Remembering DADA SAHEB PHALKE on his 147th Birth Anniversary

 Born on April 30, 1870 at Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra,The Father of Indian Cinema Dada Saheb Phalke  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. His first full length Indian motion picture, ‘Raja Harishchandra’, the most important milestone in Indian cinematic history.For making this movie he had to take loan from his wife,who sold her jwellery for fullfilling her husband"s dream.

 He was a visionary who foresaw the potential of the film medium and also made people realize its cultural and financial worth.His first film Raja Harishchand  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 The film was a huge success which encouraged many businessmen to produce more films 
In his 19 years of film making career, he made 95 movies and 26 short films. 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).
In 1937, he directed his first sound film ‘Gangavataran’ which also proved to be the last film of his career. With the introduction of sound in cinema and the new diversified ways of filmmaking, his work lost admiration and eventually he took retirement from filmmaking.

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.