Dadasaheb Phalke gave India its first silent film Raja Harishchandra — which was also India’s first full-length feature.
Dadasaheb Phalke (Photo: Wikimedia commons)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday remembered filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke on his 148th birth anniversary.
The Chief Minister in a tweet said, “Remembering legendary filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke on his birth anniversary”.
Remembering legendary filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke on his birth anniversary
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— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 30, 2018
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, the legendary filmmaker who went on to be called the father of India cinema, was born on this day in Trimbakeshwar (now in Maharashtra) 148 years ago.
Also read | Google Doodle remembers Dadasaheb Phalke on his 148th birthday
Credited with introducing India to the silver screen, Phalke gave India its first silent film Raja Harishchandra — which was also India’s first full-length feature.
Son of a scholar, Phalke grew up with a keen interest in a varied spectrum of things. He studied photography, lithography, architecture, engineering, and even magic, and worked as a painter, a draftsman, a theatrical set designer, before he finally found his calling.
After watching Alice Guy’s silent film The Life of Christ (1910), he decided it was time India too was on the map of cinema.
Phalke learnt filmmaking from Cecil Hepworth in London, and returned to India to with a precious gift that the country is still cherishing.
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