National Film Award For Best Cinematography - Winners

For smooth, crisp and immaculate camera work; for the clear, sensitive and discreet portrayal of beings in the first flush of youth; for seizing with a certain lyrical grace their romantic yearnings, their gay abandon, their zest and effervescence, their charming narcissism; for using the camera creatively to project their languid world of gossamer dreams out of which they are roused by the bitter harshness of reality.

For capturing in meticulous detail the opulent splendor of the court of Wajid Ali Shah; for using color with discrimination and taste to evoke the distinctive decadent flavour of the period and to provide psychological insights into the characters; for projecting the action through a framework of shifting perspectives, thereby providing a movable feast for the eyes, for establishing by pointed contrast the somber hues and subdued functionalism of the environment of General Outram, emphasising by such means the furtive manoeuvring for power; for using the camera to create a visual tapestry, rich in the clash of conflicting events, ideologies and responsibilities.

For using the camera as a silent witness to the ironies of life. The reaction shots of circus audience taken unawares are in the best tradition of cinema-verite camera style.

For eloquent camera work which is equally effective both in romantic passages and battle sequences. The camera faultlessly brings out all the colour hues in various locations and differing light conditions.

For depicting the grim and tense mood of the film, admirably depicting mellowed moments in the film with charm.

For brilliantly creating salient features of each character with the help of superb camera control and effective use of lighting and for significantly contributing to the mood of the film.

For projecting the mood of the film in a vivid manner.

For the technical excellence, for highlighting the tonality, texture and nuances of the story and for an outstanding work as a cameraman.

For the brilliant use of vivid imagery to create variety of moods.

For recording the stark realities of rural life in austere images.

For succeeding in capturing visually the spirit of the theme.

For inspired camera work which brings out the delicate nuances of light and shade resulting in a strong visual presentation.

For his powerful and disturbing black and white photography.

For the lyrical and brilliant visual presentation.

For the precise interpretation in lighting and camera operation adding a very vital dimension to the narrative.

For high technical excellence and creative participation in evolving the basic statement.

For the high technical skills shown in evoking the special ethos of the film.

For heightening the mood of the film with the highest visual standards.

For achieving high degree of accomplishment in painting the film with light, imparting a sensuous quality to the texture and feel of the film.

For his masterely, unobtrusive and technically excellent camera work.

For the masterly use of the camera, in order to capture the feel of the background, setting, atmosphere of the subject and making use of striking visuals to communicate the theme.

In recognition of the outstanding cinematography executed with sincerity, imagination and flexibility. Fluid camera movements, praise compositions, and use of light are the highlights of this visual experience.

For bringing out the flavour and authenticity of a period with a remarkable use of lights, shades and colours.

For his versatile, imaginative and superb combinations and mood lighting.

For maintaining a consistent style and pattern that does justice to the period and scale that the narrative deals with.

His camera travels across spectacular landscapes and architecture and through bustling humanity with great seductive charm, colours and moods are created with equal ease in a film which sets a high standard of cinematic perfection.

For a wide range of tonal variations achieved by the cinematographer to express the changing moods of this musical in a given space and time.

For providing wide range of tonal variation and outstanding compositions to cater to the changing moods of the film's narrative.

For his excellent camerawork that captures the agrarian milieu with strong visual metaphors. His work stands out for its deft handling of the situation, social vignettes and characters.

For creating the distinctive and elegant visual ambience of the film that is excellently in tune with the mood of the story.

For enriching the narrative with tranquility and beauty.

For his lens that captures the rural Indian landscape with reality and harshness.

For the technical brilliance which is evident in the framing, lighting and execution throughout the film.

For creating evocative moods and capturing the nuances of a feudal system changing to modern times.

For the artistic and technical excellence of cinematography revealed through superb reproduction of tonalities and stark compositions, maintaining the texture on high altitude.

For the poetically captured visuals with inspired use of light and shades to enhanced the mood of the film.

For the breathtaking sweep that captures the magical mystery of a multilayered narrative.

For the visual poetry that augments and reinforces the concern of the narrative and for unfolding the infinite vistas of nascent digital technology in the visual medium.

For skilfully blending the narrative and the moving image to describe the desolate fields of Punjab making its painful transition towards a dehumanised urban world. He provides a human feel to the textures of this once bountiful landscape with some brilliant lighting and compositional unity. The minimalism employed opens up a rich tapestry of rural faces, landscapes and its animals in a way that allows the viewer to virtually inhabit these spaces.

The unexplored charm of North-East India through different seasons is all the more alluring in the eyes of this Cinematographer.