Who was Dadasaheb Phalke? Google doodle pays tribute to ‘Father of Indian cinema’

Google on Monday dedicated a doodle to celebrate the 148th birth anniversary of legendary filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke, who is known as the Father of Indian Cinema. Dadasaheb Phalke, who was born as Dhundiraj Govind Phalke is a celebrated producer, director and screenwriter who made 95 movies and 27 short films in a career that spanned 19 years.

Born on April 30, 1870, in Trimbak in present-day Maharashtra's Nashik district, Phalke gave Indian Cinema its first silent film, 'Raja Harishchandra' in 1913 with special effects, making it a huge hit.

Dadasaheb developed an interest in the arts and studied diverse subjects such as photography, lithography, architecture, engineering and magic.He worked as a painter, draftsman, theatrical set designer and lithographer at different points of his career.

Some of his most noted works include Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919).

"The son of a scholar, Phalke developed a keen interest in the arts and studied at various points, photography, lithography, architecture, engineering, and even magic. After stints as a painter, draftsman, theatrical set designer, and lithographer, he chanced upon Alice Guy's silent film, The Life of Christ (1910)," Google said in a blog post.

"Today's Doodle shows a young Dadasaheb in action as he went about directing the first few gems in the history of Indian cinema," the Google blog post said.

"After stints as a painter, draftsman, theatrical set designer, and lithographer, he chanced upon Alice Guy's silent film, The Life of Christ (1910). Phalke resolved to bring Indian culture to the silver screen. He travelled to London to learn filmmaking from Cecil Hepworth," it added.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for lifetime contribution to cinema, was established by the Government of India in 1969. The award is considered as one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)