The country’s highest film honour, the DadasahebPhalke award, was presented this year to Amitabh Bachchan
The award comes in the year that marks Mr. Bachchan’s golden jubilee in cinema, who made his debut in 1969
DadasahebPhalke (1870–1944), was an Indian film-maker who directed India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913). He is regarded as “the father of Indian cinema.”
The awardis given to people for their “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema”.
It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
The award prize consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a shawl.
The award was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”
