The cinema of India consists of films produced across India. Cinema as a medium has gained immense popularity in the country and as many as 1,600 films in various languages of India are produced annually. Indian films have also come to be followed throughout South Asia, the Greater Middle East, Southeast Asia and other countries. Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the father of Indian cinema. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for lifetime contribution to cinema, was instituted in his honour, by the Government of India in 1969, and is the most prestigious and coveted award in Indian cinema.