

NEW DELHI: Today's Google doodle commemorates Dadasaheb Phalke , who's called the 'father of Indian cinema ', on the occasion of his 148th birth anniversary.

Phalke gave Indian cinema its first silent film, ' Raja Harishchandra ', in 1913. He made 95 movies and 27 short films in his career spanning 19 years.

Today's doodle by artist Aleesha Nandhra portrays a young Phalke directing actors, wielding the camera and editing film.

Phalke was born in Trimbak, in present-day Maharashtra, and his father was a noted scholar. The young Phalke developed a keen interest in the arts and went on to study, at various points, an array of disciplines, including photography, lithography, architecture, engineering, and even magic, says Google's write-up on the filmmaker.

While Phalke was working as a painter and theatre set designer he chanced upon Alice Guy's silent film, 'The Life of Christ' (1910). That's when he resolved to bring Indian culture to the silver screen. He traveled to London to learn filmmaking from Cecil Hepworth, a British director, producer and screenwriter who is considered one of the founders of the British film industry

In 1969, the government paid homage to Phalke by establishing the Dadasaheb Phalke awards recognizing lifetime contributions to Indian cinema.

