What do Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Anupam Kher, and Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files have in common? All of them recently received accolades in different categories at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Awards.
Now, before you go 'wow', pause for a second, because that's not the same as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – the highest honour in the field of Indian cinema.
After filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri announced on Twitter that his movie The Kashmir Files bagged the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards in the 'best film' category, along with the hashtag #DadaSahebPhalkeAwards2023, many news organisations took the tweet at face value.
However, the two awards are quite different from each other.
So, how are they different? And are there other awards named after Dadasaheb Phalke? Read on.
Dadasaheb Phalke Awards vs THE Dadasaheb Phalke Award: What's the Difference?
1. What Is THE Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted by the Government of India in 1969 to commemorate the contribution of filmmaker Dhundiraj Govind Phalke – popularly called Dadasaheb Phalke – to Indian cinema.
Called the Father of Indian Cinema, Phalke is best known for directing India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913.
Till date, 52 artistes have been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, including Satyajit Ray, Naushad Ali, V Shantaram, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Raj Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Gulzar, Shashi Kapoor, Pran, Soumitra Chaterjee, Manna Dey, Dev Anand, Yash Chopra, Asha Bhonsle, Amitabh Bachchan, and Rajinikanth.
Actor Devika Rani was the first actor to receive the award.
As is evident, the award is given annually to only one individual for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema," according to the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
It's no wonder that it is considered the "highest award in the field of cinema."
The latest Dadasaheb Phalke Award was given to veteran actor Asha Pareskh on 30 September 2022, at the 68th National Film Awards for the year 2020.
Expand2. So, What's the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards?
A prime difference between the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the DPIFF Awards is that the latter is given out by a privately-run, independent film festival, according to its website.
DPIFF was established in 2016 "to carry forward the legacy of Late Shri Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, lovingly known as Dadasaheb Phalke." The website identifies the DPIFF as "India's only independent international film festival."
The festival aims to celebrate the "brilliance of the Indian film industry by making an effort to acknowledge and aid nascent projects by bringing them to mainstream audiences."
Businessman Anil Mishra is the managing director and the founder of the DPIFF. According to the online film database IMDB, Mishra is an advisory board member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). However, his name is not on the current list of board members displayed on the CBFC website.
Another major difference between the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards and the DPIFF is that while the former is awarded to just one artiste every year, the latter awards are given in several categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Most Promising Actor, among others.
The DPIFF also accepts entries for short films whose run time is 30 minutes or less. The awards are decided by a jury. The jury president of the festival is Chandrasekhar Pusalkar, one of Phalke's grandsons.
Among other things, the website also lists Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as its "well-wishers."
The DPIFF website also says that these awards are "supported by" the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, a museum dedicated to the prime ministers of India, which was inaugurated in 2022.
In the past, actors like Kiara Advani, Lara Dutta, Sidharth Malhotra, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, and Sushant Singh Rajput have won the DPIFF Awards.
Expand3. Are There Other Awards Named After Dadasaheb Phalke?
Yes.
Apart from the DPIFF Awards, there are Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards.
In the context of the confusion during the recent DIPFF Awards, film researcher and critic Ajay Brahmatmaj tweeted that this award is being seen as an "equivalent to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award given by the Government of India" – and that the Indian government must take action.
Veteran filmmaker and recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Shyam Benegal, told Hindustan Times recently, "If my view has any kind of merit, the government should act on it and say please don't name all awards after Dadasaheb; let there be only one."
But speaking to the Hindustan Times, Ashok Kumar Parmar, joint secretary (films), said, "What can the ministry do? And under what rule can we take action? You can't stop them, since they're not exactly copying the name. They twist and use the name and organise a function. It's up to the invitees whether they want to attend such functions or not."
This has been called out in the past as well.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vani Tripathi Tikoo, a former member of the CBFC, wrote in a 2018 tweet that there was only one Dadasaheb Phalke Award instituted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry – and the use of the same name by any other party was "a gross violation of the prestigious award."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Expand
What Is THE Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was instituted by the Government of India in 1969 to commemorate the contribution of filmmaker Dhundiraj Govind Phalke – popularly called Dadasaheb Phalke – to Indian cinema.
Called the Father of Indian Cinema, Phalke is best known for directing India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913.
Till date, 52 artistes have been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, including Satyajit Ray, Naushad Ali, V Shantaram, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Raj Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Gulzar, Shashi Kapoor, Pran, Soumitra Chaterjee, Manna Dey, Dev Anand, Yash Chopra, Asha Bhonsle, Amitabh Bachchan, and Rajinikanth.
Actor Devika Rani was the first actor to receive the award.
As is evident, the award is given annually to only one individual for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema," according to the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
It's no wonder that it is considered the "highest award in the field of cinema."
The latest Dadasaheb Phalke Award was given to veteran actor Asha Pareskh on 30 September 2022, at the 68th National Film Awards for the year 2020.
So, What's the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards?
A prime difference between the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the DPIFF Awards is that the latter is given out by a privately-run, independent film festival, according to its website.
DPIFF was established in 2016 "to carry forward the legacy of Late Shri Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, lovingly known as Dadasaheb Phalke." The website identifies the DPIFF as "India's only independent international film festival."
The festival aims to celebrate the "brilliance of the Indian film industry by making an effort to acknowledge and aid nascent projects by bringing them to mainstream audiences."
Businessman Anil Mishra is the managing director and the founder of the DPIFF. According to the online film database IMDB, Mishra is an advisory board member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). However, his name is not on the current list of board members displayed on the CBFC website.
Another major difference between the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards and the DPIFF is that while the former is awarded to just one artiste every year, the latter awards are given in several categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Most Promising Actor, among others.
The DPIFF also accepts entries for short films whose run time is 30 minutes or less. The awards are decided by a jury. The jury president of the festival is Chandrasekhar Pusalkar, one of Phalke's grandsons.
Among other things, the website also lists Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as its "well-wishers."
The DPIFF website also says that these awards are "supported by" the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, a museum dedicated to the prime ministers of India, which was inaugurated in 2022.
In the past, actors like Kiara Advani, Lara Dutta, Sidharth Malhotra, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, and Sushant Singh Rajput have won the DPIFF Awards.
Are There Other Awards Named After Dadasaheb Phalke?
Yes.
Apart from the DPIFF Awards, there are Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards.
In the context of the confusion during the recent DIPFF Awards, film researcher and critic Ajay Brahmatmaj tweeted that this award is being seen as an "equivalent to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award given by the Government of India" – and that the Indian government must take action.
Veteran filmmaker and recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Shyam Benegal, told Hindustan Times recently, "If my view has any kind of merit, the government should act on it and say please don't name all awards after Dadasaheb; let there be only one."
But speaking to the Hindustan Times, Ashok Kumar Parmar, joint secretary (films), said, "What can the ministry do? And under what rule can we take action? You can't stop them, since they're not exactly copying the name. They twist and use the name and organise a function. It's up to the invitees whether they want to attend such functions or not."
This has been called out in the past as well.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vani Tripathi Tikoo, a former member of the CBFC, wrote in a 2018 tweet that there was only one Dadasaheb Phalke Award instituted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry – and the use of the same name by any other party was "a gross violation of the prestigious award."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)