Dadasaheb Phalke

Dadasaheb Phalke (born April 30, 1870, Trimbak, British India [now in Maharashtra, India]—died February 16, 1944, Nashik, Maharashtra) was a motion picture director who is considered the father of the Indian cinema. Phalke was credited with making India’s first indigenous feature film and spawning the burgeoning Indian film industry today chiefly known through Bollywood productions.

As a child, Phalke displayed great interest in the creative arts. Determined to pursue his dreams, he joined the Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay (now Mumbai), in 1885. While there he pursued a variety of interests, including photography, lithography, architecture, and amateur dramatics, and he became adept even at magic. He briefly worked as a painter, a theatrical set designer, and a photographer. While working at the lithography press of celebrated painter Ravi Varma, Phalke was significantly influenced by a series of Varma’s paintings of the Hindu gods, an impression that was evident in Phalke’s own portrayal of various gods and goddesses in the mythological films he later made.

In 1908 Phalke and a partner established Phalke’s Art Printing and Engraving Works, but the business failed because of differences between them. It was Phalke’s chance viewing of the silent film The Life of Christ (1910) that marked a turning point in his career. Deeply moved by the film, Phalke saw it as his mission to bring all that was Indian to the moving picture screen. He went to London in 1912 to learn the craft from British pioneer filmmaker Cecil Hepworth. In 1913 he released India’s first silent film, Raja Harishchandra, a work based on Hindu mythology. The film, scripted, produced, directed, and distributed by Phalke, was a huge success and an important milestone in Indian cinematic history. Likewise important, he introduced a female actor in the leading role in his film Bhasmasur Mohini (1913) at a time when professional acting was taboo for women.

Phalke, with the help of several partners, established the Hindustan Film Company in 1917 and went on to produce several films. A talented film technician, Phalke experimented with a variety of special effects. His employment of mythological themes and trick photography delighted his audience. Among his other successful films were Lanka dahan (1917), Shri Krishna janma (1918), Sairandari (1920), and Shakuntala (1920).

With the introduction of sound in cinema and the expansion of the film industry, Phalke’s work lost popularity. He left filmmaking in the 1930s and died lonely, embittered, and sick.

In recognition of Phalke’s contribution to the Indian cinema, the India government instituted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969, an award presented annually by the president of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.