Dadasaheb Phalke

He passed away on February 16, 1944, in Nashik, Bombay, British India, at the age of 73.

In recognition of his lifetime contribution to the Indian cinema, the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ was instituted in 1969 by the India government. The prestigious award is the highest official recognition for film personalities in India and is presented annually by the president of India for remarkable contribution to Indian cinema.

He was born on April 30, 1870 at Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra, India into a Marathi Brahmin family. His father was a proficient Sanskrit scholar.

He received his early education from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai in 1885. In 1890, he completed his school education and then attended the Kala Bhavan in Baroda.

He learnt about sculpture, engineering, drawing, painting and photography in Kala Bhavan.

He started his career as a photographer in Godhra but left it after the demise of his wife and child. Later, he worked as a draftsman for the Archeological Survey of India for a brief period of time.

Then he opted for the business of printing and started his own printing press. He traveled to Germany to inquire about the latest technology and machinery for his press.Alongside, he also worked for the Raja Ravi Varma, the famous painter of Indian mythological gods and goddesses, and learnt more about art.

After watching a silent movie ‘The Life of Christ’, he was immensely inspired and envisioned Indian gods on the screen. This event became a turning point of his career and marked the beginning of the dream of cinema-making in India.

After watching the silent film, he borrowed some money and made the first motion picture of Indian cinema titled ‘Raja Harishchandra’, in 1912. The movie was publicly shown on May 3, 1913 at Mumbai's Coronation Cinema. It was an unbelievable experience for public and he received much appreciation for his work.

After the success of his first film, he made many movies and short films. Some of his renowned works were ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’ (1913), ‘Savitri Satyavan’ (1914), ‘Lanka Dahan’ (1917), ‘Shri Krishna Janma’ (1918) and ‘Kaliya Mardan’ (1919).

His most remarkable and unprecedented contribution to the world was Indian cinema. His debut film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’ (1913), a work based on Hindu mythology, is considered to be India's first full-length motion picture which laid the foundation of filmmaking in India.