Recently, Malayalam star Mohanlal has been awarded Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to the Indian cinema, and the official ceremony is set to be held during the 71st National Film Awards.
But do you know this prestigious award was instituted in 1969 by the Government of India?
What is Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
This is the highest honour in Indian cinema, given for lifetime contribution to the growth and development of Indian film. Named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Dadasaheb Phalke), regarded as the father of Indian cinema, the award includes a Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal) medallion, a shawl and a cash prize. Here’s the complete list of all recipients of the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards.
Early years (1969-1980)
In 1969 the first recipient was Devika Rani (Hindi cinema), honoured for her pioneering role in early Indian films. The next several years saw recognition of influential figures across different regions and crafts: for example Birendranath Sircar from Bengali cinema in 1970, Prithviraj Kapoor (Hindi) in 1971, Pankaj Mullick (Bengali & Hindi) in 1972, Ruby Myers (also known as Sulochana) in 1973 for her work in silent and early talkies, and B. N. Reddy in 1974 for Telugu cinema.
Through the 1970s the award was given almost every year to actors, filmmakers, singers and producers who had laid the groundwork for Indian cinema. Notables from the period include Sohrab Modi, Paidi Jairaj, Naushad, L. V. Prasad, Durga Khote, and Satyajit Ray by the early-1980s.
Consolidation and expansion (1981-2000)
During the 1980s and 1990s, the award continued to recognize icons from not just Hindi cinema but from Marathi, Bengali, Telugu, Assamese, and other regional industries.
In 1985, V. Shantaram was awarded for his work in Hindi & Marathi cinemas. By 1989, singer Lata Mangeshkar was honoured for her playback singing contributions. The 1990s saw recipients like Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Telugu), Rajkumar (Kannada), Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil), Kavi Pradeep, B. R. Chopra, Hrishikesh Mukherjee etc., showcasing both linguistic diversity and the breadth of cinematic roles being honoured.
21st Century highlights (2001-2020)
- In the 2000s, the award recognised a mix of legendary performers and national film icons who had already shaped Indian cinema across decades.
- Asha Bhosle (2000) for her long musical career spanning multiple languages. Yash Chopra (2001), Dev Anand (2002), Mrinal Sen (2003) and others carried forward the tradition of recognizing not just actors but also directors, producers, musicians and writers.
- By 2010-2015 period, names like K. Balachander, Soumitra Chatterjee, Pran, Gulzar, Shashi Kapoor, Manoj Kumar kept the legacy strong.
Recent winners (2016-2025)
Over the past decade, several names have joined the roster of legends honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Here are a few names:
- Kasinathuni Viswanath in 2016 was recognised for his contributions to Telugu cinema.
- Vinod Khanna in 2017 and Amitabh Bachchan in 2018 upheld the tradition in the Hindi film industry.
- Rajinikanth received the award in 2019 for his iconic work in Tamil cinema and the award was given to Asha Parekh in 2020.
- In 2022, Mithun Chakraborty was honoured and most recently, in 2025, the recipient is Mohanlal, the Malayalam superstar, marking an important moment for Malayalam cinema.
Cross-discipline recognition
Winners have ranged from actors and directors to composers, playback singers, producers and cinematographers, such as Naushad (a music composer), Lata Mangeshkar (playback singing), V. Shantaram (director/actor).
Some awards have been made posthumously, like Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and more recently Vinod Khanna (2017) in certain lists noted had passed away by the time of the award announcement. As cinema continues to evolve, this award remains a timeless homage to contribution, commitment, and cinematic excellence.