Dadasaheb Phalke Remembered on 80th Death Anniversary

On the occasion of the 80th death anniversary of the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, a grand ceremony was organized by the Filmcity Studio management at Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari, Film City Studio, Goregaon (Mumbai). In this ceremony, apart from representatives of organizations associated with the Indian film industry, famous personalities of Bollywood and administrative officials of the Maharashtra Government, Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, his wife Mridula Pusalkar and adopted daughter Neha Bandopadhyay were also present along with other members of their family.

Got registered and everyone garlanded the statue of Dadasaheb Phalke. After this, selected budding talents related to the film genre were selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) Award 2024, organized in memory of Dadasaheb Phalke under the aegis of Bombay Entertainment, a banner run by famous Bollywood actor, singer and announcer Raju Tank since 1989. Was honored with the award jointly by Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, fashion designer Munmun Chakraborty and Raju Tank. Jharkhand's senior film journalists Kali Das Pandey and Pandit Awadhesh Nirmlesh Pathak also had a special participation in this program organized by Filmcity Studio Management.

Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson Chandrashekhar Kushelkar, in his brief speech during the program, while discussing the struggle period of Dadasaheb Phalke, said that the Indian film industry is known for producing the maximum number of films every year in the whole world. Every second youth in the country wants to make a career by working in films or associating himself with other genres related to films. But when Dadasaheb Phalke ji started film production in the country, we will always have to keep in our hearts and minds the difficulties he had to face. Today the cinema industry is going through many crises. Don't be afraid of this. Today there is a need to struggle with patience. 

Dadasaheb Phalke's real name was Dhundiraj Govind Phalke

Let it be known that Dadasaheb Phalke's real name was Dhundiraj Govind Phalke. He was born on April 30, 1870, in a Marathi family in Trimbak (Nashik), Maharashtra. His father Govind Sadashiv Phalke was a Sanskrit scholar and temple priest. In 1910, 'The Life of Christ' was shown at the America-India Picture Palace in then Bombay. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, who was watching the film while sitting in the theatre, clapped and decided that he would also bring alive the Indian religious and mythological characters on the silver screen.

After this, Dadasaheb started the production of the feature film 'Raja Harishchandra' which is known as the country's first feature film. Dada Saheb was everything in his film. He produced it, he was also the director, and he also handled the costume design, lightman, and camera departments. He was also the writer of the film's script. It was released at the Coronation Cinema, Bombay on 3 May 1913. This was India's first film. After the success of Raja Harishchandra, Dadasaheb Phalke did not look back. After this, Dadasaheb Phalke established the country's first film company 'Hindustan Films'. His career started with 'Raja Harishchandra' and lasted for 19 years.

After the success of Raja Harishchandra, he made 95 films and 26 short films in his film career. Among his successful films, the names of Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janam (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919) are notable. His last silent film was 'Setubandhan' and his last feature film was 'Gangavataran'. He died on 16 February 1944 in Nashik. In his honor, the Government of India started giving the 'Dada Saheb Phalke Award' in 1969.

This is the most prestigious award in Indian cinema. Devika Rani Chaudhary was the first to receive this award. In 1971, the Indian Postal Department also issued a postage stamp in honor of Dadasaheb Phalke. Even though Dadasaheb Phalke is no longer among us, his message and footprints depicting his struggles always inspire the filmmakers of the Indian film industry to move forward with patience on the path of work and will continue to do so for ages.

Presentation: Kali Das Pandey

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