The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema, given by the Government of India and presented annually at the National Film Awards. The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema", and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry. The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of .
Presented first in 1969, the award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke's contribution to Indian cinema. Phalke (1870–1944), who is popularly known as and often regarded as "the father of Indian cinema", was an Indian filmmaker who directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913).
The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, who was honoured at the 17th National Film Awards. As of 2026, there have been 56 awardees. Among those, actors Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and Vinod Khanna (2017) are the only posthumous recipients. Kapoor's actor-filmmaker son, Raj Kapoor, accepted the award on his behalf at the 19th National Film Awards in 1971 and was also himself a recipient in 1987 at the 35th National Film Awards ceremony.
Recipients include several pairs of siblings who received this award in different years, for example: B. N. Reddy (1974) and B. Nagi Reddy (1986); Raj Kapoor (1987) and Shashi Kapoor (2014); Lata Mangeshkar (1989) and Asha Bhosle (2000); B. R. Chopra (1998) and Yash Chopra (2001). The most recent recipient (2024) is actor Anant Nag, who was honoured at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on 22 September 2026 by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
Recipients + List of award recipients by year Year Image Recipient Film industry Notes 1969 Devika Rani Hindi Widely acknowledged as "the first lady of Indian cinema", the actress debuted in Karma (1933), which was the first Indian English-language film and the first Indian film to feature an on-screen kiss. She also founded the first Indian public limited film company, Bombay Talkies, in 1934. 1970 Birendranath Sircar Bengali The founder of two production companies, International Filmcraft and New Theatres, Sircar is considered to be one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. He also built two cinema theatres in Calcutta, one for screening Bengali films and one for Hindi films. 1971 Prithviraj Kapoor Hindi Kapoor began his acting career in theatres and starred in India's first sound film, Alam Ara (1931). He founded Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre company in 1944 "to promote Hindi stage productions". 1972 Pankaj Mullick BengaliHindi A composer, singer and actor, Mullick began his career providing background music by conducting live orchestras during the screening of silent films. He is best known for Mahishasuramardini, a radio musical composed in 1931. 1973 Ruby Myers (Sulochana) Hindi One of the highest-paid actresses of her time, Sulochana made her debut with Veer Bala (1925) and is considered to be "the first sex symbol of Indian cinema". 1974 B. N. Reddy Telugu The director of fifteen feature films in Telugu, Reddy was the first Indian film personality to be honoured with a Doctor of Letters and also the first to receive the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India. 1975 Dhirendra Nath Ganguly Bengali Considered one of the founders of the Bengali film industry, Ganguly debuted as an actor in Bilat Ferat (1921). He established three production companies – Indo British Film Company (1918), Lotus Film Company (1922) and British Dominion Films Studio (1929) – to direct several Bengali films. 1976 Kanan Devi Bengali Acknowledged as "the first lady of Bengali cinema", Kanan Devi made her acting debut in silent films in the 1920s. She also sang songs written by Rabindranath Tagore and was a producer with her film company, Shrimati Pictures. 1977 Nitin Bose BengaliHindi A cinematographer, director and screenwriter, Bose is noted for introducing playback singing to Indian cinema in 1935 through his Bengali film Bhagya Chakra and its Hindi remake Dhoop Chhaon. 1978 Raichand Boral BengaliHindi Considered one of the pioneers of Indian film music, Boral was a music director who, in collaboration with director Nitin Bose, introduced the system of playback singing in Indian cinema. 1979 Sohrab Modi Hindi An actor and filmmaker, Modi is credited with bringing Shakespearean classics to Indian cinema and was noted for his delivery of Urdu dialogue. 1980 Paidi Jairaj Hindi Initially having worked as a body double, actor-director Jairaj is known for his portrayal of Indian historical characters and was involved in instituting the Filmfare Awards. 1981 Naushad Hindi Music director Naushad debuted with Prem Nagar (1940), and is credited with introducing the technique of sound mixing to Indian cinema. 1982 L. V. Prasad TeluguTamilHindi Actor-director-producer L. V. Prasad has the distinction of acting in the first talkie films produced in three languages: the Hindi Alam Ara, Tamil Kalidas and Telugu Bhakta Prahlada, all released in 1931. He founded Prasad Studios in 1965 and the Colour Film Laboratory in 1976. Prasad Studios has produced over 150 films in various Indian languages. 1983 Durga Khote HindiMarathi Having acted in the first Marathi-language talkie Ayodhyecha Raja (1932), Khote is considered a pioneer among women in Indian cinema. She set up two production companies, Fact Films and Durga Khote Productions, which produced short films and documentaries. 1984 Satyajit Ray Bengali Having debuted as a director with Pather Panchali (1955), filmmaker Satyajit Ray is credited with bringing world recognition to Indian cinema.