Dhundiraj Govind Phalke

Born:30 April 1870

Died:16 February 1944

• He was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as the Father of Indian cinema.
• His debut film, Raja Harishchandra, which was the first Marathi cinema, was the first Indian movie in 1913, and is now known as India’s first full-length feature.
• He made 95 feature-length films and 27 short films in his career, spanning 19 years, until 1937, including his most noted works: Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919).
• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for lifetime contribution to cinema, was instituted in his honour by the Government of India in 1969.
• The award is one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema and is the highest official recognition for film personalities in the country.
• A postage stamp bearing his likeness was released by India Post to honour him in 1971.
• An honorary award from the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Mumbai was introduced in the year 2001, for lifetime achievement in Indian cinema.
• The times changed and Phalke fell victim to the emerging technology of sound film.
• Unable to cope with the talkies, the man who had fathered the Indian film industry became obsolete.
• His last silent film Setubandhan was released in 1932 and later released with dubbing.

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