Dadasaheb Phalke Death Anniversary (16th february, 1944)

About Dadasaheb Phalke Death Anniversary

On the 16^th of February in the year 1944, renowned Indian director, producer, as well as screenwriter, who has been known as the ‘’Father of Indian Cinema’’ passed away.

His birth name was Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, and he was born on the 30^th of April in the year 1870, and throughout his life span, his movies have made a significant impact in Indian cinema. His debut film was ‘’Raja Harishchandra’’ in the year 1913, which is till date known as the country’s first full-length feature film. His filmmaking career spanned over 19 years, during which he had made around 95 films, and 26 short films, till the year 1937.

Some of his most popular works in Indian cinema, include films like Mohini Bhasmasur, in the year 1913, SatyavanSavitri, in the year 1914, Lanka Dahan, in the year 1917, Shri Krishna Janma, in the year 1918, as well as KaliyaMardan, in the year 1919.

Beginning his career as a small-town photographer, DadasahebPhalke had lost both his first wife and child in a tragic plague, and later indulged himself into learning lithography as well as oleograph, and then set up a printing press, before finally developing an interest in moving pictures after watching a silent film, and following that, he went on to make his first film, Raja Harishchandra.

The government of India introduced the DadasahebPhalke Award in the year 1969, in his honour, to commemorate the works of outstanding filmmakers in the country.

This award is regarded as the most prestigious award in the film industry in India, for filmmakers for their lifetime contribution to the Indian cinema. In the year 2001, an honorary award too was introduced from the DadasahebPhalke Academy in Mumbai, to felicitate lifetime achievement in Indian Cinema.

Some of his other works include films like Buddhadev in the year 1923, SetuBandhan in the year 1932, as well as Gangavataran in the year 1937. In the year 2009, a Marathi film called ‘’Harishchandrachi Factory’’ was made, depicting all of Dadasaheb Phalke’s struggles in making his debut film Raja Harishchandra, and this movie went on to become India’s official entry in the ‘’Best Foreign Language Film’’ category for the Academy Awards.