Music-biz celebs awardees Anu Malik, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Purnima, Anupama and RK star-heroine Mandakini make Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards 2025 a 'super-success' event! by Chaitanya Padukone

It was a humbling highest honour and a validation pride for me (as an eminent senior film-journalist-editor) on Saturday, May 3rd in the late evening. When the prestigious, genuine Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards  (DPFF) 2025 trophy was presented to me, by the stunningly pretty senior celeb actress and also D.Phalke FF 2025 star-Awardee Mandakini. Who it may be recalled, was launched by 'showman' Raj Kapoor in his yesteryear musical mega-hit Ram Teri Ganga Maili. When Mandakini started her acting career with the RK banner,, I was among the very few film-journalists who had interacted with her on the outdoor sets of RTGM in the presence of director Raj Kapoor-saab. And it was also heartening for me that Yasmeen Joseph (that is her original name) recalled meeting me, first time, way back, decades ago. It was a sentimental flashback for me.

At the Saturday Phalke FF Awards event, Mandakini was accompanied by her dignified husband  Dr, Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur who is also a Tibetan herbal medicines consultant, while the senior film actress is trained in Tibetan Yoga Both are followers of revered spiritual leader Dalai Lama

There were two very interesting coincidences, 'Mandakini' also happens to the name of Dadasaheb Phalke's child-artiste actress-daughter. Secondly May 3rd was the same day when in year 1913, pioneer film-maker Phalke's first silent movie ' Raja Harishchandra' was first released for public viewing in the Coronation theatre-hall in Girgaon-Mumbai.

Also sharing the same stage with me was the acclaimed Dadasaheb Phalke FF (2025) award- winning director Shoojit Sircar (of 'Piku', 'Pink', 'Sardar Udham' movies fame).and more recently' this soul-stirring (Amazon Prime Video) movie titled 'I Want To Talk' ( 2024) based on a true story starring Abhishek Bachchan..

It was a star-studded grand Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards event held on Saturday late evening well-organised by dynamic team of President Ashfaque Khopekar, Sr. Vice-President Babubhai Thiba and Vice Chairman Ashok Shekhar. They were also  proactively supported on stage by event compere-anchors Nita Bajpai and comedian-actor Zakir Khan 

Speaking on the occasion, Sr. Vice President Babubhai Thiba said that their" annual DPFF Awards are authentic and bona fide which recognizes great talent, seniority and dedication right from a spot-boy to a cameraman or a cine-musician or even a superstar. All are equally important and DPFF has the affiliation and backing of over 32 Associations of technicians of various departments of the film-industry. Our Awards event does not have commercial sponsors and DPFF Awards are a platform of recognition of exemplary long-term track-record and are like a support-seva for the film industry," said Babubhai amidst applause

The almost three hours Awards presentation live music-centric event was interspersed with lively surprise songs sung by eminent iconic Dadasaheb Phalke FF Awardee singers and a medley dance by famous choreographer Sagar Das. Plus lively humour by comedy performers especially Jamie Lever. 

 A galaxy of top Music-biz Celeb Awardees (and Celeb Guests) attended the shaandar-mazedaar memorable event including Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Anu Malik, Udit Narayan, singer Purnima (Sushma) Shreshtha, singer Anupama Deshpande, singer Meenal Nigam, lyricist Sameer Anjaan, composer-singer Manmeet (Meet Bros), Ritesh Tripathi celebrity co-ordinator and publicist, veteran celeb-managers Bharat Ashar, and Chand Mishra. stand-up comedienne Jamie Lever and comedian Gaurav Sharma and senior star-artistes Sujata Mehta, creative writer-director Latesh Shah, actors Raju Shreshtha, Darshan Jariwala, Bob Brahmabhatt, Hemant Birje, Amar Upadhyay..and Uma Giri (popular Sikkimese actress working in Nepali movies)..Also present at the event were Phalke Awardees eminent veteran cine-trade film critic and cine-trade analyst Komal Nahta and graceful Madhur Bhushan (legendary actress Madhubala's sister) who was also felicitated on stage.

RK star heroine Mandakini presents prestigious, genuine Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award (2025) to bollyy.com & Mayapuri eminent sr.film journalist  Chaitanya Padukone at a grand glittering evening event held in Mumbai in presence of acclaimed film director Shoojit Sircar ( of Piku, Pink and Udham Singh fame). Aap logon ko khaas baat hum bataa dete hain ke Chaitanya- Sir RK banner star-heroine Mandakini ko, tab sey jaante hain jab woh mahaan nirdeshak Raj Kapoor-saab  ki movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili, outdoor ke shooting sets par nayi-nayi aayi thhi. Vaise senior patrakaar Chaitanya -Sir ka yeh doosra Phalke Award hai ! Pehli baar unhe saal 2012 mein puri film industry sey  Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award milaa thha, Kajol kay haathon sey.  # Saturday ko hua Phalke Film Foundation Awards ki shaandaar event khaasiyat yeh thhi, kay music industry kay digghaj naamchin kalakaar aaye thhe jinko stage par Phalke FF Awards sey sammanit kiya gaya. Jaise Sonu Nigam, Anu Malik, Udit Narayan,  Shaan, Harmeet, Purnima Shrestha aur Anupama Deshpande--aur inn sabhi mashoor Singers ney apne pasandida hit gaane ki jhalak audience ke saamne surprise pesh kiya.