Anant Nag | |
|---|---|
 Nag in 2025 | |
| Born | (1948-09-04)4 September 1948 (age 77) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, politician |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Political party | Janata Party |
| Spouse | |
| Family | Shankar Nag (brother) Arundathi Nag (sister-in-law) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2025) Rajyotsava Award (2007) |
Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been inKannada cinema.[1] He has acted in over 300 films which include over 250 Kannada films and few films inHindi,Telugu,Tamil,Marathi,Malayalam andEnglish languages.[2][3] He has featured intheatre plays,parallel cinema[3] andtelevision shows.[4][1][5][6]
Nag made his feature film debut throughSankalpa (1973) directed by Prof. P.V Nanjaraj Urs. Sankalpa went on to win seven state awards in Karnataka. His foray into parallel cinema was throughShyam Benegal'sAnkur (1974).[7][8] His commercially successful Kannada films have beenBayalu Daari (1976),Kanneshwara Rama (1977),Naa Ninna Bidalaare (1979),Chandanada Gombe (1979),Benkiya Bale (1983),Hendthige Helbedi (1989),Ganeshana Maduve (1990),Gowri Ganesha (1991),Mungaru Male (2006),Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016),Raajakumara (2017),Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai (2018),K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018),K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) andGaalipata 2 (2022).[3]
He acted inMalgudi Days, aDoordarshan aired[9] television series based on the stories ofR. K. Narayan. He is a recipient of sixFilmfare Awards South and fiveKarnataka State Film Awards. He is the elder brother ofdirector and actorShankar Nag.
Anant was awarded thePadma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2025 by the Government of India.[10][11]
Anant Nag was born in aKonkani-speaking family on 4 September 1948 to Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte inShirali,Bhatkal taluk,Uttara Kannada district,Karnataka, where he spent most of his childhood.[12] He has an elder sister, Shyamala and his younger brother wasShankar Nag.[13]
Nag did his early schooling in aCatholic school in Ajjarkad,Udupi, Ananda Ashrama inDakshina Kannada andChitrapur Math inUttara Kannada district of the erstwhile Mysore state (now Karnataka).[14] In class 9th standard, he was sent toMumbai for further study.[12] He attempted to join the armed services but was rejected by theArmy for being underweight and by theAir Force for poor eyesight.[15] He was drawn towards the theatre movement of Mumbai and he was selected to act in Konkani, Kannada and Marathi-language plays which he did until he turned 22.[2]
Anant Nag began his career with Kannada and Konkani plays in Mumbai. He went on to work in plays ofSatyadev Dubey,Girish Karnad andAmol Palekar.[16][17] For a period of about five years, he acted inKonkani, Kannada, Marathi and Hindi plays.[3]
Following a theatre career in Mumbai, Nag made his film debut withSankalpa, a 1973 Kannada film. He then grew to become a core part of parallel cinema, which was at its peak in the 1970s and 1980s.[3] Being introduced to directorShyam Benegal by theatre director Satyadev Dubey,[3] he starred in six of Benegal's films:Ankur (1974),Nishant (1975),Manthan (1976),Bhumika (1978),Kondura (1978) andKalyug (1981).
Nag's arrival into Kannada films was throughG. V. Iyer'sHamsageethe (1975), in which he played the role of a disciple ofcarnatic singing. The film went on to win theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada.[18]
Nag appeared in thirteen episodes of the television series,Malgudi Days, an adaptation ofR. K. Narayan'sshort stories of the same name, directed by his brother Shankar.[19]
Nag's portrayal of anAlzheimer's patient inGodhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016) has received critical acclaim and contributed to making this experimental film, a commercial success.[20][21][22] In the comedy-dramaGaalipata 2 (2022), he played Kishore, a Kannada-language professor.[23] Muralidhara Khajane ofThe Hindu felt his "fantastic portrayal as a teacher and Ganesh's sentimental turn are the hallmarks of this film".[24]
Nag marriedGayatri on 9 April 1987.[12]
Nag was an MLC, MLA and a minister in theJ. H. Patel government. He served as Bangalore Urban Development minister.[15] In2004, he unsuccessfully contested theChamarajpet constituency,Bangaloreassembly election fromJanata Dal (Secular). He was pitched against thenChief Minister of Karnataka,S. M. Krishna from theIndian National Congress and fellow actorMukhyamantri Chandru fromBharatiya Janata Party.[25] On 22 February 2023BJP, Karnataka state unit organised a programme in the presence of state presidentNalin Kumar Kateel[26][27] where Anant Nag was said to join BJP, but he didn't attend the programme and later the programme was cancelled.[28]
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| Year | Award | Outcome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Padma Bhushan | Won |
| Year | Award type | Film | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Best Actor | Minchina Ota | |
| 1985–86 | Hosa Neeru | ||
| 1987–88 | Avasthe | ||
| 1994–95 | Gangavva Gangamayi | ||
| 2011–12 | Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award | Lifetime Achievement |
| Year | Award type | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Best Actor (Telugu) | Prema Lekhalu | Nominated |
| 1979 | Best Actor (Kannada) | Naa Ninna Bidalaare | Won |
| 1982 | Bara | Won | |
| 1989 | Hendthighelbedi | Won | |
| 1990 | Udbhava | Won | |
| 1991 | Gauri Ganesha[30] | Won | |
| 2016 | Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu | Won | |
| 2008 | Best Supporting Actor (Kannada) | Tajmahal | Nominated |
| Aramane | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Vaastu Prakaara | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
