Showing posts with label Chandrashekhar Pusalkar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chandrashekhar Pusalkar. Show all posts
Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar refuses to attend DPIFF: "There are two FIRs against them"
3:33 PM
Mohanlal was felicitated with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 2025 National Film Awards
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; November 1, 2025)
The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Awards 2025 was held on October 30 in Worli, Mumbai. Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, Phalke’s grandson, says that while he was invited to the 13th edition, he refused to attend it. His reason is simple — he doesn’t recognize the gala, which is accused of misusing Phalke’s name and misleading government bodies.
Pusalkar tells mid-day, “There are two FIRs against them. How can they hold an event after all that has happened? They were after me to attend the event, but I declined. I was told that my grandson and niece accepted the invitation.”
Reportedly founded in 2012, the DPIFF honoured prominent names like Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Kareena Kapoor Khan over the years. In February 2025, the Bandra Police registered a case against organizers Anil and Abhishek Mishra for allegedly misleading people by claiming that their event is an official government programme and securing sponsorship from several state tourism departments (Father-son duo booked for allegedly misusing Phalke award name, Feb 7). The Bombay High Court stayed the investigation, with the matter scheduled for hearing on November 7.
The event’s name is strikingly similar to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is given by the government and is India’s highest honour in movies. The award — named after the Father of Indian cinema — is presented annually at the National Film Awards.
Pusalkar adds, “I will not attend any Dadasaheb Phalke Awards event, except the one organized by the government. Nobody should use my grandfather’s name, except the government.”
Aamir Khan cried over some special moments in my grandfather’s life-Chandrashekhar Pusalkar
8:55 AM
Rubbishing rumours that the Dadasaheb Phalke biopic is being reworked, his grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar says lead actor Aamir Khan is moved by the script and is giving his inputs
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 27, 2025)
Heightened interest always surrounds an Aamir Khan project. His next, a biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke, is no exception. Recently, rumours suggested that the Rajkumar Hirani-directed venture has been delayed as the superstar wants the script to be reworked.
When mid-day reached out to Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, he rubbished the chatter, saying, “It’s false news that the film is delayed. I checked with Hindukush and Avishkar [Bharadwaj, writers], and they denied it. Everything is going as scheduled. Nothing is being rewritten. The final draft is being prepared.”
Set against India’s independence struggle, the biopic will reportedly chronicle how Phalke made his maiden feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1931), thus sealing his place in history as the Father of Indian cinema. Pusalkar shared that the movie, as planned, will go on floors at Film City in Goregaon.
“The shooting will begin from January next year. Film City was officially named Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, and it seems fitting for the team to shoot there,” he said.
Khan is known to be deeply invested in his films. Considering he is attempting a biopic after many years, the actor and producer is all the more involved in its scripting.
Revealing that the actor has been moved by Phalke’s journey, Pusalkar added, “Aamir has been involved in the writing, and is giving his inputs. While reading the script, he holds a kerchief in one hand. He cried over some special moments in my grandfather’s life. He gets emotional about what my grandfather went through. I’m waiting for Hindukush to introduce me to Aamir and Rajkumar ji once the script is finalised.”
While he is happy that Phalke’s life story will be known to a wide audience through the upcoming film, Pusalkar has a complaint. It saddens him that the Phalke family has been invited only once for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award that is presented by the government of India at the annual National Film Awards.
“In the 55 years since it has been instituted, we have not been invited by the government to attend the function, except on one occasion. Even the one time we were invited, we sat in the audience like guests. The family should have a say in this award. Many NGOs too are misusing my grandfather’s name.”
Many producers felt Phalke’s story didn’t have masala-Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar
9:21 AM
As Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani team up for Dadasaheb Phalke’s biopic, his grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar on how most filmmakers refused to make a movie on the Father of Indian cinema
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; June 26, 2025)
Isn’t the story of how Dadasaheb Phalke made India’s first feature film worth chronicling on the big screen? Most would say yes in a heartbeat. As did superstar Aamir Khan and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who are teaming up for a biopic on Phalke, considered the Father of Indian cinema. It has quickly become one of the most talked about projects, but Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar reveals that initially, there were no takers for the story.
“Hindukush Bharadwaj and his son Avishkar did extensive research and wrote the script over the last four years. They had approached many producers earlier, but nobody was willing to take it on. The producers felt the story didn’t have the masala of a mainstream entertainer,” recalls Pusalkar. It was Hirani who saw merit in telling the story of the man who started it all for Indian cinema.
“Mr Hirani said it was our duty to make a film on the man who put Indian cinema on the world map, and because of him, we have rozi-roti. He also said that his intention with the film wasn’t to make profit, but for people all over the world to know about Dadasaheb Phalke.”
Interestingly, S S Rajamouli and Jr NTR have also announced a movie on the visionary.
Pusalkar reveals that work on the Khan-led biopic is on in full swing. “I have heard that the shoot will start from January 2026,” he shares.
Set against the backdrop of India’s independence struggle, the biopic will trace how Phalke got enamoured by movies and set out to make his maiden film, Raja Harishchandra (1913). There’s more, insists Pusalkar.
“The story will cover the childhood of my grandfather, who was born in Trimbak near Nashik. He had no plan of making movies, but when he saw the film on Jesus Christ [The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ], he thought why shouldn’t our culture, gods, and goddesses be shown. That’s how Raja Harishchandra happened.”
He adds that the movie will also depict how his second wife, Saraswatibai Phalke, deeply influenced his life. “My grandmother gave him her jewellery to help him go to London. She would sit in on the film’s editing and help him with reflectors on outdoor shoots.”
Pusalkar is ecstatic that Khan will step into his grandfather’s shoes. “He does everything with dedication and passion, and he will play Dadasaheb Phalke with the same sincerity. I’m sure he will do justice to my grandfather’s role.”
Did you know?
Phalke was not the original last name of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, better known as Dadasaheb Phalke. His grandson shares, “Our family’s surname is Bhatt. My grandfather’s ancestors used to supply cut banana leaves to the Peshwa kings for serving food, and that process was called making ‘phalke’ in Marathi. That led to the name.”
Father-son duo booked for allegedly misusing Dadasaheb Phalke award name
9:35 AM
Cops book founder and son of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards show for allegedly misleading govt bodies for sponsorships
Shirish Vaktania (MID-DAY; February 7, 2025)
The Bandra police have booked a father-son duo for allegedly misleading people by claiming that their event—the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Award—is an official government programme. According to the FIR, Anil Mishra and his son Abhishek allegedly used WhatsApp calls and messages to convince people to obtain sponsorships from multiple companies.
They have been accused of securing sponsorships from state tourism departments of UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Maharashtra, as well as from many PSUs and insurance companies. They also falsely claimed that film actors would be “star guests” at the two-day event, which was to be held at a five-star hotel in Bandra. The event was to be held at the hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra, with permission from Bandra police, Bandra traffic division, and Rangbhoomi Prayog Parinirikshan Mandal (Scrutiny Board, Government of Maharashtra).
The complainant in the case, Sameer Pandurang Dixit, 57, who is the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's film union, said that the Dadasaheb Phalke Award has been organized annually by the Government of India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the past 40 years. In 2024, actor Mithun Chakraborty won the award. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest honour in the field of cinema, presented by the Government of India at the National Film Awards. It is given specifically for outstanding contributions to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
The Bandra police have booked Anil Mishra, director of International Tourism Pvt Ltd, and his son Abhishek, for allegedly hosting the DPIFF Award—a copycat version of the acclaimed Dadasaheb Phalke Award. According to the FIR, the Mishras secured sponsorship from the tourism departments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and Maharashtra, as well as from private companies, nationalised banks, and insurance companies for the event. They were also selling tickets for the event on ‘BookMyShow’ for Rs 2.5 lakh per couple.
Speaking with mid-day, the complainant, Dixit said, “The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's biggest honour. But this company is organizing a similar event—claiming it is part of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award—where they are giving awards to actors in flop films. They were to hold the event at the five-star Taj Lands End on February 19-20 and had invited a number of celebrities.”
According to Dixit, on May 30, 2024, Anil visited the Bandra police station and secured permission to organise the DPIFF Award function at Taj Lands End. The duo also obtained an NOC from the Bandra traffic division on May 27. “Then on June 10, they obtained permission from the Rangbhoomi Prayog Parinirikshan Mandal to organise the award function. They also did promotions for the event and planned to give gifts to attendees,” Dixit explained.
According to the FIR, Anil posted photos on Instagram and websites claiming that the president, prime minister, home minister, former prime minister—late Manmohan Singh, as well as Tourism Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, were supporting the event and had sent their best wishes for the award function. Anil also mentioned on Instagram that the award was “supported by” the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya and used its logo.
He used the ‘Satyamev Jayate’ logo and claimed he was a member of the Consultative Committee of the Food Corporation of India, even creating visiting cards with this claim. However, according to the FIR, he is not a member of the committee.
Dixit told mid-day: “On August 21, 2024, they submitted an application to the Registrar of Companies to shut down the company. Since 2016, Anil has been organizing this award and misusing the names of government agencies to conduct this event. He not only cheated the government but also cheated people by selling passes for the event on BookMyShow, which are available even today.”
Senior Inspector Sanjay Marathe from Bandra police station said, “We have registered an FIR under sections 318-4 (cheating, dishonestly inducing someone to deliver property) and 319-2 (cheating by personation) of BNS against Anil Mishra and Abhishek Mishra. We have not arrested anyone in this case. We will take action after investigations.” mid-day tried to contact Anil and Abhishek but they didn't respond to calls and text messages. BookMyShow and Taj Lands End refused to comment on the issue.
Phalke’s grandson reacts…
Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, 74, the son of Phalke’s younger daughter Vrinda, told mid-day, “Now that the FIR is lodged and it has become a police matter, the festival cannot happen.”
Chandrashekhar admits that the organizers of DPIFF used to consult him and ask him for suggestions. “They had a committee. I didn’t know much about the other things. DPIFF was doing it at a very high level. There are other small NGOs as well who do it but I stopped going there because it is not good to go to all events using my grandfather’s name. Some are not using his name properly, there are malpractices.
We are helpless actually. The government must have registrations of all these NGOs. They are all registered, so they [the government] should have asked why is the Phalke name coming up again and again. The government shouldn’t permit these things. Dadasaheb Phalke is a common name… there must be around seven to eight (awards and festivals). There are so many of which I have also not heard about. People keep telling me that there are many such awards and functions in the name of my grandfather. But I don’t have anything under my control. I don’t have the strength—age-wise and or financial—to take action against them. We are old people… we also fear that if we take action, what if someone harms us?”
According to Chandrashekhar, this is because there is a lot of money in organizing these events. “We appeal to the government to take some action. They should audit all these NGOs organizing things in the name of Phalke and decide who should go ahead with these awards and who shouldn’t.”
“It is very frustrating for us as a family. People ask me if these awards are fake but how can I say if they are genuine or fake? I cannot comment on it as I have not seen their papers. People took us for granted saying ‘his grandson has come for the award so everything is transparent’. But I had just gone as a guest, I don’t know what they are doing, where they are from or where they are raising the funds from,” he added.
However, Chandrashekhar says he attended an award in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke in Bangalore because it recognizes talent in Kannada cinema. He said, “It was done by veterans in the Kannada industry so I was very happy. That way there could be some awareness about Phalke’s work.”
When asked for clarity on how he has been associated with DPIFF, he said, “I have attended it (the event). I have been attending it for many years since 2018. I have been going as a jury president.”
- Komal RJ Panchal
Chandrashekhar Pusalkar
Dadasaheb Phalke's name has become a shopping commodity-Grandson Chandrashekhar Pusalkar
8:11 AM
Manishaa R (DNA; June 1, 2017)
Three years after it last held its awards function in 2014, the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards Academy, instituted by the Film Federation with 38 industry crafts affiliated to it, has now decided to return with an “authentic awards” function to be held on June 1. The idea is to convey loud and clear that they are the only credible Dadasaheb Phalke Awards apart from those presented by the Government.
According to Ganesh Jain, the Chairperson of the Academy, could not hold the awards for the past two years, due to “limitations” after which some other people misused the opportunity and installed several awards in the name of Phalke. “We have been told that these people float big names in the market and generate sponsors for the awards. They are definitely not for a social cause,” Jain clarified, adding that “the stars and the people who were accepting these awards are unaware about the fact that they were not the real awards.” That being said, it is learnt that the Academy will reportedly award Priyanka Chopra, Kapil Sharma and Juhi Chawla this year.
Sangram Shirke, the President of the Western India Film Producers Association, said it was his father, producer Gajanan Shirke, who was instrumental in launching the DP Academy Awards in 1998.
He says, “After my father expired in 1999, it was veteran producer, Ram Gopal Gupta, who founded the academy in 2000 in association with several veterans in the industry including Federation chief Chandrashekhar, Pahlaj Nihalani, Govind Swaroop and Santosh Singh Jain,” he shared.
“We also got on board some of the biggest stalwarts in the industry like Yash Chopra, BR Chopra and Shakti Samantha. We were keen on building awareness on Phalke, since only the Central Government had an award in his name which was only for one person and the Maharashtra Government was doing it for Marathi cinema," Shirke says.
According to him, with the rate at which Phalke awards are being held, the credibility of each of the awards has come under question, “There is the Dadasaheb Film Foundation Awards and one helmed by another person, who branched out from our academy and set up his own event company. It is okay if all the awards co-exist, but this has led to chaos. Also, there is talk that some of these awards can be easily brought. Besides, everyone wants an award and that’s how some of them get sponsors and big names to back them,” he said.
However it is Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson, Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, son of his daughter, Mansi Phalke, who has the last word, “First of all, we feel sorry about the manner in which Dadasaheb Phalke’s name is being misused everywhere. Even when it concerns the Central Government awards, which are supposed to be the most credible awards, we haven’t been invited for a single award function in the past 46 years. They did not even bother to locate us. In that respect, the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy though it is a private academy, took the trouble of tracing us. They were also instrumental in renaming Film City as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari.
According to him, there are several other awards that have come up in the past few years when the Academy did not hold awards, “There is a Foundation award besides a Dadasaheb Excellence awards and another award.
Initially, we welcomed them, but later learnt that all kinds of things were happening backstage like people purchasing awards. It is disappointing that Dadasaheb Phalke’s name has become like a marketing commodity, being used by people with an intention of commercial gains,” he says.
He recalls an incident, which happened last year, when he was asked to hand over a Phalke award to a person, whose background was questionable, “I remember they got me to give an award to a man with a criminal background. I told them that I would not come there again. We would not like Phalke’s name to be tarnished,” he said.
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