Filmfare Award for Best Director

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 4 women to have won this award, the second being Zoya Akhtar, the third being Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and the fourth being Meghna Gulzar. 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. 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.

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).

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.

The first and most (8 times) winner: Bimal Roy

V. Shantaram won for Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1956)

Mehboob Khan won for Mother India (1957)

B. R. Chopra won for Kanoon (1961)

Abrar Alvi won for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)

Raj Kapoor won three times

Manoj Kumar won two times

Yash Chopra won four times

Vijay Anand won for Guide (1965)

Gulzar won for Mausam (1975)

Basu Chatterjee won for Swami (1977)

Govind Nihalani won twice for Aakrosh (1980) & Ardh Satya (1983)

Mansoor Khan won for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

Vidhu Vinod Chopra won twice for Parinda (1989) & 12th Fail (2023)

Rajkumar Santoshi won twice for Ghayal (1990) & Damini (1993)

Subhash Ghai won for Saudagar (1991)

Sooraj Barjatya won for Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1993)

Shekhar Kapur won for Bandit Queen (1996)

J. P. Dutta won for Border (1997)

Karan Johar won twice for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) & My Name is Khan (2010)

Rakesh Roshan won twice for Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) & Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali won five times

Ashutosh Gowariker won twice for Lagaan (2001) & Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Zoya Akhtar won twice for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2012) & Gully Boy (2019); first woman to win

Meghna Gulzar won for Raazi (2018)

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