Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winners List

The Government of India established the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honor in the Indian film industry, to honor Dadasaheb Phalke's contributions to the field.Dadasaheb Phalke, known as "the father of Indian cinema", who was a veteran filmmaker, directed Raja Harishchandra, in 1913. The Directorate of Film Festivals honors the artists with this award during the National Film Awards ceremony in recognition of their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema." A shawl, a ₹1,000,000 cash prize, and a Swarna Kamal medallion are presented to the winners as tokens of appreciation. Veteran actress Devika Rani was the first to receive the prize at the 17th National Film Awards. There have been 53 awardees so far.Here is the full list of the Dadasaheb Phalke Awardees.

Name	Year	Category	Film Industry	About
Waheeda RehmanTamil Nadu	2023	Actress	Hindi	She is regarded as one of the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, having appeared in over 90 feature films over the course of a five-decade career. Among her achievements are three Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. India bestowed to her two civilian honors, the Padma Bhushan in 2011 and the Padma Shri in 1972.The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest honor in the film industry, was given to her in 2021; however, it wasn't given out until 2023.
Asha ParekhMaharashtra	2020	Actress, Director, Producer	Hindi	Parekh was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful and influential actresses of the 1960s and 1970s in Hindi Cinema. In 1992, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contribution to the field of cinema and also honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2020. Parekh was the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) of India.She received the Living Legend Award from the FICCI and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2017, her autobiography titled The Hit Girl was released.
RajinikanthTamil Nadu	2019	Actor	Tamil	Debuted in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), Rajinikanth is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema where he is fondly referred to as superstar. In addition to acting, he has also worked as a producer and screenwriter. He was also honored with the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2016) by the Government of India. He was awarded for the year 2019, in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Amitabh BachchanUttar Pradesh	2018	Actor	Hindi	Debuted in Saat Hindustani, Bachchan is often primarily known for his unique baritone voice and for his excellency in the field of acting. Referred to as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, he has appeared in over 200 Indian films in a career spanning more than five decades. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema as well as world cinema, to an extent that the French director François Truffaut called him a "One-Man Industry".
Vinod KhannaMaharasthra	2017	Actor	Hindi	Debuted in Man Ka Meet (1968), Khanna was primarily known for his work as an actor in Hindi films during the 1970s. He took a brief break from films (1982–1987) and entered politics in 1997.

Name	Year	Category	Film Industry	About
K. ViswanathAndra Pradesh	2016	Director	Telugu	Viswanath started his career as a sound recordist. In a film career spanning sixty years, Viswanath has directed fifty three feature films in a variety of genres, including films based on performing arts, visual arts, and aesthetics. Viswanath has garnered five National Film Awards, and has received international recognition for his works.
Manoj KumarPakistan	2015	Actor	Hindi	Known for his image as the patriotic hero, Kumar debuted as an actor with 1957 Hindi film Fashion. The actor and director of patriotic theme based movies, Kumar is fondly called "Bharat Kumar".
Shashi KapoorWest Bengal	2014	Actor	Hindi	Winner of two National Film Awards including Best Actor for New Delhi Times in 1985, Kapoor debuted as a child actor at the age of four in the plays directed by his father Prithviraj Kapoor and later as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra. In 1978, Kapoor set up his production house Film "Valas" and played a major role in reviving the Prithvi Theatre group, set up by his father.
GulzarMaharasthra	2013	Poet, Filmmaker	Hindi	Gulzar began his career as a lyricist for Bandini (1963) and debuted as a director with Mere Apne (1971). Known for his successful collaboration with music directors like R. D. Burman and A. R. Rahman, Gulzar won several awards for his lyrics in a career spanning over 50 years.
PranDelhi	2012	Actor	Hindi	Known for his "compelling and highly stylized performances", actor Pran mainly played villainous characters in Hindi films during a career spanning over 50 years.

Name	Year	Category	Film Industry	About
Soumitra ChatterjeeWest Bengal	2011	Actor	Bengali	Best known for his frequent collaboration with director Satyajit Ray, Chatterjee debuted as an actor in Apur Sansar (1959) and worked with other directors, such as Mrinal Sen and Tapan Sinha, in a career spanning over 60 years. In 1999, he became the first Indian film personality to be conferred with Commandeur at the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's highest award for artists,and in 2013, IBN LIVE named him as one of "The men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema".
K. BalachanderTamil Nadu	2010	Director	Tamil & Telugu	Filmmaker K. Balachander debuted as a director with Neerkumizhi (1965). In a career that spanned over fourty years, he directed and produced (through his production house, Kavithalayaa Productions, established in 1981) over 100 films in various Indian languages.
D. RamanaiduAndra Pradesh	2009	Producer	Telugu	In a career spanning over 50 years, D. Ramanaidu produced more than 130 films in various Indian languages but mostly Telugu. He features in The Guinness Book of World Records for having produced films in nine languages.
V. K. MurthyKarnataka	2008	Cinematographer	Hindi	Best known for his collaboration with director Guru Dutt, cinematographer Murthy shot India's first cinemascope film, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).He is best remembered for his lighting techniques in Pyaasa (1957) and the "beam shot" in Kaagaz Ke Phool is considered a classic in celluloid history.
Manna DeyWest Bengal	2007	Playback Singer	Bengali & Hindi	In a career spanning over five decades, playback singer Dey sang over 3500 songs in various Indian languages. He is also credited with "pioneering a new genre by infusing Indian classical music in a pop framework".
Tapan SinhaKolkata	2006		Bengali & Hindi	filmmaker Sinha debuted as a director in 1954 and made more than 40 feature films in the Bengali, Hindi and Oriya languages. Most of the films addressed problems faced by ordinary people.
Shyam BenegalTelangana	2005	Director	Hindi	Benegal started his career by making advertising films. He directed his first feature film, Ankur, in 1973. His films have focused on women and their rights.
Adoor GopalakrishnanKerala	2004	Director	Malayalam	Credited with pioneering the new wave cinema movement in Malayalam cinema, director Gopalakrishnan won the National Film Award for Best Direction for his debut film, Swayamvaram (1972). He has been acclaimed for his "ability to portray complex problems in a simplistic way".
Mrinal SenWest Bengal	2003	Director	Bengali & Hindi	Regarded as one of "India's most important filmmakers", Sen debuted as a director with Raat Bhore (1955) and made 27 films in 50 years.
Dev Anand	2002	Director, Producer, Actor	Hindi	Widely revered as "evergreen star of Hindi cinema" actor and filmmaker Anand co-founded Navketan Films in 1949 and produced 35 films.[
Yash ChopraMaharashtra	2001	Director, Producer	Hindi	The founder of Yash Raj Films, Chopra debuted as a director with Dhool Ka Phool (1959). He directed 22 Hindi films.
Asha BhosleMaharashtra	2000	Playback Singer	Hindi & Marathi	A playback singer of "extraordinary range and versatility",Bhosle began her singing career in 1943.
Hrishikesh MukherjeeMaharashtra	1999	Director	Hindi	Having directed 45 Hindi films, filmmaker Mukherjee is credited with popularising "middle-of-the-road cinema" through films like Anuradha (1960), Anand (1971) and Gol Maal (1979).
B. R. ChopraMaharashtra	1998	Director, Producer	Hindi	Filmmaker B. R. Chopra established his own production house, B. R. Films, in 1956, and is best known for the films such as Naya Daur (1957) and Hamraaz (1967), as well as the TV series Mahabharat based on the similarly titled epic of Hindu literature.
Kavi PradeepMaharashtra	1997	Lyricist	Hindi	Best known for the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo", lyricist Pradeep wrote around 1700 songs, hymns and fiery nationalistic poems, including the lyrics for more than 80 Hindi films.
Sivaji GanesanTamil Nadu	1996	Actor	Tamil	Ganesan debuted as an actor in Parasakthi (1952) and went on to appear in more than 300 films. Known for his "expressive and resonant voice", Ganesan was the first Indian film actor to win a "Best Actor" award in an International film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo, Egypt in 1960. Upon his death, The Los Angeles Times described him as "the Marlon Brando of south India's film industry".
RajkumarKarnataka	1995	Actor	Kannada	In a career spanning over 45 years, Rajkumar acted in more than 200 Kannada-language films and also won a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1992.
Dilip KumarMaharashtra	1994	Actor	Hindi	Debuting in Jwar Bhata (1944), the "Tragedy King" Dilip Kumar acted in more than 60 Hindi films in a career that spanned over six decades.
Majrooh SultanpuriMaharashtra	1993	Lyricist	Hindi	Lyricist Sultanpuri penned his first Hindi song for Shahjehan (1946) and wrote around 8000 songs for over 350 Hindi films.
Bhupen HazarikaMaharashtra	1992	Director	Assamese	Popularly referred to as "the Bard of Brahmaputra", musician Hazarika is best known for his folk songs and ballads sung in the Assamese language.
Bhalji PendharkarMaharashtra	1991	Director, Producer, Screenwriter	Marathi	filmmaker Pendharkar started his career in the 1920s and produced more than 60 Marathi films and eight Hindi films. He has been widely recognised for the historical and social narratives depicted in these films.
Akkineni Nageswara RaoAndra Pradesh	1990	Actor	Telugu	Having debuted in Dharma Patni (1941), Akkineni Nageswara Rao acted in more than 250 films, mostly in the Telugu language.
Lata MangeshkarUttar Pradesh	1989	Playback Singer	Hindi & Marathi	Widely credited as the "nightingale of India", playback singer Mangeshkar started her career in the 1942 and has sung songs in over 36 languages.
Ashok Kumar	1988	Actor	Hindi	Popularly known as "Dadamoni" (the grand old man), Kumar is noted for his roles in Achhut Kannya (1936), Bandhan (1940) and Kismet (1943), the first blockbuster in Indian cinema.
Raj Kapoor	1987	Actor, Director	Hindi	Often revered as "The Show Man", actor and filmmaker Kapoor's performance in the Hindi film Awara (1951) was ranked as one of the top ten greatest performances of all time by Time magazine in 2010.
B. Nagi ReddyAndra Pradesh	1986	Producer	Telugu	Reddy produced more than 50 films, beginning in the 1950s. He established Vijaya Vauhini Studios which was at that time the biggest film studio in Asia.
V. ShantaramMaharashtra	1985	Director, Producer, Actor	Hindi & Marathi	Actor and filmmaker V. Shantaram produced and directed India's first colour film, Sairandhri (1931).He also produced and directed the first Marathi-language talkie, Ayodhyecha Raja (1932), and was associated with nearly 100 films over 50 years.
Satyajit RayWest Bengal	1984	Director	Bengali	Having debuted as a director with Pather Panchali (1955), the filmmaker Ray is credited with bringing world recognition to Indian cinema.
Durga KhoteMaharashtra	1983	Actress	Hindi & Marathi	Having acted in the first Marathi-language talkie Ayodhyecha Raja (1932), Khote is considered a pioneer among women in Indian cinema.She set up two production companies, Fact Films and Durga Khote Productions, which produced short films and documentaries.
L. V. PrasadAndra Pradesh	1982	Actor, Director, Producer	Telugu, Tamil & Hindi	Actor-director-producer L. V. Prasad has the distinction of acting in the first talkie films produced in three languages: the Hindi Alam Ara, Tamil Kalidas and Telugu Bhakta Prahlada, all released in 1931. He founded Prasad Studios in 1965 and the Colour Film Laboratory in 1976. Prasad Studios has produced over 150 films in various Indian languages.
NaushadUttar Pradesh	1981	Music Director	Hindi	Music director Naushad debuted with Prem Nagar (1940), and is credited with introducing the technique of sound mixing to Indian cinema.
Paidi JairajTelangana	1980	Actor, Director	Hindi & Telugu	Initially having worked as a body double, actor-director Jairaj is known for his portrayal of Indian historical characters and was involved in instituting the Filmfare Awards.
Sohrab ModiMaharashtra	1979	Actor, Director, Producer	Hindi	An actor and filmmaker, Modi is credited with bringing Shakespearean classics to Indian cinema and was noted for his delivery of Urdu dialogue.
Raichand BoralWest Bengal	1978	Music Director, Director	Bengali & Hindi	Considered one of the pioneers of Indian film music, Boral was a music director who, in collaboration with director Nitin Bose, introduced the system of playback singing in Indian cinema.
Nitin BoseWest Bengal	1977	Cinematographer, Director, Screenwriter	Bengali & Hindi	A cinematographer, director and screenwriter, Bose is noted for introducing playback singing to Indian cinema in 1935 through his Bengali film Bhagya Chakra and its Hindi remake Dhoop Chhaon.
Kanan DeviWest Bengal	1976	Actress	Bengali	Acknowledged as "the first lady of Bengali cinema", Kanan Devi made her acting debut in silent films in the 1920s. She also sang songs written by Rabindranath Tagore and was a producer with her film company, Shrimati Pictures.
Dhirendra Nath GangulyWest Bengal	1975	Actor, Director	Bengali	Considered one of the founders of Bengali film industry, Ganguly debuted as an actor in Bilat Ferat (1921). He established three production companies – Indo British Film Company (1918), Lotus Film Company (1922) and British Dominion Films Studio (1929) – to direct several Bengali films.
B. N. ReddyAndra Pradesh	1974	Director	Telugu	The director of fifteen feature films in Telugu, Reddy was the first Indian film personality to be honoured with a Doctor of Letters and also the first to receive the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India.
Ruby Myers (Sulochana)Maharashtra	1973	Actress	Hindi	One of the highest-paid actresses of her time, Sulochana made her debut with Veer Bala (1925) and is considered to be "the first sex symbol of Indian cinema".
Pankaj MullickWest Bengal	1972	Music Director	Bengali & Hindi	A composer, singer and actor, Mullick began his career providing background music by conducting live orchestras during the screening of silent films. He is best known for Mahishasuramardini, a radio musical composed in 1931.
Prithviraj KapoorMaharashtra	1971	Actor	Hindi	Kapoor began his acting career in theatres and starred in India's first sound film, Alam Ara (1931). He founded Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre company in 1944 "to promote Hindi stage productions".
Birendranath SircarBihar	1970	Producer	Bengali	The founder of two production companies, International Filmcraft and New Theatres, Sircar is considered to be one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. He also built two cinema theatres in Calcutta, one for screening Bengali films and one for Hindi films.
Devika RaniAndra Pradesh	1969	Actress	Hindi	Widely acknowledged as "the first lady of Indian cinema", the actress debuted in Karma (1933), which was the first Indian English-language film and the first Indian film to feature an on-screen kiss. She also founded the first Indian public limited film company, Bombay Talkies, in 1934.

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