Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2009

Veteran film maker D. Ramanaidu on 9 Sept 2010 was selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2009. The 41st Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner was born in Karamchedu in Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh in 1936. 130 films have been listed to his credit and for this feat his name is registerd in Guinness Book of World Records. Though he has made a considerable number of films in Telegu, he mastered the art of making films in several regional languages as well as Hindi. He debuted with Telugu film Anuragam in 1963 and delivered the N T Ramarao starrer super hit film Ramadu-Beemudu in 1964. His film Surigadu was selected for the Indian Panorama in 1993 and the Bengali film Asukh won widespread accolades. Few famaous Hindi films to his credit are as follows- Premanagar, Dildar, Bandish.
Bomireddi Narasimha Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), Paidi Jairaj (actor, director), L. V. Prasad (actor, director, producer), were also from Andhra pradesh to have received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award before him. Devika Rani (actor) also from Andhra Pradesh was the first winner of the award. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award of 2008 was given to B.K.Murthy of Karnataka. B.K. Murthy was the first cinematographer to be given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Important Information
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is an annual award given by the Indian government to individuals for their lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969 to mark the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke who is considered to be the father of Indian cinema. The award consists of a Swarna Kamal medallion, a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh and a shawl. Three awards are given in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy namely- Phalke Ratna Award, Phalke Kalpataru Award and Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards.
Dadasaheb Phalke: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke from Maharashtra was Indian producer-director-screenwriter and recognised as the father of Indian cinema. He was born on 30 April 1870 in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik. He devoted his entire life for making silent movies. He started his stint with the famous movie on mythological character Raja Harishchandra in 1913. His first silent movie Raja Harishchandra had its official premier show in Coronation Theater in Bombay on 3 May 1913 for the common people. He made 95 movies and 26 short films in the span of 19 years, till 1932. Dadasaheb’s last silent movie Setubandhan was released in 1932. The only talkie movie made by him was Gangavataran.