Filmfare Awards are Bollywood's answer to the Oscars. Bollywood, of course, is the Mumbai film industry, the largest regional cinema in India.
The awards were first given in 1953 to honour Bollywood's best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the Hindi motion picture industry. Any reader of Filmfare magazine were polled for their opinions to decide the winners; trophies were given to winners of the popular vote.
The guest of honour at the first ever awards (March 21, 1954 at the Metro theatre, Mumbai) was to be Gregory Peck, but he couldn't make it, though he did attend the banquet that followed. At first, the awards were called Clares after Clare Mendonca, the Times of India film critic who died the year of the first awards, 1954. However, the name didn't stick.
In the first awards function, only 5 awards were presented. Today the awards are given for a total of 19 awards. There is now a separate category of film-critics awards, decided by noted film-critics rather than popular votes.
Awards are given in the following categories:
Regular awards
- Best Movie
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Villain
- Best Comedian
- Lux New Face no longer given
- Sensational Debut no longer given
- Best Male Debut
- Best Female Debut
- Special Performance
- Best Music Director
- Best Lyricist
- Best Male Playback
- Best Female Playback
- Lifetime Achievement
- Power Awards
Critics Awards
Technical Awards
- Best Art Direction
- Best Action
- Best Cinematographer
- Best Editing
- Best Choreography
- Best Story
- Best Screenplay
- Best Background Score
- Best Dialogue
- RD Burman Award for New Music Talent
- Best Sound
Follow the links for lists of the award winners, year by year.