Dadasaheb Phalke Award facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The 2021 recipient: Waheeda Rehman
Reward	Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) Shawl ₹1,000,000 (US$17,000)
Currently held by	Waheeda Rehman

Dadasaheb Phalke, known as "The Father of Indian Cinema", made India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honor in Indian cinema. It is given out every year at the National Film Awards ceremony. The Directorate of Film Festivals presents this award. This organization is part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The award honors people for their "great and outstanding contribution" to Indian cinema. A special committee of important people from the film industry chooses the winner. The award includes a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medal, a shawl, and a cash prize of 1,000,000 Indian Rupees.

The Government of India started this award in 1969. It was created to remember Dadasaheb Phalke's amazing work. Phalke (1870–1944) is often called "the father of Indian cinema". He directed India's very first full-length movie, Raja Harishchandra (1913).

The first person to receive the award was actress Devika Rani. She was honored at the 17th National Film Awards. As of 2023, 53 people have received this award. Only two people have received it after they passed away: actor Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and actor Vinod Khanna (2017).

Some families have multiple winners. For example, Raj Kapoor received the award in 1987. His father, Prithviraj Kapoor, received it in 1971. Raj Kapoor's brother, Shashi Kapoor, also won in 2014. Other sibling pairs include Lata Mangeshkar (1989) and Asha Bhosle (2000). The most recent winner is actress Waheeda Rehman (2021).

Award Winners

List of award recipients by year

Year (Ceremony)	Image	Recipient	Film industry	Notes
1969 (17th NFA)		Devika Rani	Hindi	Known as "the first lady of Indian cinema". She debuted in Karma (1933). She also started the first public film company, Bombay Talkies.
1970 (18th NFA )		Birendranath Sircar	Bengali	He founded two production companies. He is seen as a pioneer of Indian cinema.
1971 (19th NFA)		Prithviraj Kapoor	Hindi	He acted in India's first sound film, Alam Ara (1931). He also started Prithvi Theatre.
1972 (20th NFA)		Pankaj Mullick	• Bengali  • Hindi	A composer, singer, and actor. He is known for Mahishasuramardini, a radio musical.
1973 (21st NFA)		Ruby Myers (Sulochana)	Hindi	She was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She debuted with Veer Bala (1925).
1974 (22nd NFA)		B. N. Reddy	Telugu	He directed fifteen Telugu films. He was the first Indian film person to get a Doctor of Letters degree.
1975 (23rd NFA)		Dhirendra Nath Ganguly	Bengali	He is considered one of the founders of the Bengali film industry. He started three production companies.
1976 (24th NFA)		Kanan Devi	Bengali	She was known as "the first lady of Bengali cinema". She also sang songs by Rabindranath Tagore.
1977 (25th NFA)		Nitin Bose	• Bengali  • Hindi	He was a cinematographer, director, and screenwriter. He introduced playback singing to Indian cinema in 1935.
1978 (26th NFA)		Raichand Boral	• Bengali  • Hindi	He was a music director. He helped introduce playback singing in Indian cinema.
1979 (27th NFA)		Sohrab Modi	Hindi	An actor and filmmaker. He brought Shakespearean stories to Indian cinema.
1980 (28th NFA)		Paidi Jairaj	Hindi	An actor and director. He was known for playing Indian historical characters.
1981 (29th NFA)		Naushad	Hindi	Music director who debuted with Prem Nagar (1940). He introduced sound mixing to Indian cinema.
1982 (30th NFA)		L. V. Prasad	• Telugu  • Tamil  • Hindi	He acted in the first talkie films in three languages. He founded Prasad Studios.
1983 (31st NFA)		Durga Khote	• Hindi  • Marathi	She acted in the first Marathi talkie Ayodhyecha Raja (1932). She was a pioneer among women in Indian cinema.
1984 (32nd NFA)		Satyajit Ray	Bengali	His film Pather Panchali (1955) brought Indian cinema world recognition.
1985 (33rd NFA)		V. Shantaram	• Hindi  • Marathi	He produced and directed India's first color film, Sairandhri (1931).
1986 (34th NFA)		B. Nagi Reddy	Kannada	He produced over 50 films. He also built Vijaya Vauhini Studios, one of Asia's biggest film studios.
1987 (35th NFA)		Raj Kapoor	Hindi	Often called "The Show Man". His performance in Awara was ranked among the top ten greatest by Time magazine.
1988 (36th NFA)		Ashok Kumar	Hindi	Popularly known as "Dadamoni". He starred in Kismet (1943), a very successful Indian film.
1989 (37th NFA)		Lata Mangeshkar	• Hindi  • Marathi	Known as the "nightingale of India". She has sung in over 36 languages since 1942.
1990 (38th NFA)		Akkineni Nageswara Rao	Telugu	He acted in over 250 films, mostly in Telugu. He debuted in Dharma Patni (1941).
1991 (39th NFA)		Bhalji Pendharkar	Marathi	A filmmaker who produced over 60 Marathi films. He was known for his historical and social stories.
1992 (40th NFA)		Bhupen Hazarika	Assamese	Called "the Bard of Brahmaputra". He is famous for his folk songs in the Assamese language.
1993 (41st NFA)		Majrooh Sultanpuri	Hindi	A lyricist who wrote around 8000 songs for over 350 Hindi films.
1994 (42th NFA)		Dilip Kumar	Hindi	Known as the "Tragedy King". He acted in over 60 Hindi films for more than six decades.
1995 (43rd NFA)		Rajkumar	Kannada	He acted in over 200 Kannada films. He also won a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
1996 (44th NFA)		Sivaji Ganesan	Tamil	He appeared in over 300 films. He was the first Indian actor to win a "Best Actor" award at an International film festival.
1997 (45th NFA)		Kavi Pradeep	Hindi	He is best known for the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo". He wrote about 1700 songs.
1998 (46th NFA)		B. R. Chopra	Hindi	A filmmaker who started B. R. Films. He is known for films like Naya Daur and the TV series Mahabharat.
1999 (47th NFA)		Hrishikesh Mukherjee	Hindi	He directed 45 Hindi films. He made "middle-of-the-road cinema" popular.
2000 (48th NFA)		Asha Bhosle	• Hindi  • Marathi	A playback singer with "extraordinary range". She began her singing career in 1943.
2001 (49th NFA)		Yash Chopra	Hindi	He founded Yash Raj Films. He directed 22 Hindi films.
2002 (50th NFA)		Dev Anand	Hindi	Known as the "evergreen star of Hindi cinema". He co-founded Navketan Films.
2003 (51st NFA)		Mrinal Sen	• Bengali  • Hindi	He is considered one of "India's most important filmmakers". He made 27 films in 50 years.
2004 (52nd NFA)		Adoor Gopalakrishnan	Malayalam	He started the new wave cinema movement in Malayalam cinema. He is praised for showing complex problems simply.
2005 (53rd NFA)		Shyam Benegal	Hindi	He started by making advertising films. His films often focus on women and their rights.
2006 (54th NFA)		Tapan Sinha	• Bengali  • Hindi	A filmmaker who made over 40 feature films. His films often showed problems faced by ordinary people.
2007 (55th NFA)		Manna Dey	• Bengali  • Hindi	A playback singer who sang over 3500 songs. He mixed Indian classical music with pop.
2008 (56th NFA)		V. K. Murthy	Hindi	A cinematographer known for working with director Guru Dutt. He shot India's first cinemascope film.
2009 (57th NFA)		D. Ramanaidu	Telugu	He produced over 130 films in many Indian languages. He is in The Guinness Book of World Records for this.
2010 (58th NFA)		K. Balachander	Tamil	A filmmaker who directed and produced over 100 films. He started Kavithalayaa Productions.
2011 (59th NFA)		Soumitra Chatterjee	Bengali	He often worked with director Satyajit Ray. He was the first Indian film person to receive France's highest award for artists.
2012 (60th NFA)		Pran	Hindi	An actor known for playing villain roles in Hindi films for over 50 years.
2013 (61st NFA)		Gulzar	Hindi	A lyricist, director, and poet. He wrote around 8000 songs for over 350 Hindi films.
2014 (62nd NFA)		Shashi Kapoor	Hindi	He debuted as a child actor. He helped revive the Prithvi Theatre group.
2015 (63rd NFA)		Manoj Kumar	Hindi	Known as the patriotic hero, "Bharat Kumar". He acted and directed films with patriotic themes.
2016 (64th NFA)		K. Viswanath	Telugu	He directed 53 feature films over sixty years. He is known for films about arts and aesthetics.
2017 (65th NFA)		Vinod Khanna	Hindi	He was an actor known for his work in Hindi films during the 1970s. He also entered politics.
2018 (66th NFA)		Amitabh Bachchan	Hindi	Called the Shahenshah of Bollywood. He has appeared in over 200 Indian films. He is one of the most influential actors in Indian cinema.
2019 (67th NFA)		Rajinikanth	Tamil	Known as superstar in Tamil cinema. He has also worked as a producer and screenwriter.
2020 (68th NFA)		Asha Parekh	Hindi	Called Jubilee Girl in Hindi cinema. She also directed television series.
2021 (69th NFA)		Waheeda Rehman	Hindi	She debuted in the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi (1955). She has starred in many famous films like Guide and Rang De Basanti.

Other Awards with Similar Names

You might hear about other awards named after Dadasaheb Phalke. These include the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival or Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards. It's important to know that these awards are not the same as the official Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The official award is given by the Directorate of Film Festivals.

Some filmmakers have suggested that the Government of India should stop others from using the Dadasaheb Phalke name. However, the Information and Broadcasting ministry has said they cannot do this. This is because the names of these new awards are not exactly the same as the official one.

See also

In Spanish: Premio Dadasaheb Phalke para niños