Dada Saheb Phalke Award Winners

The Dada Saheb Phalke Award is Indian cinema's highest honour. The Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, presents it annually at the National Film Awards Ceremony.

Dada Saheb Phalke, aka Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, was an Indian screenwriter, director, and producer best known as "the father of Indian cinema." He directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).

During his 19-year career, which began long before India's independence, he directed 95 feature-length films and 27 short films. Some of his notable films include:

  • Mohini Bhasmasur (1913)
  • Satyavan Savitri (1914)
  • Lanka Dahan (1917)
  • Shri Krishna Janma (1918)
  • Kaliya Mardan (1919)

 It was in his honor, the Government of India established the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1969. 

The prize includes a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a ten lakh rupee cash prize.


The first recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke award was actress Devika Rani (dubbed the "First Lady of Indian Cinema"), who received it at the 17th National Film Awards in 1969. 

Asha ParekhPrithviraj Kapoor, on the other hand, was the first person to receive the award posthumously.

Rajnikanth and Kasinathuni Viswanath are the only South Indians to have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Because of the COVID pandemic, Rajnikanth won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019 but received it in 2021, whereas Asha Parekh won it in 2020 but will receive it in 2022.


List of Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winners (1969-2023)


Below is the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winners list with Year, Recipient, Field and Film Industry:

Sl. NO.Year RecipientFieldFilm Industry
1.1969Devika RaniActressHindi
2.1970Birendranath SircarProducerBengali
3.1971Prithviraj Kapoor (Posthumously)ActorHindi
4.1972Pankaj MullickMusic ComposerBengali, Hindi
5.1973Ruby Myers (Sulochana)ActressHindi
6.1974Bommireddy Narasimha ReddyDirectorTelugu
7.1975Dhirendra Nath GangulyActor, DirectorBengali
8.1976Kanan DeviActressBengali
9.1977Nitin BoseDirector, Cinematographer, ScreenwriterBengali, Hindi
10.1978Raichand BoralMusic Composer, DirectorBengali, Hindi
11.1979Sohrab ModiActor, Producer, DirectorHindi
12.1980Paidi JairajActor, DirectorHindi, Telugu
13.1981Naushad AliMusic ComposerHindi
14.1982L. V. PrasadActor, Producer, DirectorTelugu, Tamil, Hindi
15.1983Durga KhoteActressHindi, Marathi
16.1984Satyajit RayDirectorBengali
17.1985V. ShantaramActor, Producer, DirectorHindi, Marathi
18.1986B. Nagi ReddyProducerTelugu
19.1987Raj KapoorActor, DirectorHindi
20.1988Ashok KumarActorHindi
21.1989Lata MangeshkarPlayback SingerHindi, Marathi
22.1990Akkineni Nageswara RaoActorTelugu
23.1991Bhalji PendharkarProducer, Director, WriterMarathi
24.1992Bhupen HazarikaPlayback SingerAssamese
25.1993Majrooh SultanpurilyricistHindi
26.1994Dilip KumarActorHindi
27.1995RajkumarActorKannada
28.1996Sivaji GanesanActorTamil
29.1997Kavi PradeepLyricistHindi
30.1998B. R. ChopraProducer, DirectorHindi
31.1999Hrishikesh MukherjeeDirectorHindi
32.2000Asha BhoslePlayback SingerHindi, Marathi
33.2001Yash ChopraProducer, DirectorHindi
34.2002Dev AnandActor, Producer, DirectorHindi
35.2003Mrinal SenDirectorBengali
36.2004Adoor GopalakrishnanDirectorMalayalam
37.2005Shyam BenegalDirectorHindi
38.2006Tapan SinhaDirectorBengali, Hindi
39.2007Manna DeyPlayback SingerBengali, Hindi
40.2008V. K. MurthyCinematographerHindi
41.2009D. RamanaiduProducer, DirectorTelugu
42.2010K. BalachanderDirectorTamil, Telugu
43.2011Soumitra ChatterjeeActorBengali
44.2012PranActorHindi
45.2013GulzarLyricistHindi
46.2014Shashi KapoorActorHindi
47.2015Manoj KumarActorHindi
48.2016Kasinadhuni ViswanathDirectorTelugu
49.2017Vinod Khanna (Posthumously)ActorHindi
50.2018Amitabh BachchanActorHindi
51.2019RajnikantActorTamil, Hindi
522020Asha ParekhActressHindi
532021Waheeda RehmanActressHindi



📝SideNotes:

  • Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting – Anurag Thakur.
  • First female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) of India – Asha Parekh (1998).

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