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Kannada acting legend Anant Nag will be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award later this month, the government announced on September 16. The award marks the highest recognition in Indian cinema.
The actor, who is known for his rich oeuvre of 250 films, including the iconic Shankar Nag directorial Minchina Ota (1980) and Shyam Benegal's Ankur (1974) and Manthan (1976), is 78. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the actor on the feat.
"Congratulations to the renowned actor Anant Nag, honored with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Over the past several decades, his natural acting, remarkable versatility, and exceptional artistic talent have left an indelible mark on Indian cinema, particularly in the Kannada film industry. In every role he has portrayed, he has infused unparalleled performance and vitality. This is truly a well-deserved honor for a great artist," he wrote on X.
Nag made his feature-film debut with Prof. P.V. Nanjaraj Urs’ Sankalpa (1973), which went on to win seven Karnataka State Film Awards. He subsequently ventured into parallel cinema with Shyam Benegal’s Ankur (1974). His relationship with Benegal spawned six films: Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika(1978), Kondura (1978) and Kalyug (1981).
A prolific theatre artiste, he began his career with Kannada and Konkani plays in Mumbai and has gone on to work in the plays of Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad and Amol Palekar.
Nag appeared in thirteen episodes of the television series, Malgudi Days, an adaptation of R. K. Narayan's literature, directed by his younger brother Shankar. His collaboration with his brother Shankar started with Kannada film Minchina Ota and went on to include titles such as Janma Janmada Anubandha (1980), Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige (1985) and Accident (1985).
Some of the actor's more recent work include Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016), where he played a middle-aged man battling Alzheimer's, Rishab Shetty's Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shale, Kasaragodu (2018), and Yash's KGF films.
In an interview with NDTV following the news of the honour, the actor spoke about whether the award has been overdue. "Whether it was overdue or not... it is for them to decide. The award has come, so if I have to say something, I'll say: it has come, thank you very much. I don't want to get into this debate about whether it should have come or when it should have come... I can't decide on that," he said.
The actor also reminisced about his collaboration with Benegal. "The maximum number of films I have done in Hindi is with Shyam Benegal... I've done six films with him, and all are negative characters. All are negative characters, and that was applauded... by the public, that is the greatest thing," he told the publication.