Anant Nag is an Indian actor and occasional film producer who appears as an actor in predominantly in Kannada films and a few Hindi and Telugu films. In a career spanning over 5 decades, he has appeared in over 270 films. After having had a successful theatre career, he made his debut in P. V. Nanjaraja Urs' Kannada film Sankalpa, and Shyam Benegal's Dakhani film Ankur, with the former seeing theatrical release first, in 1973,[1] and won multiple awards at the 1972–73 Karnataka State Film Awards. In G. V. Iyer's 1975 film Hamsageethe, he played the role of Bhairavi Venkatasubbiah, a performance that won critical praise, and the film was awarded the Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 23rd National Film Awards.[2]
Nag went on to appear as a parallel lead alongside leading actors during the time such as Ambareesh and Rajinikanth in the second half of the 1970s. The year 1980 saw the first collaboration of his with his brother Shankar Nag, who appeared as a parallel lead and the director of Minchina Ota. The former's performance won him his first Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor. They further worked together in the latter's directorial films Janma Janmada Anubandha (1980), Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige (1985) and Accident (1985). The brothers worked together for the last time in Shankar's 1987 directorial hugely popular television series Malgudi Days, based on a collection of short stories of the same name by R. K. Narayan, in 1987 that aired on Doordarshan.[3] Nag also became known for his collaboration with Benegal following Ankur in films such as Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Kondura (1978) and Kalyug (1981). The lead pair of Nag and actress Lakshmi became widely popular in the 1970s and 1980s after they appeared in popular films such as Chandanada Gombe (1979), Naa Ninna Bidalaare (1979) and Makkaliralavva Mane Thumba (1984) among many others.[4] His performances in Hosa Neeru (1986), Avasthe (1987) and Gangavva Gangamayi (1994) won him three more Best Actor awards at the Karnataka State Film Awards. The decade of 1990s saw him appearing in comic roles and established this image of his with films such as Ganeshana Maduve (1990), Golmaal Radhakrishna (1990), Gauri Ganesha (1991). His second stint in television came in the 2002 Kannada soap opera Garva.[5] He went on to appear in Preeti Illada Mele (2006), Chitte Hejje (2013), Nithyotsava (2013) and Lottery (2013).[6][7]
In the second half of 1990s, Nag began appearing predominantly in supporting roles and this continued till K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018). The period saw him win multiple nominations and awards at various film awards including the Filmfare Awards South. In recognition of his contribution towards Kannada cinema, the Government of Karnataka honoured with the Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award in 2013.[8]
Kannada films
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Sankalpa | Dr. Raju | ||
| 1975 | Devara Kannu | Dr. Anand | ||
| Hamsageethe | Bhairavi Venkatasubbiah | [9] | ||
| 1976 | Bayalu Daari | Gopi | ||
| 1977 | Kanneshwara Rama | Rama | ||
| Anuroopa | Shankar | |||
| 1978 | Kudure Mukha | Mohan | ||
| Maathu Tappada Maga | Kumar | |||
| Sandharbha | Cameo | |||
| Premayana | Mohan | |||
| Madhura Sangama | Dr. Prasanna | |||
| 1979 | Naa Ninna Bidalaare | Krishna | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada | |
| Chandanada Gombe | Seetharamu | |||
| Mutthu Ondu Mutthu | Dr. Madhukar | |||
| 1980 | Minchina Ota | Tony D'Souza | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor | |
| Dhairya Lakshmi | Ramesh | |||
| Ondu Hennu Aaru Kannu | Ajay | |||
| Narada Vijaya | Narada/Vijay | Dual roles | ||
| Janma Janmada Anubandha | Avinash/Girish Achari | Also co-producer, screenwriter | ||
| Prema Jwala | Vishwa | |||
| 1981 | Anupama | Ananth | ||
| Mareyada Haadu | ||||
| Jeevakke Jeeva | Sagar | |||
| Shreeman | Raghu | |||
| 1982 | Andada Aramane | |||
| Baadada Hoo | Prasad | |||
| Mullina Gulabi | Mohan | |||
| Bara | Sathish Chandra | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada | ||
| Nanna Devaru | Gopal | |||
| Hasyaratna Ramakrishna | Tenali Ramakrishna | |||
| Betthale Seve | Dr. Paravappa | |||
| 1983 | Simhasana | Arun | ||
| Anveshane | Shyam | |||
| Benkiya Bale | Narasimha Murthy | |||
| Gayathri Maduve | Ravi / Prakash | Dual role | ||
| Hosa Theerpu | Gopal Rao | Cameo appearance | ||
| Kaamana Billu | Chandra | |||
| Bhakta Prahlada | Narada | Special appearance | ||
| Phaniyamma | Cameo appearance | |||
| Ibbani Karagithu | Varun | |||
| Mududida Tavare Aralithu | Chandrashekhar | |||
| Chalisida Sagara | ||||
| Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige | Mysore Matha's brother | Cameo | ||
| Makkale Devaru | Anand | |||
| 1984 | Sukha Samsarakke Hanneradu Sootragalu | Kumar | ||
| Premave Balina Belaku | Madhava | |||
| Prema Sakshi | ||||
| Ramapurada Ravana | Hanumanth Rao | |||
| Olave Baduku | Also producer | |||
| Olavu Moodidaga | ||||
| Makkaliralavva Mane Thumba | Rajashekhar | Also producer | ||
| 1985 | Accident | Dharmadhikari | ||
| Bidugadeya Bedi | Shantaram | |||
| Parameshi Prema Prasanga | ||||
| Shwetha Gulabi | ||||
| Haavu Eni Aata | ||||
| Sedina Hakki | Shankar | |||
| Shabdagalu | ||||
| Hendthi Beku Hendthi | ||||
| 1986 | Hosa Neeru | Krishnaprasad | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor | |
| Nenapina Doni | ||||
| Prema Jala | ||||
| Aruna Raaga | ||||
| Maneye Manthralaya | Ramu | |||
| 1987 | Thayi | |||
| Huli Hebbuli | Lawyer Sriram | Cameo appearance | ||
| Agni Parva | Cameo appearance | |||
| Avasthe | Krishnappa Gowda | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor | ||
| Kurukshetra | Surya | |||
| Athiratha Maharatha | Chief Minister Vijaypratap | |||
| Daiva Shakti | ||||
| 1988 | Brahma Vishnu Maheshwara | Inspector Mahesh | ||
| Ranadheera | Inspector Anand | |||
| Shanthi Nivasa | ||||
| Varna Chakra | ||||
| Sri Venkateshwara Mahime | ||||
| Balondu Bhavageethe | ||||
| Mutthaide | ||||
| 1989 | Amaanusha | |||
| Hendthighelbedi | Anand | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada | ||
| Idu Saadhya | Khyata / Karthik Kamplapur | |||
| Gagana | Raju | |||
| 1990 | Golmaal Radhakrishna | Gopalakrishna | ||
| Ramarajyadalli Rakshasaru | Surya | |||
| Swarna Samsara | ||||
| Challenge Gopalakrishna | Gopalakrishna | |||
| Udbhava | Raghavendra "Raghanna" Rao | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada | ||
| Abhimanyu | G. K. S Master | |||
| Mathe Haditu Kogile | Prasan Kumar | |||
| Anantha Prema | Ananth | |||
| Ganeshana Maduve | Ganesha | |||
| Ivalentha Hendthi | ||||
| 1991 | Maneli Ili Beedili Huli | |||
| Golmaal Part 2 | Gopalakrishna | |||
| Roll Call Ramakrishna | Ramakrishna | |||
| Gowri Ganesha | Lambodara | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada | ||
| Hosa Mane Aliya | ||||
| Shanti Kranti | Daddy | |||
| Nagini | ||||
| 1992 | Undu Hoda Kondu Hoda | Krishna | ||
| Vajrayudha | ||||
| Ondu Cinema Kathe | Shyamsundar Kulkarni | |||
| Shakti Yukti | ||||
| Marana Mrudanga | ||||
| Jhenkaara | ||||
| Ganesha Subramanya | Ganesha | |||
| 1993 | Rajakeeya | Lawyer Siddartha | ||
| Aathanka | Raghu | |||
| Mangalya Bandhana | ||||
| Kadambari | ||||
| Nishkarsha | Subhash, Police Commissioner | |||
| 1994 | Thooguve Krishnana | Babu | ||
| Yarigu Helbedi | Govinda | |||
| Gangavva Gangamayi | Raaghappa | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor | ||
| 1995 | Beladingala Baale | Revanth | ||
| Nilukada Nakshatra | Raja | |||
| 1996 | Samayakkondu Sullu | Krishna | ||
| Thaali Pooje | Jagadish | |||
| Nirbandha | Chief Minister of Karnataka | |||
| Jeevanadhi | ||||
| Anuraga Spandana | Raghuram | |||
| 1997 | Ganesha I Love U | Ganesha | ||
| 1999 | Vishwa | Vijay | ||
| Naanenu Madlilla | Ramachandra | |||
| 2000 | Preethse | Vijay | ||
| Tiger Padmini | ||||
| Krishna Leele | ||||
| Chamundi | ||||
| Yaarige Saluthe Sambala | Venkatagiri | |||
| Nan Hendthi Chennagidale | ||||
| Swalpa Adjust Madkolli | Vasudeva Rao | |||
| Andhra Hendthi | ||||
| 2001 | Mathadana | Ramalinge Gowda | ||
| Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu | Special Investigation Officer | |||
| Asura | Birla Bose | |||
| Aunty Preethse | ||||
| Chitra | Ramu's father | |||
| Amma | ||||
| Neela | Shivajja | |||
| Chitte | ||||
| Hello Narada | ||||
| 2002 | Bhootayyana Makkalu | |||
| Manase O Manase | ||||
| Manasella Neene | Editor-in-chief of magazine | |||
| Naanu Naane | ||||
| Hollywood | Scientist K. D. Das | |||
| 2003 | Ananda | |||
| Bangalore Bandh | Chief Minister of Karnataka | |||
| Lankesh Patrike | Lankesh | |||
| Preethi Prema Pranaya | Dr. Chandrashekar | [10] | ||
| Khushi | Rajendra Prasad | |||
| Chigurida Kanasu | B. Sundar Rao | |||
| Mouni | Appanna Bhatta | |||
| 2004 | Sagari | Prof. Ramachandra | ||
| Mellusire Savigana | ||||
| Bidalaare | Cameo | |||
| Pakkadamane Hudugi | Chakravarthy | |||
| Santhosha | ||||
| 2005 | Encounter Dayanayak | Prakash Hegde | ||
| Nenapirali | Ekanth's father | |||
| Vishnu Sena | Chief Minister of Karnataka | |||
| 2006 | Shree | |||
| Uppi Dada M.B.B.S. | Dr. Ashok Kashyap | |||
| Neenello Naanalle | Santosh's father | |||
| Ravi Shastri | Narayana Dixit | |||
| Kallarali Hoovagi | Basavadeva "Basayya" | |||
| Mungaru Male | Colonel Subbayya | |||
| 2007 | Sajni | Ananth Murthy | ||
| Nali Naliyutha | Srinivasa | |||
| Ninade Nenapu | ||||
| Snehanjali | ||||
| Ganesha | Rao Bahadur Shivaraj Patil | |||
| Ee Bandhana | Narayana Ullagaddi | |||
| 2008 | Gaalipata | Kodandaram | ||
| Honganasu | ||||
| Yuga Yugagale Saagali | Sashi's father | |||
| Aramane | Rajashekhar Aras | Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada | ||
| Super Jodi | ||||
| Neene Neene | Rajasekhar | |||
| Taj Mahal | Narayan Murthy | Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada | ||
| Arjun | Jayasimharaja | |||
| Ganesha Matte Bandha | Padmanabhacharya | |||
| Ganga Kaveri | Arjun's father | |||
| 2009 | Namyajamanru | Retd. Col. Hoovayya | ||
| Baaji | ||||
| Ghauttham | ||||
| Chellidaru Sampigeya | ||||
| Eshtu Naguthi Nagu | ||||
| Cheluvina Chilipili | ||||
| Huchchi | ||||
| Mr. Garagasa | Parthasarthy | |||
| 2010 | Crazy Kutumba | Mallanagowda Patil | ||
| Premism | ||||
| Mr. Theertha | Narayana Shastri | |||
| Eradane Maduve | Vishwanath | |||
| Olave Vismaya | ||||
| Preethi Hangama | Raj's father | |||
| Pancharangi | A wanderer | |||
| Rame Gowda vs Krishna Reddy | Subbanna | |||
| 2011 | Kalgejje | |||
| Take It Easy | ||||
| Mathond Madhuvena | Vishwanath | |||
| Bhramara | ||||
| Paramathma | Jayanth | |||
| Naanalla | Subash Chandra Prasad | |||
| Bete | ||||
| Dhan Dhana Dhan | ||||
| 2012 | Prarthane | |||
| Jeevana Jokealli | ||||
| Dev Son of Mudde Gowda | Mudde Gowda | |||
| Dashamukha | Venkataraman | |||
| Breaking News | Somashekhar | |||
| 2013 | Myna | Cameo appearance | ||
| Kaddipudi | Sathya Murthy | |||
| Googly | Sharath's father | |||
| Sakkare | Col Cariappa | |||
| Shravani Subramanya | Seetharam | |||
| 2014 | Brahma | Narayana Murthy | ||
| Manada Mareyalli | Bhujanga Shetty | |||
| Athi Aparoopa | Vishwanath | |||
| Gajakesari | Matadhipathi | |||
| Jai Bajarang Bali | ||||
| 2015 | Vaastu Prakaara | Anantha Krishna | ||
| Mrugashira | ||||
| Aatagara | Retired judge | Cameo appearance Nominated, IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role — Male |
||
| Mr. Airavata | Vitta Gowda | |||
| Plus | Jai | |||
| First Rank Raju | Professor | |||
| The Plan | [11] | |||
| Prema Pallakki | ||||
| 2016 | Maduveya Mamatheya Kareyole | Krishne Gowda | Nominated, IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role — Male | |
| Parapancha | Naalkane | Also playback singer of "Kavanagalu" (11 shayaris)[12] | ||
| U the End A | ||||
| ...Re | ||||
| Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu | Venkob Rao | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role — Male |
||
| Jaggu Dada | Satyanarayan | |||
| Santheyalli Nintha Kabira | Kabir's Guru | Cameo appearance | ||
| Crazy Boy | Cameo appearance | |||
| Santhu Straight Forward | Ananya's grandfather | [13] | ||
| 2017 | Raajakumara | Vishwa Joshi | [14] | |
| March 22 | Geologist | [15] | ||
| Mugulu Nage | Doctor | [16] | ||
| Gowdru Hotel | [17] | |||
| 2018 | Hottegagi Genu Battegagi | Shyam Prasad | [18] | |
| Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai | Anantha Padmanabha P. | Nominated—SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) – Kannada | [19] | |
| K.G.F: Chapter 1 | Anand Ingalagi | Also narrator | [20] | |
| 2019 | Aduva Gombe | Kishan | ||
| Kavalu Daari | Muthanna | |||
| Yaana | [21] | |||
| Ayushman Bhava | Gopi | |||
| Weekend | [22] | |||
| 2020 | India vs England | Bhagiratha | [23] | |
| 2021 | Drishya 2 | Vijay Shankar | [24] | |
| 2022 | Gaalipata 2 | Kishore | [25] | |
| Thimayya & Thimayya | Thimayya | [26] | ||
| Vijayanand | B. G. Sankeshwar | [27] | ||
| Made in Bengaluru | Prahlad Hiranandani | [28] | ||
| 2023 | Mandala: The UFO Incident† | Murthy | Completed | [29] |
Other language films
edit| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Ankur | Surya | Hindi | [30] | |
| 1975 | Nishant | Anjaiya | [31] | ||
| 1976 | Manthan | Chandavarkar | |||
| 1977 | Prema Lekhalu | Madan | Telugu | ||
| 1978 | Bhumika: The Role | Rajan | Hindi | ||
| Kondura Anugraham |
Parashuram Rao | Hindi Telugu |
|||
| 1980 | Gehrayee | Nandu | Hindi | ||
| 1981 | Mangalsutra | Vijay | |||
| Kalyug | Bharat Raj | ||||
| 1983 | Sookha | Satish Chandra | |||
| 1987 | Swathi Thirunal | Swathi Thirunal | Malayalam | ||
| 1991 | Shanti Kranti | Daddy | Telugu | ||
| Nattukku Oru Nallavan | Daddy | Tamil | |||
| Shanti Kranti | Daddy | Hindi | |||
| 1992 | Raat / Raatri | Psychiatrist | Hindi / Telugu | ||
| 2001 | Maya | Arun | Hindi | ||
| 2003 | Anahat | King of Shravasthi | Marathi | ||
| Stumble | Anand Rao | English | |||
| 2004 | Sankharavam | Chandra Rayudu | Telugu | ||
| Yuva | Avinash Balachandran | Hindi | |||
| 2005 | Balu | Baba | Telugu | ||
| 2020 | Bheeshma | Bheeshma |
Television
edit| Year | Show | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Malgudi Days (Hindi) | Jagan (in Vendor of Sweets) | [32] |
| 1997 | Swarajnama | Tipu Sultan | [33] |
| 2002 | Garva | [6] | |
| 2006–2008 | Preeti Illada Mele | Rajashekhara Hampapura | [6] |
| 2013 | Chitte Hejje | [6] | |
| 2013 | Lottery | [6] | |
| 2013 | Nithyotsava | [34] |
References
edit- ^ "History 56 - Anant Nag Enters Films". chitraloka.com. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "23rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "The return of Malgudi Days". rediff.com. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ Taniya, Talukdar. "Anant Nag and Lakshmi back together". The Times of India. No. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Anant Nag is back where he belongs". The Times of India. 4 September 2001. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Khajane, Muralidhara. "Anant Nag returns to small screen". The Hindu. No. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ Boruah, Maitreyee. "Anant Nag gets busy with TV soaps". The Times of India. No. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Karnataka State Film Awards 2010-11 winners". The Times of India. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ Ganesh, Deepa (22 March 2017). "Riding on pyrotechnics". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ "Ananth in PREETHI PREMA PRANAYA". indiainfo.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2003. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "From Minchina Ota to The Plan". Deccan Chronicle. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Anath Nag sings shayaris in 'Parapancha'". Sify.com. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ Nathan, Archana (29 October 2016). "Far from straightforward". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (13 March 2017). "The film is not about Appaji". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ "Anant Nag on his career spanning 50 years". Gulf News. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "Women hold forte". The Hindu. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "I took up Gowdru Hotel because the story was very similar to my own life: Rachan Chandra". The Times of India. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "Anant Nag: Silver lining of Hottegagi Genu Battegagi". The New Indian Express. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "'Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale Kasargodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai' is ready to hit the silver screen". The Times of India. 13 August 2018. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Leading distributors bag Tamil, Telugu rights to KGF". The New Indian Express. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "It took nine months of coordination to get Ananth Nag and Suhasini together: Vijayalakshmi Singh". The Times of India. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "Watch Weekend | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "'India vs England' review: Nagathihalli's formulaic romantic thriller fails to impress". The News Minute. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Team 'Drishya 2' successfully wraps up shoot". The Times of India. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Kannada industry has looked after me very well: Anant Nag". The New Indian Express. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Diganth, Anant Nag team up for Thimayya & Thimayya". Cinema Express. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "Rishika Sharma-Shri Anant Nag's Vijayanand". The South First. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Made in Bengaluru review: A delightful ode to the garden city and its startup culture". The News Minute. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Anant Nag's cop portrayal leaves 'Kavalu Daari' set speechless". The New Indian Express. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ Salam, Ziya Us (22 September 2012). "Ankur (1974)". The Hindu. thehindu.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ "Nishant (1975)". filmigeek.net. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Over to the POLITICIAN". The Hindu. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 10 January 2018.[dead link]
- ^ "Girish Karnad ropes in Anant Nag and Waheeda Rahman for tele-serial Swaraj Nama". India Today. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Ananth Nag returns to TV for Nagathihalli Chandrashekar". The Times of India. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2018.