6 times when Tamil music directors got National Awards for best music direction
K.V.Mahendran
Probably the first music director in Tamil to get a national award when Tamil cinema was not much talked about topic in India before Hindi and through his Kandan Karunai in 1967 K.v.Mahendran won the best music director award doe the first ever time!
Ilayaraja
Maestro Ilayaraja was the one who made Indian cinema to look back at Tamil cinema when Bollywood was greatly dominating the cine industry. Witb his music in Sindhu bhairavi he got a national level recognition as best music director in 1985.
A.R.Rahman
A.R.Rahman is indeed a living and actively composing legend and a universal icon who got the coveted and most powerful Oscar award and when oscar itself comes to him, National award came 3 times to Rahman for his mere talent and skills. He was awarded as beat music director for Roja in 1992, Minsaara Kanavu in 1996 and Kannathil Muthmitaal in 2002.
Lalgudi Jayaraman
Not a much famous artist but one who stunned with his small time movie Sringaram which won him the best music director award in 2005 after AR Rahman, je is the only to get after that. Ilayaraja got for best BGM in Thara Thappatai and not for best muaic director.