‘PM Modi Changed It’: Anant Nag on Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection
Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag, who has been selected for the 2024 Dadasaheb Phalke Award, has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with changing the way awards are selected, saying the earlier system was influenced by "nepotism" and "favouritism".
Nag expressed his gratitude to Modi for announcing the honour and said he would dedicate the award to the people of Karnataka. The award will be presented at the National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22.
"Otherwise, it was a very special category, you know; it was given (through) nepotism and favouritism, and everything was there in this award-giving. But Modi changed it," Nag told PTI Videos.
The veteran actor said Modi had invited people to recommend names for the Padma Awards, which led people from Karnataka to suggest his name.
“Modi was the only person who asked people to please recommend the name they had in their mind. That was the first time he brought it out into the public,” he said.
Nag said the Dadasaheb Phalke Award came as a surprise and that he was still processing the recognition.
“Well, I didn’t anticipate that I would be given this Phalke Award, as such. So, I’m trying to come to terms with it. I would dedicate it to the people of Karnataka, and then thank Mr Modi, our dear Prime Minister, for this—because he tweeted it and announced this particular award. So I’m grateful to him, and grateful to this country which has provided me this opportunity,” Nag said, referring to Modi’s post on X where the Prime Minister described him as “a truly distinguished artist”.
‘I’ve Never Been in That Culture of Expecting an Award’
Having completed five decades in the film industry, Nag said he had never worked with the expectation of receiving awards, although he appreciated the appreciation and affection of audiences.
“I’ve never been in that culture of expecting an award. Reward, yes, anytime. But an award, I was not told,” he said.
The actor also said he does not have formal fan associations but acknowledged the people who have supported and admired his work over the years.
“I wouldn’t say they are my fans, because I don’t have fan associations and all. But I have people who admire my work and who have blessed me, supported me in my 50-year career as an actor,” he said.
Anant Nag’s Advice to Young Actors
Asked what advice he would offer youngsters seeking a career in cinema, Nag stressed the importance of hard work and connecting with audiences.
“They have to work hard, yes. If you want to be successful in cinema, in entertainment, you have to work very hard and then please the audience,” he said.
Nag also revealed that he was hesitant about travelling and had not yet made a final decision about attending the award ceremony.
“If I’m asked to, then I cannot say no. When they’ve conferred such a big award on me, then I should go to it and take it,” he said.
‘Craze for Cinema’ Across India
Nag said the award also offered an opportunity to celebrate India's diverse film industries and the popularity of cinema across different languages.
“This country has so many languages, and so many films are made in. And everybody—the other day I was reading a newspaper, it just said that people from abroad, they come and—the kind of craze for cinema which is there in India, in all languages, in all states, is not there anywhere else in the world, not even in Hollywood,” he said.
Anant Nag’s Five-Decade Film Career
Nag has appeared in more than 270 films, primarily in Kannada along with several Hindi productions, during his five-decade career. He is also an established theatre personality.
Born and raised in a religious family in Bhatkal, coastal Karnataka, Nag moved to Mumbai for higher education. His early engagement with literature and storytelling sparked his interest in the arts, and he eventually became involved with Mumbai’s theatre movement.
He spent around five years performing in Konkani, Hindi and Marathi theatre and worked under the influence of prominent theatre personalities including Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad and Amol Palekar.
Nag made his film debut with the 1973 Kannada movie Sankalpa and subsequently became associated with India’s parallel cinema movement during the 1970s and 1980s.
He was also part of the popular Doordarshan television series Malgudi Days, based on the works of R K Narayan and directed by his filmmaker brother Shankar Nag.
Apart from acting, Nag served as Bengaluru Development Minister in the Karnataka government headed by J H Patel. He has also spoken about his association with the JP movement during its peak. In 2004, he contested the Chamarajpet Assembly constituency in Bengaluru on a Janata Dal (Secular) ticket but was unsuccessful.
Among his notable Kannada films are Bayalu Daari, Na Ninna Bidalaare, Gauri Ganesha, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu and KGF Chapter-1.
His Hindi parallel cinema credits include Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika, Kondura, Kalyug and Gehrayee.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
The previous recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The announcement of the award for 2024 is part of the delayed schedule of the National Film Awards.
Established in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recognises contributions to Indian cinema and is named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, widely regarded as the father of Indian cinema. Phalke directed Raja Harishchandra, India's first full-length feature film, in 1913. ALSO READ: ‘Felt Like a Latrine...’: Sidharth Malhotra’s Old Bhojpuri Comment Resurfaces During The Vvan Promotions
