Dadasaheb Phalke Award is one of the highest and most prestigious awards that is given in the field of cinema. The award, which was instituted in 1969 in honour of Dadasaheb Phalke, an Indian filmmaker who is regarded as “the father of Indian cinema”. The annual award is presented by the Directorate of Film Festivals at the National Film Awards ceremony. Dadasaheb directed Raja Harishchandra, which was India’s first full-length feature film and was released in 1913. Film personalities are honoured for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema” and are presented a shawl, a swarna kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion and ₹ 1,000,000 in cash.
Devika Rani: She was the first recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Devika Rani who received the award in 1969 has made an immense contribution to the Indian film industry and is regarded as the “first lady of Indian cinema. Since then 48 awards have been presented to talented film personalities for their contribution to cinema. Apart from Devika Rani, some of the other well-known film personalities who have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award are:
Prithviraj Kapoor: A pioneer of Indian theatre, Prithviraj Kapoor received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1971. He began his career in 1931 by starring in Alam Ara, which was India’s first talkie film. Prithviraj Kapoor, who acted in some acclaimed movies such as Sikandar, Anand Math, Mughal-e-Azam, etc, received the Padma Bhushan in 1969. In 1944, he founded Prithvi Theatre. The company was instrumental in promoting Hindi stage productions.
Sohrab Modi: Indian Parsi stage and film actor, Sohrab Modi received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1979. Modi, who acted in films such as Hamlet, Sikander, Pukar, Mirza Ghalib, to name a few, is noted for introducing Shakespearean classics to the Hindi audience.
Naushad: Talented music director Naushad, who introducing the technique of sound mixing, received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1981. He made his debut in 1940 with the movie Prem Nagar.
Satyajit Ray: One of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century. Satyajit Ray received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1984. Ray played an important role in bringing world recognition to Indian cinema through his much-acclaimed movies. He began his directorial debut in 1955 with Pather Panchali. Ray also won the Academy Honorary Award in 1992 and the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Raj Kapoor: He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987. He acted in numerous award winning films. The Time magazine in 2010 ranked his performance in the 1951 hit Awara as among the top ten greatest performances of all time.
Ashok Kumar: referred to as Dadamoni, Ashok Kumar received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988. His mesmerizing performance in hit films such as Bandhan, Kismet and Achhut Kanya are still remembered to this day.
Lata Mangeshkar: The Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar has sung songs in more than 36 languages in a career spanning over seven decades. Lata Mangeshkar, who started her career in 1942, won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989.
Dilip Kumar: the talented Dilip Kumar is also referred to as the “Tragedy King”. He is known for his roles in movies such as Deedar, Jwar Bhata, Naya Daur, Madhumati, etc, received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994.
B R Chopra received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1998. He has directed award winning films such as Naya Daur and Hamraaz, and the acclaimed TV series Mahabharata.
Dev Anand: the evergreen start of Hindi cinema, Dev Anand was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002. He was an actor and filmmaker and has produced over 35 films.
Pran whose career spanned more than 50 years received the award in 2012. Some of his notable movies are Upkar Shaheed, Madhumati, Zanjeer, etc.
Manoj Kumar, who is famous for his patriotic theme based movies, won the award in 2015. He is popularly referred to as Bharat Kumar.
Vinod Khanna was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2017 after his death. He was mainly known for his work as a Bollywood actor during the 1970s. He took a small break of five years from the films and joined politics in 1997.
Below is a list of Dadasaheb Phalke Award winners from 1969 to 2017.
| Year | Recipient Name | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Devika Rani Roerich | Actress |
| 1970 | Birendra Nath Sircar | Producer |
| 1971 | Prithiviraj Kapoor (Posthumously) | Actor |
| 1972 | Pankaj Mallick | Music Director |
| 1973 | Sulochana | Actress |
| 1974 | B.N. Reddi | Director |
| 1975 | Dhiren Ganguli | Actor, Director |
| 1976 | Kanan Devi | Actress |
| 1977 | Nitin Bose | Cinematographer, Director, Screenwriter |
| 1978 | Ray Chandra(R.C.) Boral | Music Director, Director |
| 1979 | Sohrab Modi | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1980 | P. Jairaj | Actor, Director |
| 1981 | Naushad Ali | Music Director |
| 1982 | L.V. Prasad | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1983 | Durga khote | Actress |
| 1984 | Satyajit Ray | Director |
| 1985 | V. Shantaram | Director, Producer, Actor |
| 1986 | B. Nagi Reddi | Producer |
| 1987 | Raj kapoor | Actor, Director |
| 1988 | Ashok Kumar | Actor |
| 1989 | Lata Mangeshkar | Playback Singer |
| 1990 | Akkineni Nageshwar Rao | Actor |
| 1991 | Bhalchandra Govind Pendharkar | Director, Producer, Screenwriter |
| 1992 | Dr. Bhupen Hazarika | Director |
| 1993 | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Lyricist |
| 1994 | Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan) | Actor |
| 1995 | Dr. Rajkumar | Actor |
| 1996 | Shivaji Ganesan | Actor |
| 1997 | Kavi Pradeep | Lyricist |
| 1998 | Ravi Chopra | Director, Producer |
| 1999 | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Director |
| 2000 | Asha Bhonsle | Playback Singer |
| 2001 | Yash Chopra | Director, Producer |
| 2002 | Dev Anand | Director, Producer, Actor |
| 2003 | Mrinal Sen | Director |
| 2004 | Adoor Gopalkrishnan | Director |
| 2005 | Brij Bhushan Chaturvedi | Director |
| 2006 | Shayam Benegal | Director |
| 2007 | Manna De | Playback Singer |
| 2008 | V.K. Moorthy | Cinematographer |
| 2009 | D. Rama Naidu | Producer |
| 2010 | K. Balachander | Director |
| 2011 | Soumitra Chatterjee | Actor |
| 2012 | Pran Krishan Sikand | Actor |
| 2013 | Gulzar | Poet, Filmmaker |
| 2014 | Shashi Kapoor | Actor |
| 2015 | Manoj Kumar | Actor |
| 2016 | Kasinathuni Viswanath | Director |
| 2017 | Vinod Khanna | Actor |
