Imagine wanting to make a film in a country that had never made one. One man in Bombay decided to learn the craft himself. He even sailed to London to do it.
Dadasaheb Phalke is called the Father of Indian Cinema. This lesson tells how he built a film, a studio and an industry from almost nothing. It also covers the award in his name, a favourite exam topic.
Feature film: a full-length story film, much longer than a short. Think of the difference between a cartoon clip and a movie in a theatre. Raja Harishchandra was the first Indian film of this kind. Exams love the phrase “first feature film”.
Lithography: a printing method that copies a drawing onto paper from a flat stone or plate. Ravi Varma’s press printed pictures of gods this way. Phalke worked with that press before cinema. That work taught him how to handle images.
Trick photography: camera tricks that show things that are not real. A god vanishing in a puff of smoke is one example. Phalke used such tricks to film myths. They made his gods and demons look magical on screen.
Silent film: a film with no recorded speech or songs. Actors told the story with faces, gestures and short title cards. Every Phalke film of the early years was silent. Phalke’s silent style lost favour once sound arrived.
Who Was Dadasaheb Phalke Before He Made Films?
What did he study and do before cinema?
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke was born on 30 April 1870 at Trimbak, now in Maharashtra. His father was a priest, so he heard the epics as a child. He cared more for art than for scripture.
He joined the Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay in 1885. A year later he moved to Kala Bhavan in Baroda. There he studied painting and tried photography, lithography and stage work.
Sources: Britannica: early life · DPIFF: before cinema.
How did printing shape his films?
In 1906 Phalke set up the Phalke Engraving and Printing Works. It took jobs from the press of the painter Ravi Varma. Varma’s pictures of Hindu gods later guided how Phalke showed gods on screen.
In 1908 he joined a partner in a new press, the Laxmi Art Printing Works. He soon left it after a quarrel. That break pushed him towards a new craft.
Sources: Britannica: printing years.
Check 1
Phalke worked in printing and lithography before he made films.
How Did He Make India’s First Feature Film?
What made him choose cinema?
In 1910 Phalke saw the silent film The Life of Christ. It moved him deeply. He felt Indian gods and legends belonged on the screen too.
He raised a loan and sailed to London in 1912. There he learnt the craft from the British pioneer Cecil Hepworth. He also bought a Williamson camera and ordered Kodak film stock.
Sources: Britannica: the turning point · DPIFF: the London trip.
Check 2
Phalke went to London in 1912 to learn filmmaking.
Why did he film a growing plant?
Back home, Phalke built a darkroom in his bungalow to process film. Investors and lenders needed convincing. He needed proof.
So he made a film of under two minutes called Growth of a Plant. He shot one frame a day to show a pea seedling sprouting. The trick won him the money he needed.
Sources: Britannica: Growth of a Plant.
What is special about Raja Harishchandra?
After more than six months of work, Raja Harishchandra was released in May 1913. The film retold the tale of a legendary king from Hindu mythology. It is generally regarded as India’s first full-length feature film.
Phalke wrote, produced, directed, edited and distributed it himself. His firm was called Phalke Films. The film was a hit with critics and the public.
It was shown at the Coronation Cinematograph in Girgaon, Bombay, on 3 May 1913. The same programme carried a dance act and a juggling act. The hall owner added them as he was unsure a film alone would draw a crowd.
Sources: Britannica: Raja Harishchandra · Mumbai Legacy Project: the Coronation hall.
Check 3
Raja Harishchandra was first shown to the public in 1913.
Who played the women in his first film?
Women did not act in films at the time. Society looked down on it. Phalke could not find a woman for the female lead, so a young boy took the part.
He broke this taboo in his next film, Mohini Bhasmasur (1913). It cast a woman in a lead role. That small step opened the screen to Indian actresses.
Sources: Britannica: casting troubles.
What Happened in His Later Career?
How did the war years and the 1930s treat him?
In the early years of World War I, Phalke fell into debt. Film stock was hard to get. Output slowed down.
A public appeal to the nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak helped him raise funds. He then made Lanka Dahan, drawn from the Ramayana. It became one of his biggest hits.
He set up the Hindustan Cinema Film Company with partners in 1917. Later he left it in 1920, and returned as an employee until 1929. Sound films then arrived, and his silent style lost favour. He left cinema in the 1930s and died on 16 February 1944 in Nashik.
Sources: Britannica: later works.
The table lists some of his best-known films in order.
| Film | Year | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Raja Harishchandra | 1913 | First Indian feature film |
| Mohini Bhasmasur | 1913 | A woman cast in a lead role |
| Satyavan Savitri | 1914 | Mythological story film |
| Lanka Dahan | 1917 | Ramayana episode, a big hit |
| Shri Krishna Janma | 1918 | Hindustan Cinema Film Company |
| Kaliya Mardan | 1919 | Daughter Mandakini played baby Krishna |
| Gangavataran | 1937 | His only sound film and last film |
Check 4
Phalke made his only sound film at the start of his career.
Why did mythology fill his films?
Phalke chose stories people already knew. Audiences new to film felt at home with gods and kings. Local theatre had made these tales popular.
He used trick photography to show miracles and magic. The Ravi Varma pictures guided the look of his gods. This set a pattern: for decades, Indian films drew heavily on myth and epic.
Sources: Britannica: tricks and myths · DPIFF: techniques.
How many films did he make?
Sources count his output differently. The government factsheet says he made 94 features and 27 short films. Other accounts give higher totals.
For exams, remember the idea, not the exact tally. He is the person who started the whole industry.
Sources: PIB note: his output · India Video: his career.
What Is the Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
What does the award honour and include?
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in Indian cinema. The government gave it first in 1969. It recognises an “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema”.
The award has three parts:
- A Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion
- A shawl
- A cash prize of ₹15 lakh
It is given at the National Film Awards ceremony. A selection committee picks the winner each year.
Sources: PIB: the award package · PIB note: the award.
Check 5
The first Dadasaheb Phalke Award went to Devika Rani.
What Did CDS Ask About the Phalke Award?
Who was the first winner?
CDS I 2020 noted that Amitabh Bachchan had just received the award. It then asked who got the award first. The answer is Devika Rani.
The other options were Prithviraj Kapoor, Sohrab Modi and Naushad. All were famous film people, so the trap is easy to fall into. Link the first award with 1969 and Devika Rani, called the “First Lady of Indian Cinema”.
Sources: CDS (I) 2020 GK paper, Q58 · PIB note: first recipient.
Who Won the Award Most Recently?
Which recent winners should you know?
The award for 2023 went to the actor Mohanlal. President Droupadi Murmu gave it at the 71st National Film Awards on 23 September 2025.
The award for 2024 was announced for the actor Anant Nag on 16 September 2026. It was to be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards on 22 September 2026 at Kevadia, Gujarat.
Sources: President of India: 71st awards · PIB: 2024 award.
Check 6
Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023.
What should you remember for exams?
Keep these ready.
- Phalke: born 1870, died 1944.
- Raja Harishchandra: May 1913, first feature film.
- London trip: 1912, with Cecil Hepworth.
- Gangavataran: his last and only sound film.
- Phalke Award: begun 1969, first winner Devika Rani.
These lines cover most questions.
Sources: Britannica: Phalke overview · PIB note: award overview.
MCQ on Dadasaheb Phalke
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