Showing posts with label Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Show all posts
People say that you are flattering Narendra Modi, doing chamchagiri. I don’t care-
9:54 AM
Nishad Neelambaran (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 18, 2026)
Veteran actor Anant Nag has been announced as the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Nag said he was “surprised” to learn that the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted about it and announced it on social media. “I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. When people said that the Prime Minister had tweeted it; I was doubly happy.”
Anant Nag, who is best known for his films such as Ankur (1974), Accident (1985), Beladingala Baale (1995) and Minchina Ota (1980), to name a few, mentioned that none of this would have been possible without the love and acceptance he has received from the people of Karnataka.
“It is the soil and cultural atmosphere of Karnataka that made me feel very much at home, and I felt that this is the ground to achieve whatever I have to... This is my karmabhoomi. This was all about 50 years ago. That is why I dedicate last year’s Padma Bhushan and this Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Karnataka and Kannadigas. I was in Mumbai, too, for 18 years, where I began my theatre career at Karnataka Kala Kendra,” he mentioned.
With more than five decades of experience, the veteran said that his art and craft were always appreciated. “I was called to work in all the neighbouring states. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, I have worked in all their languages, but I went there as an ambassador of Karnataka,” he shared. Having mentioned that he is honoured to see these recognitions come his way, the 78-year-old actor said that he has never really been the one to work for an award.
“One never really works for an award. Yes, we want to do well in our careers, but none of us works for an award, as it is made out to be. And of course, there is lobbying and other kinds of activities to get an award, but that is different, and that is not from an actor’s point of view,” he explained.
Anant in his previous statements to the media, also mentioned that Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi was responsible for getting rid of nepotism and favouritism.
Commenting further, he added, “Yes, that is true. There are so many fields of activity almost everywhere favouritism and nepotism stopped after 2014, when he took over... From A to Z, in every field, he has ensured that people [get recognized]. He said suggest names from your own surroundings who deserve the recognition. He has done a great job in that respect also.”
Anant also went on to admit that a certain section of the internet is criticizing him for supporting PM Narendra Modi: “People say that you are flattering him, doing chamchagiri. I don’t care. The more they abuse, the more it shows their calibre, that’s all. They are not able to do anything except this,” said the actor.
More than 30 years ago, in 1995, Kannada legend Dr Rajkumar received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Anant Nag is only the second Kannada actor to receive the honour. Ask him why the long gap, and he said, “As far as I understand, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award comes at the fag-end of one’s career. Nobody gets it in their 20s, 30s or even in the 60s. It comes much later. The point is that they have recognised many people in our country.”
Congratulating actor Anant Nag on this prestigious award, Chaluve Gowda, co-founder, Hombale Films, said, “Anant Nag sir receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is a proud moment for Kannada cinema. For generations, his work has shown us that great acting is not about being larger than life, but about bringing truth, depth and authenticity to every character. His five-decade-plus journey is a remarkable part of the history of Indian cinema.”
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
For the first time, I was fumbling at the press conference-Mithun Chakraborty
7:38 AM
Ruman Ganguly and Aatreyee Mohanta (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 1, 2024)
Mithun Chakraborty, who has dominated the arthouse and commercial film industries for over four decades, is set to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – India’s highest honour in the field of cinema. The award will be bestowed upon the Disco Dancer star at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8.
Mithun Chakraborty spoke to us from the set of director Pathrikrit Basu’s film, in the northern parts of Kolkata.
The actor said, “I am totally dumbfounded. I cannot laugh, neither can I cry.” He added, “It is such a big honour, I am unable to digest this feeling. For the first time, I was fumbling at the press conference. Honestly, it feels as though it is a life-altering moment for me.”
Chakraborty went on to add: “It feels as though God has finally evaluated all these years, decades of my struggle. There is a dilapidated temple on the way to Nimtalla burning ghat. No one knows about it. There is an ascetic, I call him Bhole baba. I will head there to seek his blessings.” When asked about his plans to celebrate, the veteran actor said, “I have no plans to celebrate as such. My work is my celebration.”
In a post on X, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement and wrote, “Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Mithun Chakraborty ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema.”
Reacting to the news, Mithun’s son Mimoh Chakraborty, said, “We, as a family, and all his fans are absolutely overwhelmed by this very deserved and prestigious award that has been bestowed upon baba. What a proud moment for us!”
Congratulatory messages poured in from the veteran star’s industry colleagues, too. “I’m a big fan of Mithun da – his iconic cinematic journey inspires us all. He’s someone who acted in Disco Dancer and Tahader Katha with the same elan. One of the finest actors in our country, Mithun da is a true icon of Indian cinema. And, a Bengali actor from Kolkata making waves worldwide makes me prouder,” said Tollywood star Prosenjit Chatterjee.
Rituparna Sengupta, who has worked in several films with Mithun, said, “It is such a proud moment for us! Dada is our pride, and this award only proves that he is an actor par excellence. As an actor, I feel privileged that I got an opportunity to work with him in so many films, both Hindi and Bengali.”
Mithun’s enduring cinematic legacy
In the industry for 48 years now, Mithun began his career with his breakthrough performance in Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa (1977), which earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor. Chakraborty has since starred in over 350 films in an array of languages like Hindi Bengali, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bhojpuri, and Punjabi. The actor also holds a record in the Limca Book of Records for releasing 19 films in 1989, a feat that remains unbroken.
Mithun Chakraborty on Dadasaheb Phalke Award: "Don't know what I have done to deserve..."
9:42 AM
Avijit Ghosh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 1, 2024)
New Delhi: In the summer of 1969, Mithun Chakraborty was asked to leave Kolkata by his father for getting involved with the Naxalites, the radical Reds whose ideology had enchanted hundreds of young men in search of a cause in Kolkata. In the years that followed, among other things, Mithun slept on pavements of Mumbai and was forced to cough up a fee for the precious space. On Monday, he was declared as the next recipient of Indian cinema’s highest honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke award, by Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on X.
Life’s been a rollercoaster for the actor who has won the National Award on three occasions. Mithun got the best actor prize for his portrayal of a wronged tribal in his first major film, Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa (1977) and again for his celluloid interpretation of a disillusioned freedom fighter in Buddadev Dasgupta’s Tahader Katha (1992). A third award as the best supporting actor came for his part of Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans in GV Iyer’s Swami Vivekananda (1995). The profundity that Mithun brought to these var ying parts has often been overshadowed by his image of a star of mainstream movies.
Even in commercial cinema, the 74-year-old Kolkataborn actor has done more than often given credit for. Mithun toiled for 10 years in the harsh Mumbai filmdom before finding his feet and success; 1979 being his breakthrough year when Surakksha, where he played the desi Bond, Gunmaster G-9, became a box-office winner. He was the first dancing star to emerge in the video era that the non-gentry audience loved and identified with. Nobody took dancing to the street as a way of expressing joy and celebrating weddings and festivals like Mithun.
The actor also overcame colour prejudice that was subtly embedded in the choice of heroes in colour conscious 1980s Bollywood; Mithun made dusky sexy. Even today Mithun is an icon in Russia where Disco Dancer (1983) is an intergenerational hit. In Tokyo too, there’s a shrine to the Disco Dancer. Now over four and half decades in the acting business, he acted in the 2022 blockbuster, The Kashmir Files.
Over the years, the actor widened his repertoire. He has delivered hits in mature action yarns (Ghulami), romantic dramas (Pyar Jhukta Nahi) and southern-made melodramas (Ghar Ek Mandir, Swarg Se Sundar and Pyaar Ka Mandir), not to forget in comedies (Golmaal 3).
Mithun has also acted with success in low budget films such as Jallad creating a template of such movies. His dialogues like ‘Marbo ekhane lash porbe shoshane (Hit you here, and the body will land up in the crematorium)’ in the Bengali film, MLA Fatakesto, is played on YouTube to this day.
The actor has always been at the forefront of social causes. In 1986, he took the lead in organizing the Calcutta version of Hope 86, a concert in aid of Bombay film industry workers. In the 1990s, he was often conferred with Rashtriya Samman for being one of the highest taxpayers in the country.
Politics has been a playful rainbow for Mithun. He has enjoyed its different colours and shades. After starting from the extreme Red, he warmed up to the gentler hues of CPM politicos in the 1980s. He became a Rajya Sabha MP via centrist Trinamool. And embraced BJP’s saffron in 2021.
“Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations!” said Vaishnaw in his post. The truth is that Mithun’s life has more drama than most films. It has been an exceptional life overall which will certainly inspire any ambitious young man or woman trying to reach for the stars.
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Chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Mithun Chakraborty reflects on his journey from ‘Kolkata’s lanes’ to Mrigayaa and stardom
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 1, 2024)
It started out as just another Monday for Mithun Chakraborty as he was shooting for Shriman vs Shrimati in Kolkata, when he received a call stating that Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, wanted to speak with him. “[Next thing I know], the I&B Minister congratulated me saying I have received the Dadasaheb Phalke award,” the senior actor exclaims.
Yesterday, Chakraborty was named the recipient of the prestigious award. It is a worthy addition to his illustrious 48-year career that has seen the veteran actor, 74, win three National Awards, and the Padma Bhushan earlier this year. To him, the latest achievement has yet to sink in.
“I am sitting here dumbfounded. I cannot laugh or cry with joy; I cannot understand what I’ve done to deserve such a high honour. I was reflecting on my journey, which began in the lanes of Kolkata, then took me to Mumbai, where I lived at Five Gardens, and now here. How can somebody like me get the highest Indian award in films?”
That Chakraborty was destined to make his mark in movies was evident in his debut film, Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa (1976), which earned him his first National Award. “Mrinal Sen had seen me at a farewell party at the FTII [Film and Television Institute of India]. He saw my back and said, ‘That’s my Ghinua.’ He told Hrishikesh Mukherjee that he wanted this tall boy with a terrific physique for his movie. I had six-pack abs at the time,” he laughs.
What followed was a successful career in Hindi and Bengali cinema, with the actor ushering in the era of disco dancing in India with Disco Dancer (1982). He fronted several mainstream hits, including Hum Se Hai Zamaana (1983), Kasam Paida Karnewale Ki (1984) and Dance Dance (1987). “Nothing came on a platter. When I became a superstar, I had to hold on to it. That was a bigger struggle. People tell me I am a legend, but the journey was never easy.”
‘Padma and Phalke in one year’
Mithun Chakraborty’s actor-son Mimoh said he was “overwhelmed and grateful” by the recognition accorded to the veteran actor. “I’m thankful to the government for giving him this prestigious award. It’s very well-deserved. I’m happy to say that in one year, he has been the recipient of two awards, the Padma Bhushan and now the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” he said. Describing his father as a man of simple taste, Mimoh elaborated, “When we go to Los Angeles, we have to force him to go to a store and buy clothes. Even with iPhones, we have to tell him to upgrade. He does not believe in living life extravagantly. He believes in living life honestly and [doing] everything with utmost honesty.”
- Oshin Fernandes
Gajendra Chauhan unfazed by trolling on award mix-up
8:12 AM
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 15, 2021)
Actor Gajendra Chauhan occupied a spot on the trending list after he shared a picture of himself holding a trophy and wrote, “Honoured. I have been awarded Legend Dada Saheb Phalke award 2021 in Mumbai for my work in Indian Film Industry. Thanks to my well wishers.”
This sent netizens into a frenzy, as they confused the award given by the Krishna Chauhan Foundation with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the nation’s highest honour for cinema, bestowed by the Indian government, and ended up trolling the actor.
“What? This is crazy, why did you get this? What have you done? Sharam ho toh return kardo,” read a tweet, while another quipped, “Either it’s a parody award or... they’ve reduced the award to a parody!”
All this left Chauhan astonished, as he had “clearly mentioned” the award’s name in his tweet. “Had people read it carefully, this confusion wouldn’t have happened. I can’t go around explaining and clearing the confusion… If they had a doubt, they could have asked instead of calling it fake or duplicate,” he rues.
The 64-year-old isn’t taking this criticism seriously. “Whether an award is big or small, it’s a way to appreciate your work. Maine apne ghar pe toh banaya nahin hai na award. It recognises work I’ve done, including (TV show) Mahabharat, and pushes me to do better,” he says.
Among others, filmmaker Munish Bhardwaj is also amazed at the case of mistaken identity. He tweeted, “Incredibly smart people falling for that Gajju tweet about some bulls**t award he got.”
Talking to us, Bhardwaj says, “So many people started slamming him, saying he doesn’t deserve the award, which I agree with… But my tweet was for the people who didn’t know the difference between the awards. It was like, the joke is on you if you think he got the country’s highest honour.”
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