Google celebrates Dadasaheb Phalke's 148th birthday with a Doodle

Google dedicated a Doodle to 'Father of Indian Cinema' Dadasaheb Phalke on his 148th birth anniversary.

The producer-director-screenwriter, whose real name was Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, was born in Trimbak in present-day Maharashtra.

Phalke had a lot of interest in the arts and studied photography, lithography, architecture, engineering, and magic.

After working as a painter, draftsman, theatrical set designer, and lithographer, he saw Alice Guy's silent film, "The Life of Christ" (1910), which motivated him to bring Indian culture to the silver screen.

Phalke travelled to London to learn filmmaking from Cecil Hepworth and made his directorial debut in 1913 with "Raja Harishchandra", India's first full-length feature.

In his career spanning over 19 years, he made 95 movies and 27 short films.

Today's Doodle was created by guest artiste Aleesha Nandhra. It shows a young Dadasaheb in action as he went about directing the first few gems in the history of Indian cinema.

In 1969, the Government of India paid homage to this visionary filmmaker by dedicating an award in his name, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which recognises lifetime contributions to Indian cinema.