The IIFA Best Director Award is chosen by the viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony. The nominations for the category are given by the film fraternity. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has 4 and Rajkumar Hirani with 3 awards. Rakesh Roshan and Ashutosh Gowariker has the most wins with 2 awards.
The winners are listed below:-
| Year | Director | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam |
| 2001 | Rakesh Roshan | Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai |
| 2002 | Ashutosh Gowarikar | Lagaan |
| 2003 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Devdas |
| 2004 | Rakesh Roshan | Koi... Mil Gaya |
| 2005 | Yash Chopra | Veer-Zaara |
| 2006 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Black |
| 2007 | Rajkumar Hirani | Lage Raho Munna Bhai |
| 2008 | Shimit Amin | Chak De India |
| 2009 | Ashutosh Gowarikar | Jodhaa Akbar |
| 2010 | Rajkumar Hirani | 3 Idiots |
| 2011 | Karan Johar | My Name Is Khan |
| 2012 | Zoya Akhtar | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara |
| 2013 | Anurag Basu | Barfi! |
| 2014 | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag |
| 2015 | Rajkumar Hirani | PK |
| 2016 | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Bajirao Mastani |
| 2017 | Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury | Pink |
| 2018 | Saket Chaudhary | Hindi Medium |
| 2019 | Sriram Raghavan | Andhadhun |