balachander
| Ek Duuje Ke Liye
|-
| Rabindra Dharamraj
| Chakra
|-
| Ramesh Talwar
| Baseraa
|-
| Sai Paranjpye
| Chashme Buddoor
|-
| Shyam Benegal
| Kalyug
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1983<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Raj Kapoor
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Prem Rog
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| B. R. Chopra
| Nikaah
|-
| Ramesh Sippy
| Shakti
|-
| Sagar Sarhadi
| Bazaar
|-
| Subhash Ghai
|Vidhaata
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1984<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Govind Nihalani
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ardh Satya
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Arth
|-
| Mohan Kumar
| Avtaar
|-
| Rahul Rawail
| Betaab
|-
| Shekhar Kapur
| Masoom
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1985<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sai Paranjpye
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sparsh
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Kundan Shah
| Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Saaransh
|-
| Prakash Mehra
| Sharaabi
|-
| Ravi Chopra
| Aaj Ki Awaaz
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" | 1986<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Raj Kapoor
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ram Teri Ganga Maili
|rowspan="4"|
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Janam
|-
| Rahul Rawail
| Arjun
|-
| Ramesh Sippy
| Saagar
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;" | 1987
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | No Award
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;" | 1988
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| No Award
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1989<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Mansoor Khan
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
|rowspan="3"|
|-
| N. Chandra
| Tezaab
|-
| Rakesh Roshan
| Khoon Bhari Maang
|-
|}
1990s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1990<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Vidhu Vinod Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Parinda
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Mira Nair
| Salaam Bombay!
|-
| Sooraj Barjatya
| Maine Pyar Kiya
|-
| Subhash Ghai
| Ram Lakhan
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Chandni
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" | 1991<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rajkumar Santoshi
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ghayal
|rowspan="4"|
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Aashiqui
|-
| Mukul Anand
| Agneepath
|-
| Ravi Raja Pinisetty
| Pratibandh
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1992<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Subhash Ghai
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Saudagar
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Lawrence D'Souza
| Saajan
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin
|-
| Randhir Kapoor
| Henna
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Lamhe
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3 style="text-align:center;" | 1993<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Mukul S. Anand
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Khuda Gawah
|rowspan="3"|
|-
| Indra Kumar
| Beta
|-
| Mansoor Khan
| Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1994<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rajkumar Santoshi
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Damini
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| David Dhawan
| Aankhen
|-
| Mahesh Bhatt
| Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke
|-
| Subhash Ghai
| Khalnayak
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Darr
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1995<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sooraj Barjatya
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Mehul Kumar
| Krantiveer
|-
| Rajiv Rai
| Mohra
|-
| Rajkumar Santoshi
| Andaz Apna Apna
|-
| Vidhu Vinod Chopra
| 1942: A Love Story
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1996<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Aditya Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Indra Kumar
| Raja
|-
| Mansoor Khan
| Akele Hum Akele Tum
|-
| Rakesh Roshan
| Karan Arjun
|-
| Ram Gopal Varma
| Rangeela
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1997<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Shekhar Kapur
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bandit Queen
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Dharmesh Darshan
| Raja Hindustani
|-
| Gulzar
| Maachis
|-
| Partho Ghosh
| Agni Sakshi
|-
| Rajkumar Santoshi
| Ghatak
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1998<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | J. P. Dutta
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Border
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Priyadarshan
| Virasat
|-
| Rajiv Rai
| Gupt
|-
| Subhash Ghai
| Pardes
|-
| Yash Chopra
| Dil To Pagal Hai
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 1999<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Karan Johar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Abbas–Mustan
| Soldier
|-
| Ram Gopal Varma
| Satya
|-
| Sohail Khan
| Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya
|-
| Vikram Bhatt
| Ghulam
|-
|}
2000s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2000<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| David Dhawan
| Biwi No.1
|-
| John Matthew Matthan
| Sarfarosh
|-
| Mahesh Manjrekar
| Vaastav
|-
| Subhash Ghai
| Taal
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2001<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rakesh Roshan
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Aditya Chopra
| Mohabbatein
|-
| Dharmesh Darshan
| Dhadkan
|-
| Mansoor Khan
| Josh
|-
| Vidhu Vinod Chopra
| Mission Kashmir
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2002<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ashutosh Gowariker
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Lagaan
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Anil Sharma
| Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
|-
| Farhan Akhtar
| Dil Chahta Hai
|-
| Karan Johar
| Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
|-
| Santosh Sivan
| Asoka
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2003<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Devdas
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Abbas–Mustan || Humraaz
|-
| Ram Gopal Varma || Company
|-
| Sanjay Gupta || Kaante
|-
| Vikram Bhatt || Raaz
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2004<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rakesh Roshan
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Koi... Mil Gaya
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| J. P. Dutta || LOC: Kargil
|-
| Nikhil Advani || Kal Ho Naa Ho
|-
| Rajkumar Hirani || Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
|-
| Ram Gopal Varma || Bhoot
|-
| Satish Kaushik || Tere Naam
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2005<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kunal Kohli
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Hum Tum
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Ashutosh Gowariker || Swades
|-
| Farah Khan || Main Hoon Na
|-
| Farhan Akhtar || Lakshya
|-
| Rajkumar Santoshi || Khakee
|-
| Yash Chopra || Veer-Zaara
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2006<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Black
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Madhur Bhandarkar || Page 3
|-
| Nagesh Kukunoor || Iqbal
|-
| Pradeep Sarkar || Parineeta
|-
| Ram Gopal Varma || Sarkar
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2007<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rang De Basanti
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Karan Johar || Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
|-
| Rajkumar Hirani || Lage Raho Munna Bhai
|-
| Rakesh Roshan || Krrish
|-
| Sanjay Gadhvi || Dhoom 2
|-
| Vishal Bhardwaj || Omkara
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2008<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Aamir Khan
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Taare Zameen Par
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Anurag Basu || Life in a... Metro
|-
| Farah Khan || Om Shanti Om
|-
| Imtiaz Ali || Jab We Met
|-
| Mani Ratnam || Guru
|-
| Shimit Amin || Chak De! India
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2009<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ashutosh Gowariker
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Jodhaa Akbar
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| A. R. Murugadoss || Ghajini
|-
| Abhishek Kapoor || Rock On!!
|-
| Aditya Chopra || Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
|-
| Madhur Bhandarkar || Fashion
|-
| Neeraj Pandey || A Wednesday!
|-
|}
2010s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2010<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rajkumar Hirani
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | 3 Idiots
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Anurag Kashyap || Dev.D
|-
| Ayan Mukerji || Wake Up Sid
|-
| Imtiaz Ali || Love Aaj Kal
|-
| R. Balki || Paa
|-
| Vishal Bhardwaj || Kaminey
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2011<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Karan Johar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | My Name is Khan
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Abhinav Kashyap || Dabangg
|-
| Manish Sharma || Band Baaja Baaraat
|-
| Sanjay Leela Bhansali || Guzaarish
|-
| Vikramaditya Motwane || Udaan
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2012<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Zoya Akhtar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Abhinay Deo || Delhi Belly
|-
| Farhan Akhtar || Don 2
|-
| Imtiaz Ali || Rockstar
|-
| Milan Luthria || The Dirty Picture
|-
| Raj Kumar Gupta || No One Killed Jessica
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2013<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sujoy Ghosh
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kahaani
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Anurag Basu || Barfi!
|-
| Anurag Kashyap || Gangs of Wasseypur
|-
| Gauri Shinde || English Vinglish
|-
| Shoojit Sircar || Vicky Donor
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2014<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Abhishek Kapoor || Kai Po Che!
|-
| Anand L. Rai || Raanjhanaa
|-
| Ayan Mukerji || Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
|-
| Rohit Shetty || Chennai Express
|-
| Sanjay Leela Bhansali || Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2015<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Vikas Bahl
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Queen
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Abhishek Varman || 2 States
|-
| Anurag Kashyap || Ugly
|-
| Rajkumar Hirani || PK
|-
| Vishal Bhardwaj || Haider
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2016<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bajirao Mastani
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Anand L. Rai || Tanu Weds Manu Returns
|-
| Kabir Khan || Bajrangi Bhaijaan
|-
| Meghna Gulzar || Talvar
|-
| Shoojit Sircar || Piku
|-
| Sriram Raghavan || Badlapur
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2017<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Nitesh Tiwari
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Dangal
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Abhishek Chaubey || Udta Punjab
|-
| Ali Abbas Zafar || Sultan
|-
| Karan Johar || Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
|-
| Ram Madhvani || Neerja
|-
| Shakun Batra || Kapoor & Sons
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2018<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Bareilly Ki Barfi
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Advait Chandan || Secret Superstar
|-
| Saket Chaudhary || Hindi Medium
|-
| Shashank Khaitan || Badrinath Ki Dulhania
|-
| Shree Narayan Singh || Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2019<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Meghna Gulzar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Raazi
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Amar Kaushik || Stree
|-
| Amit Sharma || Badhaai Ho
|-
| Rajkumar Hirani || Sanju
|-
| Sanjay Leela Bhansali || Padmaavat
|-
| Sriram Raghavan || Andhadhun
|-
|}
2020s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Director(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2020<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Zoya Akhtar
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Gully Boy
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Aditya Dhar || Uri: The Surgical Strike
|-
| Jagan Shakti || Mission Mangal
|-
| Nitesh Tiwari || Chhichhore
|-
| Siddharth Anand || War
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2021<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Om Raut
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Tanhaji
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Anubhav Sinha || Thappad
|-
| Anurag Basu || Ludo
|-
| Sharan Sharma || Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl
|-
| Shoojit Sircar || Gulabo Sitabo
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2022<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Vishnuvardhan
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Shershaah
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Akarsh Khurana || Rashmi Rocket
|-
| Kabir Khan || 83
|-
| Seema Pahwa || Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi
|-
| Shoojit Sircar || Sardar Udham
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2023<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Sanjay Leela Bhansali
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Gangubai Kathiawadi
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Anees Bazmee || Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
|-
| Ayan Mukerji || Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva
|-
| Harshavardhan Kulkarni || Badhaai Do
|-
| Sooraj Barjatya || Uunchai
|-
| Vivek Agnihotri || The Kashmir Files
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 2024<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Vidhu Vinod Chopra
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | 12th Fail
|rowspan="6"|
|-
| Amit Rai || OMG 2
|-
| Atlee || Jawan
|-
| Karan Johar || Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
|-
| Sandeep Reddy Vanga || Animal
|-
| Siddharth Anand || Pathaan
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 2025<br />
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Kiran Rao
| style="background:#FAEB86;" | Laapataa Ladies
|rowspan="5"|
|-
| Aditya Suhas Jambhale || Article 370
|-
| Amar Kaushik || Stree 2
|-
| Anees Bazmee || Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
|-
| Nikhil Nagesh Bhat || Kill
|-
|}
See also
- Filmfare Awards
- Bollywood
- Cinema of India
References
External links
- Filmfare Awards Best Director