FWICE to create 18-foot Dadasaheb Phalke statue

Dadasaheb Phalke

In December, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) will unveil an 18-foot tall statue of producer-director-screenwriter Dadasaheb Phalke, complete with a three-foot base commemorative plaque and lighting facilities. The decision was arrived at in consultation with Kalyanji Jana, founder and
chairman of Dadasaheb Phalke Icon Award Films Organisation (DPIAF).

BN Tiwari

FWICE President BN Tiwari says, "We wanted to have a statue of the legendary filmmaker. He was the pride of our state, so all cinema lovers should get together to help to construct the statue, and pay their respect. For the inauguration, we will approach everybody, including our respected CM, Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji." On his list of attendees are actors including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan, and top producers like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar. "They receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award from the President in Delhi, so they should turn up here as well. People do things for commercial reasons, but they should also pay their respects to the man behind their fame and recognition. He also earned recognition for Indian cinema from the world. Nobody should have a problem with a statue being made in his honour."

In addition to the making of the statue, 10,000 one-BHK flats for the needy are being built at Shelu (Maharashtra) as part of the Dadasaheb Phalke Housing Society. "FWICE, along with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, is building them for those workers who have no homes in Mumbai. A hospital and school will [also be constructed] soon."

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