Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, famously known as Dadasaheb Phalke, was a renowned Indian filmmaker and screenwriter, popularly dubbed as the ‘Father of Indian Cinema’. From an early age, he was artistic in nature and displayed great interest in the creative arts. He pursued arts for completing his graduation and later took up various jobs such as that of a photographer and a draftsman. He also tried setting up his printing business but closed it down when problems arose with his partner. The turning point in his life came when he saw a silent film and was deeply moved by its poignancy. He decided to become a filmmaker and viewed it as his mission to present Indian mythological characters on the moving picture screen. Eventually, he released the first full-length Indian motion picture, ‘Raja Harishchandra’, the most important milestone in Indian cinematic history. His persistent faith and pioneering efforts laid the foundation of Indian cinema. He was a visionary who foresaw the potential of the film medium and also made people realize its cultural and financial worth. Through his relentless commitment and earnest efforts, cinema has become an inevitable part of Indian culture in today’s world. Named after him, the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ is the most prestigious award in the realm of Indian cinema which is bestowed every year to honor distinguished contribution to the film medium.
He was born on April 30, 1870, at Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra, India into a Marathi Brahmin family. His father was a proficient Sanskrit scholar.He learned about sculpture, engineering, drawing, painting, and photography in Kala Bhavan.
He started his career as a photographer in Godhra but left it after the demise of his wife and child.Then he opted for the business of printing and started his own printing press. He traveled to Germany to inquire about the latest technology and machinery for his press. Alongside, he also worked for the Raja Ravi Varma, the famous painter of Indian mythological gods and goddesses, and learned more about art.
After watching a silent movie ‘The Life of Christ’, he was immensely inspired and envisioned Indian gods on the screen. This event became a turning point in his career and marked the beginning of the dream of cinema-making in India. He borrowed some money and made the first motion picture of Indian cinema titled ‘Raja Harishchandra’, in 1912. The movie was publicly shown on May 3, 1913, at Mumbai's Coronation Cinema. It was an unbelievable experience for public and he received much appreciation for his work.
After the success of his first film, he made many movies and short films. Some of his renowned works were ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’ (1913), ‘Savitri Satyavan’ (1914), ‘Lanka Dahan’ (1917), ‘Shri Krishna Janma’ (1918) and ‘Kaliya Mardan’ (1919). His last silent movie was ‘Setubandhan’ (1932).
In his 19 years of filmmaking career, he made 95 movies and 26 short films. In 1937, he directed his first sound film ‘Gangavataran’ which also proved to be the last film of his career. His other motion picture works include ‘Rajrishi Ambarish’ (1922), ‘Ram Maruti Yuddha’ (1923), ‘Guru Dronacharya’ (1923), ‘Ashwathama’ (1923), ‘Shivajichi Agryahun Sutaka’ (1924), ‘Satyabhama’ (1925), ‘Ram Rajya Vijay’ (1926), ‘Bhakta Pralhad’ (1926), ‘Hanuman Janma’ (1927), ‘Draupadi Vashtraharan’ (1927),‘Parshuram’ (1928), ‘Sant Mirabai’ (1929) and ‘Kabir Kamal’ (1930).
He passed away on February 16, 1944, in Nashik, Bombay, British India, at the age of 73.In recognition of his lifetime contribution to the Indian cinema, the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ was instituted in 1969 by the India government. The prestigious award is the highest official recognition for film personalities in India and is presented annually by the president of India for remarkable contribution to Indian cinema.
Also, the prestigious Mumbai FilmCity located in Goregaon, Mumbai, has been named as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in his honor. Mumbai Film City in the heart of Bollywood. Every year about 1000 movies are shoot in Mumbai film city. In recent days MTDC in association with Mumbai FilmCity Tours has allowed Tourist to enter Mumbai Film City. Fans of Bollywood Can now see all the beautiful sets, Visit & see on location shooting and a Golden opportunity to meet their favorite stars.
Welcome to India's only official Bollywood tours. We conduct scientifically designed and structured Bollywood tours authorized by Dada Saheb Phalke Chitranagri (Filmcity). .Mumbai film city is the heart of the Indian film industry shooting for a number of film cities is done in this filmcity. Each tour is conducted by an experienced guide and share hidden treasures of Bollywood. We are only tour operator who has successfully crossed 1,00,000 tourist. No visit to Mumbai is complete without experiencing the Bollywood facet and the feel of actually being inside a Studio in action.