Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson applauds Whistling Woods tribute to the Father of Indian Cinema

In the 150th year of Dadasaheb Phalke’s birth, students of Subhash Ghai’s film institute, Whistling Woods International, have paid tribute to him by putting together a video of his achievements.

Often called the Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke set the movie business going in India by making Raja Harishchandra (1913), the first film to be made entirely by an Indian. He went on to make more than 90 feature films and 27 short films.

The Whistling Woods video features stills and clips from some of Phalke’s celebrated films like Raja Harishchandra, Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Lanka Dahan (1917) and Kaliya Mardan (1919) and has a voice-over by veteran screenwriter Anjum Rajabali, who also chaired the jury for the Cinestaan India's Storytellers Contest.

Phalke’s grandson, Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, hailed the video and the institute’s idea of honouring his maternal grandfather.

“In 1927, during an interview, my grandfather, Dada, had expressed a wish that there should be an institute which imparts education and training in cinema," Pusalkar said. "Today, Whistling Woods International is fulfilling his dream by training thousands of students in the field of film and creative arts. It feels great and I’m immensely happy to see the students and faculty of Whistling Woods International observing the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of Indian Cinema and paying a grand tribute to him through this video.”

Reacting to the students’ effort, Meghna Ghai Puri from Whistling Woods said, “It’s a great honour and privilege for us as an institute to pay tribute to Dadasaheb Phalke, the Father of Indian Cinema, one of the most respected personalities of the Indian film industry. The video tribute briefly chronicles his journey and I’m proud of our faculty and students who took the initiative to create this video.”