| Year | Winner | Film | Language |
| 2009 | Gautam Sen | Firaaq | Hindi |
| 2008 | Sabu Cyril | Om Shanti Om | Hindi |
| 2007 | Thotta Tharani | Sivaji: The Boss | Tamil |
| 2006 | C. B. More | Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story | Hindi |
| 2005 | Samir Chanda | 1. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero 2. Chokher Bali |
1. English / Hindi 2. Bengali |
| 2004 | 1. Indranil Ghosh 2. Sharmishta Roy |
Chokher Bali | Bengali |
| 2003 | Nitin Chandrakant Desai | Devdas | Hindi |
| 2002 | Nitin Chandrakant Desai | Lagaan | Hindi / English |
| 2001 | P. Krishnamoorthy | Bharati | Tamil |
| 2000 | Nitin Chandrakant Desai | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Hindi |
| 1999 | Nitin Chandrakant Desai | Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar | English |
| 1998 | Ramesh Desai | Thaayi Saheba | Kannada |
| 1997 | Thotta Tharani | Indian | Tamil |
| 1996 | Sabu Cyril | Kalapani | Malayalam |
| 1995 | Sabu Cyril | Thenmavin Kombath | Malayalam |
| 1994 | Suresh Sawant | Muhafiz | Hindi / Urdu |
| 1993 | Sameer Chanda | Rudaali | Hindi |
| 1992 | Sameer Chanda | Rukmavati Ki Haveli | Hindi |
| 1991 | Nitish Roy | Lekin | Hindi |
| 1990 | P. Krishna Moorthy | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam |
| 1989 | T. Vaikundam | Daasi | Telugu |
| 1988 | Thotta Tharani | Nayagan | Tamil |
| 1987 | P. Krishna Moorthy | Madhavacharya | Kannada |
| 1986 | Sham Bhutker | Rao Saheb | Hindi |
| 1985 | Nachiket Patwardhan, Jayoo Patwardhan | Utsav | Hindi |
| 1984 | Nitish Roy | Mandi | Hindi |
| 1983 | Nitish Roy | Kharij | Hindi |
| 1982 | Manzoor | Umrao Jaan | Urdu |
| 1981 | Meera Lakhia | Bhavni Bhavai | Gujarati |
| 1980 | Jayoo Patwardhan | 22 June 1897 | Marathi |