Who was Dadasaheb Phalke?

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, known popularly as Dada Sheb Phalke, was a producer-director-screenwriter, who is considered to be the pioneer of Indian cinema.

Dadasaheb Phalke: A Journey from Art to Indian Cinema Pioneer

• Born: Phalke was born on 30 April 1870 at Trimbak, Bombay Presidency. His father was Govind Sadashiv Phalke and his mother, Dwarkabai.
• Education: After completing matriculation in Bombay, he joined the Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay in 1885 and completed a one-year course in drawing.
• Painting: Phalke joined Kala Bhavan, at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and completed a course in Oil painting and Watercolor painting in 1890.
• Photography: Phalke studied techniques of preparing half-tone blocks, photo-lithio, and three-color ceramic photography. 
  • He also learnt three-color blockmaking, photolitho transfers, colotype and darkroom printing techniques.
• Printing Business: He set up a printing press, which majorly worked for making photo-litho transfers for Ravi Verma Press, owned by painter Raja Ravi Varma.
• Film-making: Phalke visited London to study film-making. After visiting various studios, he decided to make movies in India. 
  • He set up the Phalke Film Company after returning to India.

Dadasaheb Phalke: Vision and Contribution to Indian Cinema

• Father of Indian Cinema: Dada Saheb Phalke directed India’s first full-length silent feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913). He is considered to be the father of Indian cinema.
• Movie Direction: Phalke made 95 feature-length films and 27 short films in his career, spanning 19 years, until 1937. His most noted works include Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919).
• Contributions to the Film Industry
  • Film-making: The art of film-making was introduced by Dada Saheb Phalke and he also trained future technicians.
  • Script and Screenplay: Apart from directing movies, Phalke wrote script and screenplay for most of his movies.
  • Studio: Phalke set up the first studio under his Hindustan Cinema Films Company. This motivated similar ventures in Bombay.
  • Technical Equipment: Many of the technical equipment used in early film-making were introduced by Phalke.

Also Read: 69th National Film Awards 2023: Celebrating Excellence in Indian Cinema

Evolution and Significance of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in Indian Cinema

• Inception of the Award: Dadasaheb Phalke Award was introduced by the Government of India in 1969 to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema. 
  • It is given annually by the President of India. 
  • It is considered the highest award in the field of cinema. The recipients of the award are recognized for their outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. 
• Award Includes: It consists of a ‘Swarna Kamal’, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a certificate, a silk roll, and a shawl. 
• Selection Criteria: The recipient is selected for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema”. 
  • The winner is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry.
• Evolution of the Award: Initially, the award focused on film personalities from the Hindi film industry. However, the award’s scope now covers all Indian film industries. 

Notable Winners of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Nurturing Indian Cinema: Government’s Role and Support

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), a wing under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, instituted this award in 1969 to honor personalities of Indian cinema.
  • The Directorate was set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to organize national and international film festivals in India. 
  • In 2022, it was merged with National Film Development Corporation.
  • Apart from National Film Awards, the Directorate organizes the the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama.
• Promoting Indian Cinema: The award acts as a morale booster to artists and technicians working in the film industry. It motivates them to produce quality content, which helps in spreading Indian culture across the world. 

Dada Saheb Phalke Award: Beyond Bollywood

• Recognising Regional Cinema: Dadasaheb Phalke Award is not just restricted to Hindi cinema but covers regional cinema industry as well.
  • In the history of the award, many personalities from Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali industry have been presented the honor.
• Promoting Cinematic Contributions: The award is a sign of an individual’s exemplary contributions to Indian cinema. 
  • The person bestowed with the award commands respect from the industry as well as civil society.