Is it true that the Kashmir files won the Dadasaheb Phalke award?  – FactCrescendo | The leading fact-checking website in India

The Kashmir Files has not bagged Dadasaheb Phalke Award; it won an award at a private film fest with a similar name.

The controversy surrounding the film Kashmir Files has not died down nearly a year after its release on social media platforms. The movie became the talking point again when Vivek Agnihotri, the film’s director, announced on Twitter that the film had won the ‘Best Film’ award at the Dadasaheb International Film Festival 2023. The announcement caused considerable confusion among internet users regarding the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

In this scenario, we came across a post with the caption “The Kashmir Files wins the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award Congratulations to Vivek Agnihotri ji”. Let’s check the truth.

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Fact Check-

We discovered that the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ won the ‘Best Film’ award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2023, which is not the same as the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke’ award, which is the highest award in the field of cinema. As per reports Varun Dhawan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Rishabh Shetty, and the film The Kashmir Files were all honoured in various categories at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2023, which was held in Mumbai on 20 February. 

Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival

We checked the website of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) website and found that “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. It is an independent film festival held by a private organization. Anil Mishra is the founder and director of this film festival. Mishra is also a member of the advisory panel of the central board of film certification (CBFC) under the ministry of information and broadcasting. Awards are handed out in several categories, including best film, best actor, best actress, best director, best short film, etc. The DPIFF website does not mention any link between the film festival and awards with the Dada Saheb Phalke award bestowed by the Government.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in the field of Indian cinema. The award was instituted by the Indian government in 1969 in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed India’s first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913), and is considered the father of Indian cinema for his outstanding contribution to the field. This honour is given at the National Film Awards ceremony held by the ministry of information and broadcasting’s directorate of film festivals. 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. 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.

Many people confuse the two because of the similarity in the names. Film researcher and critic Brahmatmaj tweeted that this award is being seen as an equivalent to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award given by the Government of India and the Indian government must take action in this regard.

From these information, we clearly understand that there is a big difference between the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Dadasaheb International Film Festival Awards.  The Kashmir Files has been awarded the best film award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2023, an independent film festival held by a private organisation.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found that the movie The Kashmir Files was awarded the Best Film award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival held recently which is different from the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award bestowed by the Indian Government. Hence the post is Misleading.

Title:Is it true that the Kashmir files won the Dadasaheb Phalke award? 

Fact Check By: Usha Manoj 

Result: Misleading