National Film Award for Best Choreography

Indian annual award

National Film Award for Best Choreography

National award for contributions to Indian Cinema

The 2023 recipient: Vaibhavi Merchant

Awarded for| Best choreography for a feature film song for a year
Sponsored by| National Film Development Corporation of India
Reward(s)|

* Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus)
* ₹2,00,000

First award| 1991
Final award| 2023
Most recent winner| Vaibhavi Merchant, "Dhindhora Baje Re" from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Highlights
Total awarded| 38
First winner| Laxmibai Kolhapurkar
Website| http://dff.nic.in/NFA.aspx

The National Film Award for Best Choreography 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 award was instituted in 1991 at 39th National Film Awards but awarded first time at 40th National Film Awards and then awarded annually for films produced in the year across the country, in all Indian languages. Hindi (20 awards), Tamil (6 awards), Telugu (5 awards), Malayalam (4 awards), Bengali and Marathi (1 each).

The choreographer who has won most Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) for Best Choreography is Saroj Khan with 3 wins followed by Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram, Ganesh Acharya, and Vaibhavi Merchant with two wins each.

Sundaram and Prabhu Deva, Raju Sundaram are the father and son trio who are honored by this award.

## Winners

[edit]

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

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), song(s), film(s) and language(s)

Year  | Recipient(s)  | Song(s)  | Film(s)  | Language(s)  | Refs.
1991
(39th) | No Award  | [1]
1992
(40th) | Laxmibai Kolhapurkar  |  - | Ek Hota Vidushak | Marathi | [2]
1993
(41st) | Sundaram |  - | Thiruda Thiruda | Tamil | [3]
1994
(42nd) | Subethra Sivakumar  |  - | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! | Hindi | [4]
1995
(43rd) | Ileana Citaristi |  - | Yugant | Bengali | [5]
1996
(44th) | Prabhu Deva |  • "Strawberry Kannae"
• "Vennilavae Vennilavae"  | Minsara Kanavu | Tamil  | [6]
1997
(45th) | Shiamak Davar |  • "Le Gayi"
• ”Koi Ladki Hai"
• ”The Dance of Envy"  | Dil To Pagal Hai | Hindi  | [7]
1998
(46th) | Brinda | "Swargam Thedi Vannore"  | Daya | Malayalam | [8]
1999
(47th) | Arsh Tanna  | "Dholi Taro"  | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Hindi  | [9]
Sameer Tanna
Vaibhavi Merchant
2000
(48th) | Kala |  - | Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal | Malayalam  | [10]
2001
(49th) | Raju Khan  | "Ghanan Ghanan"  | Lagaan | Hindi  | [11]
2002
(50th) | Saroj Khan | "Dola Re Dola"  | Devdas | Hindi  | [12]
2003
(51st) | Farah Khan | "Idhar Chala Main Udhar Chala"  | Koi... Mil Gaya | Hindi  | [13]
2004
(52nd) | Prabhu Deva | "Main Aisa Kyu Hoon"  | Lakshya | Hindi  | [14]
2005
(53rd) | Saroj Khan |  - | Sringaram | Tamil  | [15]
2006
(54th) | Madhu Samudra  |  - | Rathri Mazha | Malayalam  | [16]
Sajeev Samudra
2007
(55th) | Saroj Khan | "Yeh Ishq Haaye"  | Jab We Met | Hindi  | [17]
2008
(56th) | Chinni Prakash | "Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah"  | Jodhaa Akbar | Hindi  | [18]
Rekha Prakash
2009
(57th) | K. Sivasankar | "Dheera Dheera Dheera"  | Magadheera | Telugu  | [19]
2010
(58th) | Dinesh Kumar | "Otha Sollaala"  | Aadukalam | Tamil  | [20]
2011
(59th) | Bosco-Caesar | "Senorita"  | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | Hindi  | [21]
2012
(60th) | Birju Maharaj | "Unnai Kaanadhu Naan"  | Vishwaroopam | Tamil  | [22]
2013
(61st) | Ganesh Acharya | "Maston Ka Jhund"  | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Hindi  | [23]
2014
(62nd) | Sudesh Adhana  | "Bismil"  | Haider | Hindi  | [24]
2015
(63rd) | Remo D'Souza | "Deewani Mastani"  | Bajirao Mastani | Hindi  | [25]
2016
(64th) | Raju Sundaram | "Pranaamam"  | Janatha Garage | Telugu  | [26]
2017
(65th) | Ganesh Acharya | "Gori Tu Latth Maar"  | Toilet: Ek Prem Katha | Hindi  |
2018
(66th) | Jyothi D. Tomar  | "Ghoomar"  | Padmaavat | Hindi  | [27]
Kruti Mahesh
2019
(67th) | Raju Sundaram | "Everest Anchuna"  | Maharshi | Telugu  | [28][29]
2020
(68th) | Sandhya Raju  | "Kadambari"  | Natyam | Telugu  | [30]
2021
(69th) | Prem Rakshith | "Naatu Naatu"  | RRR | Telugu  | [31]
2022
(70th) | Jani Master | "Megam Karukkatha"  | Thiruchitrambalam | Tamil  | [32]
Sathish Krishnan
2023
(71st) | Vaibhavi Merchant | "Dhindhora Baje Re"  | Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Hindi  | [33]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "39th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
2. ^ "40th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
3. ^ "41st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
4. ^ "42nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
5. ^ "43rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
6. ^ "44th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
7. ^ "45th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
8. ^ "46th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
9. ^ "47th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
10. ^ "48th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
11. ^ "49th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
12. ^ "50th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
13. ^ "51st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
14. ^ "52nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
15. ^ "53rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
16. ^ "54th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
17. ^ "55th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
18. ^ "56th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
19. ^ "57th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
20. ^ "58th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
21. ^ "59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced". Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
22. ^ "60th National Film Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
23. ^ "61st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
24. ^ "62nd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
25. ^ "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
26. ^ "64th National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
27. ^ "66th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
28. ^ "67th National Film Awards: Mahesh Babu's 'Maharshi' and Nani's 'Jersey' win big at the award ceremony". 25 October 2021 - via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
29. ^ "67th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
30. ^ "68th National Film Awards announced". Press Information Bureau. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
31. ^ "69th National Film Awards for the year 2021 announced". Press Information Bureau. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
32. ^ "70th National Film Awards for the year 2022 announced". Press Information Bureau. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
33. ^ Bhattacharya, Tanisha (1 August 2025). "71st National Film Awards: Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Led By Alia-Ranveer Scores Big". NDTV. Retrieved 1 August 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Page for Directorate of Film Festivals, India
* National Film Awards Archives
* National Film Awards at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

National Film Award for Best Choreography

1991–2000|

* - (1991)
* Laxmibai Kolhapurkar (1992)
* Sundaram (1993)
* Jay Borade (1994)
* Ileana Citaristi (1995)
* Prabhu Deva (1996)
* Shiamak Davar (1997)
* Brinda (1998)
* Arsh Tanna, Sameer Tanna, and Vaibhavi Merchant (1999)
* Kala (2000)

2001–2020|

* Raju Khan (2001)
* Saroj Khan (2002)
* Farah Khan (2003)
* Prabhu Deva (2004)
* Saroj Khan (2005)
* Madhu Samudra and Sajeev Samudra (2006)
* Saroj Khan (2007)
* Chinni Prakash and Rekha Prakash (2008)
* K. Sivasankar (2009)
* Dinesh Kumar (2010)
* Bosco–Caesar (2011)
* Birju Maharaj (2012)
* Ganesh Acharya (2013)
* Sudesh Adhana (2014)
* Remo D'Souza (2015)
* Raju Sundaram (2016)
* Ganesh Acharya (2017)
* Jyoti D Tomar and Kruti Mahesh (2018)
* Raju Sundaram (2019)
* Sandhya Raju (2020)

2021–present|

* Prem Rakshith (2021)
* Sathish Krishnan (2022)
* Vaibhavi Merchant (2023)

* v
* t
* e

National Film Awards

* Directorate of Film Festivals
* Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
* Cinema of India

Lifetime Achievement|

* Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Feature Films|

| Golden Lotus Awards|

* Feature Film
* Direction
* Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
* Children's Film
* Debut Film of a Director
* Film in AVGC (Animator and Producer & Director)

|

Silver Lotus Awards|

* Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values
* Film in AVGC (VFX Supervisor)
* Actor in a Leading Role
* Actress in a Leading Role
* Actor in a Supporting Role
* Actress in a Supporting Role
* Child Artist
* Music Direction
* Male Playback Singer
* Female Playback Singer
* Lyrics
* Production Design
* Sound Design
* Choreography
* Cinematography
* Costume Design
* Editing
* Make-up
* Screenplay
* Stunt Choreography
* Special Mention

Silver Lotus Awards
(Regional)|

Languages specified in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution of India:

* Assamese
* Bengali
* Bodo
* Dogri
* Gujarati
* Hindi
* Kannada
* Kashmiri
* Konkani
* Malayalam
* Manipuri
* Marathi
* Maithili
* Odia
* Punjabi
* Sanskrit
* Tamil
* Telugu
* Urdu

Languages other than those specified in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution:

* Bhojpuri
* Garo
* Haryanvi
* Jasari
* Khasi
* Kodava
* Kokborok
* Ladakhi
* Mishing
* Mizo
* Monpa
* Pangchenpa
* Rabha
* Sherdukpen
* Tiwa
* Tulu
* Wancho

Discontinued Awards|

* Second Best Feature Film
* Third Best Feature Film
* Story
* Film Based on High Literary Work
* Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation
* Film on Family Welfare
* Film on National Integration
* Film on Other Social Issues
* Special Jury Award
* Animated Film
* Special Effects

Non-Feature Films|

| Golden Lotus Awards|

* Non-Feature Film
* Direction
* Debut Film of a Director

|

Silver Lotus Awards|

* Non Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values
* Documentary
* Arts/Cultural Film
* Biographical/Historical Reconstruction/Compilation Film
* Animation Film
* Short Film
* Script
* Sound Design
* Cinematography
* Editing
* Music Direction
* Narration / Voice Over
* Special Mention

Discontinued Awards|

* Experimental Film
* Industrial Film
* Agriculture Film
* Anthropological/Ethnographic Film
* Biographical Film
* Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film
* Environment/Conservation/Preservation Film
* Exploration/Adventure Film
* Film on Family Welfare
* Historical Reconstruction/Compilation Film
* Investigative Film
* Promotional Film
* Scientific Film
* Film on Social Issues
* Filmstrip
* News Review
* Newsreel Cameraman
* Special Jury Award

Writing on Cinema|

| Golden Lotus Awards|

* Book on Cinema
* Film Critic

|

Special Awards|

* Special Mention (Book on Cinema)
* Special Mention (Film Critic)

Awards by year|

| 1953–1960|

* 1953 (1st)
* 1954 (2nd)
* 1955 (3rd)
* 1956 (4th)
* 1957 (5th)
* 1958 (6th)
* 1959 (7th)
* 1960 (8th)

|

1961–1980|

* 1961 (9th)
* 1962 (10th)
* 1963 (11th)
* 1964 (12th)
* 1965 (13th)
* 1966 (14th)
* 1967 (15th)
* 1968 (16th)
* 1969 (17th)
* 1970 (18th)
* 1971 (19th)
* 1972 (20th)
* 1973 (21st)
* 1974 (22nd)
* 1975 (23rd)
* 1976 (24th)
* 1977 (25th)
* 1978 (26th)
* 1979 (27th)
* 1980 (28th)

1981–2000|

* 1981 (29th)
* 1982 (30th)
* 1983 (31st)
* 1984 (32nd)
* 1985 (33rd)
* 1986 (34th)
* 1987 (35th)
* 1988 (36th)
* 1989 (37th)
* 1990 (38th)
* 1991 (39th)
* 1992 (40th)
* 1993 (41st)
* 1994 (42nd)
* 1995 (43rd)
* 1996 (44th)
* 1997 (45th)
* 1998 (46th)
* 1999 (47th)
* 2000 (48th)

2001–2020|

* 2001 (49th)
* 2002 (50th)
* 2003 (51st)
* 2004 (52nd)
* 2005 (53rd)
* 2006 (54th)
* 2007 (55th)
* 2008 (56th)
* 2009 (57th)
* 2010 (58th)
* 2011 (59th)
* 2012 (60th)
* 2013 (61st)
* 2014 (62nd)
* 2015 (63rd)
* 2016 (64th)
* 2017 (65th)
* 2018 (66th)
* 2019 (67th)
* 2020 (68th)

2021–present|

* 2021 (69th)
* 2022 (70th)
* 2023 (71st)

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