National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema
# National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema

The National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards presented for Best Writing on Indian Cinema and awarded with Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus).

The award was instituted in 1981, at 29th National Film Awards and awarded annually for books written in the year across the country, in all Indian languages.

## Winners

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

Awards legends :

* Indicates a joint award for the year

List of books, showing the year (award ceremony), language(s), author(s), publisher(s) and citation :

| Year | Book(s) | Language(s) | Author(s) | Publisher(s) | Citation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1981 (29th) | Thamizh Cinemavin Kathai | Tamil | Aranthai Narayanan | – | For being the first systematic full length account of the Tamil cinema from its inception, with pertinent observation on the art of film making, for the likelihood of it enduring as a standard reference work, for lucid, systematic writing with appropriate illustrations, for being based more on original and personal perceptions than on derived or second-hand sources. |
| 1982 (30th) | Chalachitra Sameeksha | Malayalam | Vijayakrishnan | – | For fairly systematic analysis of the way in which the film has reflected the major concerns of man-aesthetic, social, spiritual, with specific reference to various film classics and the outlooks of well known directors, for persuasive argument and clear communication. |
| 1983 (31st) | Cinemayude Lokam | Malayalam | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | – | – |
| 1984 (32nd) | Chalachitrer Abirbhab | Bengali | Jagannath Chathopadhyay | – | – |
| 1985 (33rd) | Guru Dutt: Teen Anki Shokantika | Marathi | Arun Khopkar | – | For a book as it is a major critical work on Guru Dutt, which is researched, attractively published at a reasonable price with a wealth of visual which enriches any book on cinema. |
| 1986 (34th) | Rabindranath O Chalachithra | Bengali | Arun Kumar Roy | – | For making an original evaluation and analysis of films and documentaries made on Tagore's writings and personality from the silent era of cinema to date and thus linking cinema, an important creative mediumm, to a great creative mind. |
| 1987 (35th) | Kazhchayude Asanthi (Torments of Seeing) | Malayalam | V. Rajakrishnan | – | For focussing of major trends and impulses in National and International cinemam, for promoting the appreciation of cinema as a serious art form, for underlining the relevance of cinema in the depiction of the basic concerns of present day society. |
| 1988 (36th) | The Moving Image | English | Kishore Vallicha | Orient Longman | For its analytic insights and its plausible theoretical framework. |
| 1989 (37th) | Shataranj Ke Khiladi | Hindi | Surendranath Tiwari | Madhya Pradesh Film Development Corporation | For painstakingly analysing and delineating the interrelationship between a literary masterpiece and its film version, created by a master of cinema, without overlooking the salient characteristics of each art form. |
| 1989 (37th) | Cinema, Kannakkum Kavithayum | Malayalam | Sreekumaran Thampi | Sahithya Pravarthaka | For portraying the development of the medium poetically by blending its ethos and technique. |
| 1990 (38th) | Hindi Cinema Ka Itihaas | Hindi | Manmohan Chadhha | Sachin Prakashan | For placing the development of Hindi Cinema in the context of the totality of Indian Cinema and World Cinema, while giving due importance to research. |
| 1991 (39th) | Athmanindayude Pookal (Flowers of Self-Condemnation) | Malayalam | Aravindan Vallachira | V. R. Pushpakaran | For critical analysis of M. T. Vasudevan Nair's film. The book is an in-depth study of the complexity of human values and the interaction between social institutions and the individual. |
| 1992 (40th) | Awara | English | Gayatri Chatterjee | Wiley Eastern Ltd | Her work is a novel experiment, which analyses the film in depth both at a personal and at a social level. What emerges is a clear reflection of the socio-economic fabric of a newly independent India. The book can be rightly termed an extension of Raj Kapoor's artistic sensibilities. |
| 1993 (41st) | Naalo Nenu | Telugu | Bhanumathi Ramakrishna | K. N. T. Sastry | Her riveting autobiography provides an insight into the working of the Telugu film industry, while tracing her fascinating life and career, written with candour and in an immensely fluent style, the book undergoes the independent spirit of a woman in an excessively male dominated system of the show business. The lively and self-analytical work is a rare phenomenon in a field, where artistes seem to be unnecessarily hesitant to author their life stories. |
| 1994 (42nd) | Abhinayam Anubhavam | Malayalam | Bharath Gopi | P. Bhuvanesan | For his introspective and self-analytical first person account. Abhinayam Anubhavam is serious and wistful at times, as the actor weaves and interesting picture of his interaction with cinema and his colleagues in the medium. The book is as unusual as it is revealing. |
| 1995 (43rd) | Marathi Cinema: In Retrospect | English | Sanjit Narwekar | Govind Swarup | For thoroughly researched and well written history of Marathi cinema from the silent era to the present. The text is combined with photographs in such a way as to make the book as visually pleasing as it is valuable as a reference book. |
| 1996 (44th) | The Eye of the Serpent | English | S. Theodore Baskaran | East West Books Pvt. Ltd. | For the methodically researched books on Tamil films which informs and enlightens the reader about one of the most prolific cinemas of our country which has kept re-defining itself over the decades. |
| 1997 (45th) | Cinemachi Goshta | Marathi | Anil Jhankar | Rajhans Prakashan | For a certain originality of analysis written in perceptive style together with reliability of information which makes this book capable of enriching the readers understanding of cinema. |
| 1997 (45th) | Hindi Cinema Aur Delhi | Hindi | • Savita Bhakhri • Adithya Aswathi | Praveen Prakashan | For a well researched account of Hindi cinema with socio-economic aspects supported by extensive opinion surveys in the Delhi region which endows this book with considerable interest. |
| 1998 (46th) | Cinemaee Bhasha Aur Hindi Samvadon Ka Vishleshan | Hindi | Kishore Vaswani | Hindi Book Centre | For it’s taking on a new area of study, and for its original analysis of the evolution of language in Hindi cinema, drawing links with Indian theatre and literature. |
| 1999 (47th) | Malayala Cinemayum Sahithyavum | Malayalam | Madhu Eravankara | D. C. Books | For its in-depth analysis of the relationship between literature and film, its thorough understanding of the medium, rigorous research and high readability. |
| 1999 (47th) | Marathi Chitrapat Sangeetachi Vatchal | Marathi | Aruna Anant Damle | Anil Damle | For its meticulous research its understanding of musical tradition in Marathi film and accessible style. |
| 2000 (48th) | Sholay: The Making of a Classic | English | Anupama Chopra | Penguin Books | For its lucid story-telling. A fast-paced, informative book, a fitting tribute to a box-office phenomenon. Even after 25 years, the making of Sholay, reported crisply and researched thoroughly, makes absorbing reading. |
| 2001 (49th) | Asoumiya Chalachitrar Chaa-Pohar | Assamese | Apurba Sarma | Jnan Pujari | For its panoramic and incisive analysis of Assamese cinema in the context of National and International scenario. |
| 2001 (49th) | Moulik Marathi Chitrageete | Marathi | Gangadhar Mahambare | Rajiv D. Barve | For its lucid, anecdotal narration of the growth of Marathi cinema through its film songs. |
| 2002 (50th) | Paroma and other Outsiders: The Cinema of Aparna Sen | English | Shoma Chatterjee | Parumita Publications | For her painstaking work and thought-provoking study of the works of Aparna Sen with a clear focus on their socio-economic relevance and context. |
| 2002 (50th) | Ritu Aaye Ritu Jaaye | Hindi | Sarat Dutt | Saaransh Publications | For a biography of a trend-setting music director, the late Anil Biswas, whose life story encompasses not just his personal struggles and achievements but also the scenario of Hindi film music when it was at its creative best. |
| 2003 (51st) | Filmi Jagat Mein Ardhashakti Ka Romanch | Hindi | Bharatiya Jnanpith | Ramakrishna | For a unique style of chronicling the flip side of film personality through his own biography. It gives an insight into the history of cinema and film journalism in a refreshingly different style. |
| 2004 (52nd) | Stardust: Vignettes from the Fringes of Film Industry | English | Roopa Swaminathan | Penguin Books | For giving a rare, fascinating insight into the lives of people on the fringes of the film industry whose contribution to cinema is no less significant. The work is marked by painstaking research and incisive analysis that does not alienate the average cinema lover. |
| 2005 (53rd) | Kundan | Hindi | Saransh Prakashan | Sharad Dutt | For its warm and insightful reconstruction of the life and art of the legendary singer-actor K. L. Saigal, as well as its significance as reference material which will be accessible to students and cineastes of Indian cinema history. |
| 2006 (54th) | Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb | English | Jerry Pinto | Penguin Books | For an insightful and witty account of a marginal yet iconic persona of the Hindi cinema. |
| 2007 (55th) | From Raj to Swaraj: The Non-fiction Film in India | English | B. D. Garga | Penguin Books | For its engaged and illuminating study of non-feature cinema in its social, political and cultural context. |
| 2008 (56th) | Bollywood Melodies | English | Ganesh Anantharaman | Penguin Books | For sailing down the mainstream of Hindi film music but manages to find rivulets of solace all his own. He blends substance with style, taking care not to appear too profound or flimsy. He brings out the lesser known aspects of popular Hindi film songs thereby infusing them with fresh dignity. Ganesh delves into the ragas of film songs, keeping some space for little banter between artists. |
| 2009 (57th) | Cinemaa Yaana | Kannada | K. Puttaswamy | Hasiru Prakashana | For its probingly critical introduction to Kannada cinema in its interconnections with literature and theatre, history and society; with insightful analyses of the classics of Kannada cinema and assessments of individual contributions, often from beyond the borders of Karnataka; supplemented by excellent photographs and annotations; and extraordinary production values. |
| 2010 (58th) | From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond: Images of India in International Films of the Twentieth Century | English | Vijaya Mulay | Seagull Books | Here is a work of rigorous film scholarship which took the author to many lands and consumed many years of her life. Written in a clear lucid style, the book evokes a panoramic view of India that perhaps was through the eyes of several filmmakers of foreign origin. What adds an extra dimension to the book is the author’s narration of her own life in films even as she is engaged in telling the larger events on and off screen. |
| 2011 (59th) | R. D. Burman: The Man The Music | English | • Anirudha Bhattacharjee • Balaji Vittal | HarperCollins India | True to its title this well researched book provides insight into the life and the musical journey of a man who created a new genre of fusion music for films of several decades. The writing illuminates beautifully different aspects of this journey. |
| 2012 (60th) | Silent Cinema in India - A Pictorial Journey | English | B. D. Garga | HarperCollins India | For its meticulous research and outstanding production qualities that have great archival value of which film-lovers around the world will be proud. |
| 2013 (61st) | Cinema Ga Cinema | Telugu | Nandagopal | Praga India, Hyderabad | Cinema Ga Cinema is a refreshing treatise on various aspects of film making from its beginning in the early 20th century to the present and even into the future. Veteran film journalist Shri Nandagopal deals in an exhaustive, research based and yet elegant manner with different aspects of the art of cinema, aesthetic values, roles of dance and music, photography, costumes and myriad other aspects of film making not just in India but even in world cinema. His extensive exposure and experience in the film industry lends richness to all parts of the book. |
| 2014 (62nd) | Silent Cinema (1895-1930) | • English • Telugu | Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao | EMESCO BOOKS | Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao’s work on silent cinema commands attention. It is as worthy of a scholar’s consideration as a common cinegoer’s time. He walks down the memory lane to come up with a work that is likely to go down as a benchmark for serious research in Indian cinema. |
| 2015 (63rd) | Dr. Rajkumar Samagra Charitre | Kannada | Doddahullur Rukkoji | Preethi Prakashana | Doddahulluru Rukkoji’s work is an encyclopedic study into the life and career of one of India’s greatest screen legends Dr Rajkumar. The 15 year research behind the writing of this double volume makes it a valuable resource for scholars, students and cinephiles of today and tomorrow. |
| 2016 (64th) | Lata : Sur Gatha | Hindi | Yatindra Mishra | Vani Prakashan | Yatindra Mishra’s encyclopaedic presentation encompasses her life, seven decade career and its impact on Indian cinema. Divided into three sections, the book offers rare insights on the icon, her music and reflects a changing nation. |
| 2017 (65th) | Matmagi Manipur: The first Manipuri Feature Film | | Bobby Wahengbam | Angomningthou Preservation and Documentation | Bobby Wahengbam's book provides a vivid account of the socio-political scenario in which Manipur regional cinema was born. The book denotes a compassionate account of the dreams, challenges, preparation, execution and success of the team involved. The critical analysis of the film makes it more praiseworthy and insightful. |
| 2018 (66th) | Mouna Prathanapole | Malayalam | S. Jayachandran Nair | Kerala State Chalachitra Academy | S Jayachandra Nair’s Mounaprarthana Pole (Like A Silent Prayer) is a detailed appreciation on the cinema of auteur G Aravindan's in a format that makes for approachable reading for both the serious cinema student and the common man. The book analyses Aravindan’s creations from the point of view of his cultural and personal backgrounds, and deals with both the filmmaker and his films. |
