New Delhi: Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema and an illustrious cinematic journey that has inspired generations. The award will be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat, on 22 September 2026.
Born in 1948, Nag began his acting career with Kannada and Konkani plays in Mumbai. He went on to work in plays by Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad and Amol Palekar. After his years in Mumbai theatre, he made his film debut with Sankalpa in 1973.
He subsequently became an important figure in Shyam Benegal’s parallel cinema, starring in films including Ankur(1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika (1977), Kondura (1978) and Kalyug (1981).
The 78-year-old actor became familiar to audiences in the Hindi heartland through Malgudi Days, directed by his younger brother, Shankar Nag. Anant appeared in 13 episodes of the series. Years later, when the series was dubbed in Kannada, he recalled that he had encouraged his brother to take up the project.
Anant Nag said Shankar had taken on a major challenge when he agreed to direct Malgudi Days. Speaking in 2020, when the series was dubbed in Kannada, he said people would understand its relevance and value when they watched it in their own language.
“Those days, there was only Doordarshan and the terms weren’t financially attractive, but I asked Shankar to take it up because he could showcase his directorial skills. This was a huge opportunity from the south. He told me that he would go ahead only if I agreed to be an active participant in the process. I gladly stepped in,” Anant told Showtime.
After acting in more than 300 films—including over 250 Kannada films as well as films in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and English—Nag also entered politics. He served as an MLC and MLA before becoming Bengaluru’s Urban Development Minister in the JH Patel government from 1996 to 1999. He later unsuccessfully contested the 2004 Karnataka Assembly election from Chamarajpet on a Janata Dal (Secular) ticket.
But for Nag, acting was an easier job.
“It is very easy to act the role of a politician on screen. But only after I got into politics, I realised how difficult it is to be a politician,” he said.
The wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971 affected him deeply, prompting him to join the Jayaprakash Narayan movement. He later became an MLC and MLA and entered the state government.
He recalled that, while he was in government, Chief Minister J.H. Patel told him to stop acting as long as he remained in office.
“That was when I realised how badly I missed cinema,” he said.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)