🏆 Chapter 04 · Topic 05 · National Awards

Sports & Film Awards

Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya, Dhyan Chand awards; Dadasaheb Phalke Award and National Film Awards — complete notes.

🏅 National Sports Awards

Award	Criteria	Prize	Key Fact
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna	Most spectacular and outstanding performance in sports over 4 years	₹25 lakh + medal + certificate	Renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021; highest sports honour
Arjuna Award	Consistent outstanding performance in sports over 4 years	₹15 lakh + bronze statuette of Arjuna + scroll	Instituted 1961; named after Arjuna from Mahabharata
Dronacharya Award	Outstanding coaches who have produced medal-winning athletes at international events	₹15 lakh + bronze statuette of Dronacharya + scroll	Instituted 1985; named after Dronacharya from Mahabharata
Dhyan Chand Award	Lifetime achievement in sports and games	₹10 lakh + statuette + scroll	Instituted 2002; named after Major Dhyan Chand
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy	Best overall performance by a university in inter-university sports	Trophy + ₹10 lakh	Instituted 1956–57; oldest sports award in India
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar	Organisations and individuals who have played a significant role in sports promotion	Trophy + certificate	Instituted 2009

⭐ Khel Ratna Renaming (2021): The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was renamed to the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in August 2021. This was done following demands from the sports community, particularly after India’s hockey team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Major Dhyan Chand (1905–1979) is considered the greatest field hockey player of all time and is called the “Wizard of Hockey.” His birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day.

🎬 National Film Awards

Presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Announced on National Cinema Day; presented by the President of India
Three sections: Feature Films, Non-Feature Films, Best Writing on Cinema
Key awards:
- Best Film (Swarna Kamal/Golden Lotus) — highest honour for a feature film
- Best Director (Rajat Kamal/Silver Lotus)
- Best Actor, Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor/Actress
- Best Regional Film — for each language

🎬 Dadasaheb Phalke Award

India’s highest honour in cinema
Given for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema
Named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Dadasaheb Phalke) — the “Father of Indian Cinema”
Dadasaheb Phalke made India’s first feature film: Raja Harishchandra (1913)
First recipient: Devika Rani (1969) — the “First Lady of Indian Cinema”
Prize: Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) + shawl + ₹10 lakh
Notable recipients: Prithviraj Kapoor (1971), Pankaj Mullick (1972), Sulochana (1973), Kanan Devi (1976), Nitin Bose (1977), Raj Kapoor (1987), Ashok Kumar (1988), Lata Mangeshkar (1989), Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1991), Bhalji Pendharkar (1991), Dr. Bhupen Hazarika (1992), Majrooh Sultanpuri (1993), Dilip Kumar (1994), Shyam Benegal (2005), Tapan Sinha (2006), Manna Dey (2007), V.K. Murthy (2008), Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1999), Yash Chopra (2001), Dev Anand (2002), Mrinal Sen (2003), Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2004), Gulzar (2014), Shashi Kapoor (2015), Kasinathuni Viswanath (2017), Amitabh Bachchan (2018), Rajinikanth (2019), Asha Parekh (2020), Waheeda Rehman (2021), Mithun Chakraborty (2024)

📌 India’s First Feature Film: Raja Harishchandra (1913) was India’s first full-length feature film, directed by Dadasaheb Phalke. It was a silent film based on the story of King Harishchandra from Hindu mythology. The film was shot in Mumbai (then Bombay) and was a major commercial success. Dadasaheb Phalke is therefore called the “Father of Indian Cinema.” The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is named in his honour.

✅ Revision Checklist

✅ Khel Ratna = renamed from Rajiv Gandhi to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2021)
✅ Khel Ratna = highest sports honour = ₹25 lakh
✅ Arjuna Award = consistent performance over 4 years = ₹15 lakh = instituted 1961
✅ Dronacharya = outstanding coaches = ₹15 lakh = instituted 1985
✅ Dhyan Chand Award = lifetime achievement = ₹10 lakh = instituted 2002
✅ MAKA Trophy = best university in inter-university sports = oldest sports award (1956–57)
✅ Dadasaheb Phalke = highest film honour = lifetime contribution
✅ Named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke = “Father of Indian Cinema”
✅ India’s first feature film = Raja Harishchandra (1913) = Dadasaheb Phalke
✅ First Dadasaheb Phalke recipient = Devika Rani (1969)