Well, the first director to begin this trend was none other than Dadasaheb Phalke, an Indian producer, director and screenwriter, widely regarded as "The Father of Indian cinema." For his first film, Dadasaheb Phalke encountered a very challenging time to find a suitable child artist, following which he arrived at a unique decision. Who was Bollywood's first child artist? Bollywood's first child artist was none other than Dadasaheb Phalke's elder son Bhalchandra Phalke himself. When Phalke was casting for his debut film Raja Harishchandra (1913), he was unable to find a single child artist that could fit the role.

Source: News 24 February 24, 2026 13:56 UTC