Anant Nag, who was conferred with the Padma Bhushan a month in the past, devoted the long-delayed recognition to the folks of Karnataka. The veteran actor feels the honour outcomes of three to 4 years of relentless assist from his admirers, who embrace cinephiles of all generations.
“In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the idea of ‘People’s Padma‘. He urged the people of India to participate in the nomination process for the awards. Kannadigas and members from the film industry rallied behind me. I am grateful to them,” he says. Rishab Shetty, Puneeth Rajkumar, Yash, Rakshit Shetty, and Hemanth M Rao were some prominent Sandalwood artists who drove the online campaign ‘Padma for Anant Nag’.
The Padma Bhushan is probably the largest milestone in the chequered profession of Anant Nag, who “never set out to be an actor.” A stable stint in theatre in Mumbai and a profitable collaboration with Shyam Benegal set a powerful basis for his appearing journey.
Even as Amitabh Bachchan’s Angry Young Man character fired folks’s creativeness in a number of blockbuster movies, director Benegal pioneered a brand new wave in Hindi cinema in the Seventies. Anant Nag starred in 5 consecutive Benegal films (Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, and Kondura).
“Every language was witnessing a parallel cinema movement. Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak were championing the new wave in Bengali cinema. Malayalam witnessed works of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and Kannada had films such as Samskara (1970), Vamsha Vriksha (1971), and Sankalpa (1972), my debut. Though his roots were in Karnataka and he was born and brought up in Hyderabad, Shyam was sure that he would make his films in Hindi,” he says of the acclaimed filmmaker, who handed away at 90 on December 23, 2024.
Known for his pure performances, Anant Nag has at all times harassed that “acting is behaving.” Did portraying intriguing characters in parallel movies early in his profession affect his appearing model? “I labored with the famous theatre director Satyadev Dubey in Mumbai. He would say, ‘Do it your means‘,“ he recollects.
From artwork home tasks to mainstream films, actor Anant Nag has had a flexible journey in the movie trade.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN
“Many actors in Hindi commercial films would deliver exaggerated performances. When I saw some English films, especially historical ones such as Ben-Hur (1959) and Becket (1964), and the works of of Marlon Brando, I saw natural acting and was impressed by that,” he says.
Early in his profession, Anant Nag discovered it laborious to persuade filmmakers about his model. “In Kannada, filmmakers called my style ‘Bengali style of acting’. During the shoot, they would tell me they couldn’t see my performance. It was like a slap on my face. I would ask them to take out a rush print and check once. If they were not satisfied with my effort, I was ready to step aside from the films. I was not ready to compromise and overdo,” he explains.
Anant Nag and his youthful brother Shankar Nag shaped an amazing partnership in Kannada cinema. Until Shankar Nag’s sudden demise in a automotive crash in 1990, the Nag brothers made many content-oriented films, together with Minchina Ota (1981) and Accident (1984). Both movies have been directed by Shankar and produced by the Nag brothers.
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Even if critics cherished Minchina Ota, the social thriller didn’t fare properly at the field workplace. “I predicted the movie’s fate, so we kept a low budget. The film won seven awards. However, some people brought a stay order to the awards for some reason. It showed that they lacked a sporting spirit. We didn’t make that movie for awards. We wanted commercial success. It ran to packed houses in the first four days and then fizzled out,” says Anant Nag.
The actor detests the time period ‘forward of its time‘, usually used to pinpoint the cause behind the dismal efficiency of the two films. “Accident, like Minchina Ota, got many awards but didn’t make great money. Of course, I can’t completely blame the audience. People were used to seeing a hero-heroine track, comedy, dance, and songs. Accident was a unique thriller. People take time to accept something new. However, some dismissed the film, saying it was “ahead of its time.” Many who mentioned that hadn’t even seen the film.”
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It didn’t take lengthy for Anant Nag to realise that massive cash lay in industrial cinema. He easily transitioned to mainstream films from arthouse movies, holding on to his subtlety on display. After a long time of being a reliable lead actor in comedy (Ganesha collection), relationships (Bayalu Dari, Chandanada Gombe), and household dramas (Beladingala Bale), Anant Nag started experimenting as a personality artiste. The movies of Yogaraj Bhat in the late 2000s (Mungaru Male, Gaalipata, and Pancharangi) firmly established him as a stable supporting actor.
“Yogaraj Bhat would submit his scripts, and they had great scope for me to perform. He always had something to convey to the audience.”
Anant Nag is a favorite of new-generation Kannada filmmakers reminiscent of Hemanth M Rao and Rishab Shetty. While Hemanth provided him advanced roles in Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016) and Kavaludaari (2019), Rishab used his appearing prowess in Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale (2018).
“These filmmakers helped me break monotony. Hemanth doesn’t have a theatre background, but he is a thinker. He has watched many Western films. He has sharp and rooted stories. Rishab is from theatre, and he hails from coastal Karnataka. His approach to cinema is influenced by Bayalata (folk dance) and Yakshagana, which he witnessed regularly in childhood,” he describes.
As he yearns for extra meaty roles, the 76-year-old needs to see one change in the Kannada trade. “I wish there were more quality screenwriters in the industry. We also need more gifted playwrights,” he says.
Published – March 03, 2025 06:09 pm IST
