CDS (I) 2020 General Knowledge · Question 58 of 120

Correct — B, Devika Rani. The Dada Saheb Phalke Award was instituted in 1969, the centenary year of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke's birth, and its first recipient was Devika Rani, honoured at the 17th National Film Awards and widely called the first lady of Indian cinema. She had trained in London, starred in Karma and Achhut Kanya, and with Himansu Rai ran Bombay Talkies, the studio that gave Ashok Kumar and Dilip Kumar their starts. The award the stem calls recent is Amitabh Bachchan's, made for the year 2018 and presented at the 66th National Film Awards. Every other name here is a genuine recipient, just not the first — which is what makes the question a test of one date rather than of the list.

• (a)Prithviraj Kapoor — Honoured for 1971, at the 19th National Film Awards, and posthumously. Two years after Devika Rani, and often guessed first because he is the senior figure of the Kapoor line.
• (c)Sohrab Modi — The actor and film-maker who brought Shakespearean drama to Indian cinema received the award for 1979, at the 27th National Film Awards.
• (d)Naushad — The music director credited with introducing sound mixing to Indian film received it for 1981, at the 29th National Film Awards.

The Dada Saheb Phalke Award is the Government of India's highest recognition for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema, presented by the President at the National Film Awards ceremony. It carries the Swarna Kamal, a cash prize, a shawl and a citation, and it is named for the maker of Raja Harishchandra in 1913, the first full-length Indian feature film.

The four names span 1969 to 1981, so the question is really asking which of them comes first in a list, and the answer is the one that breaks the pattern a student expects — a woman, and an actress of the 1930s rather than a patriarch of the studio era. Keeping the first recipient and the most recent recipient in mind covers most questions of this kind. Present-day note: the list has moved a long way past this paper. Asha Parekh received it for 2020, Waheeda Rehman for 2021, Mithun Chakraborty for 2022 and Mohanlal for 2023, presented on 23 September 2025.

• Devika Rani was the first recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, for 1969, at the 17th National Film Awards.
• Amitabh Bachchan received the award for 2018, at the 66th National Film Awards.
• Prithviraj Kapoor was honoured for 1971 and posthumously, Sohrab Modi for 1979 and Naushad for 1981.
• The award is named for Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, who made Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, in 1913.
• More recent recipients include Asha Parekh for 2020, Waheeda Rehman for 2021, Mithun Chakraborty for 2022 and Mohanlal for 2023.

• Assuming the first recipient must be a male studio patriarch; it was Devika Rani.
• Mixing up the year an award is for with the year it is presented; the two differ, often by more than one year.

As a first-recipient or which-year item, or embedded in a match of awardees to years.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Dada Saheb Phalke Award is named after the maker of which one of the following films?

  • (a)Alam Ara
  • (b)Raja Harishchandra
  • (c)Achhut Kanya
  • (d)Pather Panchali

  Answer(b) Raja Harishchandra — Dhundiraj Govind Phalke made it in 1913, and it is regarded as the first full-length Indian feature film.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Dada Saheb Phalke Award is presented as part of which one of the following?

  • (a)The International Film Festival of India
  • (b)The National Film Awards
  • (c)The Filmfare Awards
  • (d)The Padma awards

  Answer(b) The National Film Awards — the President presents it at that ceremony, along with the Swarna Kamal, a cash prize, a shawl and a citation.