Veteran actor Anant Nag, known for his impressive work in Hindi and Kannada cinema in classics like “Minchina Ota”, “Hamsageete”, “Ankur” and “Manthan”, will be honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2024, the government announced on Wednesday.
With a filmography of over 250 films spanning five decades in different languages, the 78-year-old actor is also a well-known name in the theater world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the veteran actor and said, “Over the decades, his effortless performances, remarkable versatility and brilliance have left a very strong mark on Indian cinema, especially Kannada cinema. Whatever role he plays, he brings a rare depth and authenticity.” In a post on X, he called the award “a well-deserved accolade for a truly outstanding artist.”
Last year, Malayalam film star Mohanlal won the award.
Nag, a renowned actor who has also entered politics and served as a minister in Karnataka, grew up in a religious family in Bhatkal in coastal Karnataka. He was sent to Mumbai for higher education. His early influences in mathematics shaped his interest in stories. While in Mumbai, Nag felt like a fish out of water, but gradually became interested in the local theater movement. Within five years, he began producing plays in Konkani, Hindi and Marathi. There he met and was influenced by people like Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad and Amol Palekar.
Nag made his film debut in 1973 with the Kannada film Sankalpa and gradually became an integral part of parallel cinema in the 1970s and 1980s. He featured in the popular Doordashan series Malgudi Days, a TV adaptation of the popular work by R.K. Narayan, directed by Nag’s brother Shankar Nag.
Dubey introduced him to Shyam Benegal and then began collaborating on six films, all of which became classics. It all started with Ankur, also Naga’s first Hindi film, followed by Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, Kondura and Kalyug. He is equally successful in Kannada commercial cinema.
The portrayal of Naga as a student of Carnatic music in the film by J.B. Iyer’s Hamsageete won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada in 1975.
The actor, a multifaceted personality who was equally adept at singing and playing the tabla, became famous for his natural performances at a time when stars actively cultivated certain mannerisms.
His top hits in Kannada include Bayalu Daari, Na Ninna Bidalore, Chandanada Gombe, Aruna Raaga, Mududida Thaavare Aralita, Breaking News and Dashamukha, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu and KGF.
Nag, who was a minister in the JH Patel government in Karnataka, spoke about the influence of the JP movement at its peak. In 2004, Nag unsuccessfully contested the Bengaluru Assembly elections from Chamarajpet constituency from the Janata Dal (secular party). Nag also introduced his brother Shankar Nag to cinema. Shankar acted in, wrote, directed and produced many of the actor’s films until his death in a car accident in 1990 at the age of 35.
Last year, Nag was awarded the Padma Bhushan.
First instituted in 1969, the award is named after Dadasaheb Phalke, who is considered the father of Indian cinema through his 1913 film Raja Harischandra.
Last year, Malayalam film star Mohanlal was the winner.
