Dadasaheb Phalke, grandfather of Hindi cinema, died on this day in 1944. Famous Hindi writer Suryakant Tripathi Nirala and the famous name of Bengali literature Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s birthday is also on 16 February.
Dada Saheb Phalke was born on 30 April 1870 in Nashik. He started his career as a photographer. Later also worked with the famous painter Raja Ravi Varma. Then he joined the work of the printing press, but after being heard from the partner, he also quit.
Dadasaheb Phalke breathed his last on 16 February 1944.
In 1913, he made the first full length feature film named ‘Raja Harishchandra’. Dada Saheb was not only a director but also a well-known producer and screen writer. He made 95 films and 27 short films in a 19-year film career. Dada Saheb made many films in his film career, but ‘The Life of Christ’ is considered to be the turning point of his career. It is said that he borrowed money from his wife to make this film. At the same time, it took him about 6 months to make his first film ‘Raja Harishchandra’. In the film, he played the role of Harishchandra and when a woman was not ready for the female lead, she had a male to female role.
Due to Dada Saheb’s historical contribution to Indian cinema, ‘Dada Saheb Phalke’ Award was instituted by the Government of India in his honor from 1969. Dadasaheb Phalke Award is considered the highest and prestigious award of Indian cinema. Significantly, Devika Rani Chaudhary received the award first. Last year, it was given to actor Amitabh Bachchan.