On February 21, 2023, Vivek Agnihotri, the director of the controversy-ridden movie The Kashmir Files, announced on Twitter that the film had bagged the ‘Best Film’ award at the Dadasaheb International Film Festival 2023. The announcement led to much confusion amongst netizens regarding the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival awards were announced on February 20, 2023.
Claim:
Vivek Agnihotri shared images from the awards ceremony at Dadasaheb International Film Festival 2023. The tweet is captioned, “ANNOUNCEMENT: #TheKashmirFiles wins the ‘Best Film’ award at #DadaSahebPhalkeAwards2023. “This award is dedicated to all the victims of terrorism and all the people of India for your blessings.”
Several social media users shared that The Kashmir Files has been awarded with the Dadasaheb Phalke award.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), used the same hashtag as Agnihotri to claim that The Kashmir Files has been awarded with the Best Film in the Dada Saheb Phalke Awards, 2023.
Fact Check:
Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival:
We checked the About us Section of the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) website. “The film festival was founded in 2012 and established in 2016 to carry forward the legacy of Late Shri Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, lovingly known as Dadasaheb Phalke – The Father of Indian Cinema, the website notes.
As per an article published by the Indian Express on February 21, 2023, the DPIFF awarded people and films in 30 categories in this year’s edition. Veteran actor Rekha received an award for her outstanding contribution to the film industry. Bollywood celebrities such as Varun Dhawan, Rekha, Alia Bhatt, Anupam Kher, Ronit Roy, Shreyas Talpade, and R Balki attended the event.
Film critic and researcher Brahmatmaj tweeted that this award is being seen as an equivalent to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award bestowed by the Government of India. He appealed to the Indian government to shut down this award.
The DPIFF website does not mention any link between the film festival and awards with the Dada Saheb Phalke award bestowed by the Government.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award:
We checked the website of the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The website contained an overview of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award.
The website notes, “Instituted in 1969 when presented to Devika Rani, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema who directed India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra in 1913.”
As per the website, the Dada Saheb Phalke Award is recognized as the “highest award in the field of cinema”. The recipients are recognized for their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The recipients are awarded a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
Image Credit: Dff.gov.in
The most recent Dadasaheb Phalke Award was bestowed on Indian actress, film director, and producer Asha Parekh in 2020. Film personalities including Shyam Benegal, Amitabh Bachchan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Lata Mangeshkar, and Gulzar have also won the award.
Conclusion:
We found that The Kashmir Files was awarded the ‘Best Film’ award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival held recently however, it was mistaken with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award bestowed by the Indian Government. Vivek Agnihotri’s claim that The Kashmir Files was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award led to confusion on social media.
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Fact Check
2023-02-23 10:46:11.0
The Kashmir Files Wasn’t Given The ‘Best Film’ Award At The Dadasaheb Phalke Award
