Anant Nag

Biography:

Anant Nagarkatte, born on September 4, 1948, is an Indian actor known mainly for his work in Kannada cinema. He has appeared in over 300 films, with more than 200 of them being in Kannada, along with roles in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, and English films. Additionally, he has been involved in theatre, parallel cinema, and television shows.

Anant Nag made his debut in feature films with “Sankalpa” in 1973, directed by Prof. P.V Nanjaraj Urs, which won several awards in Karnataka. He entered parallel cinema with Shyam Benegal’s “Ankur” in 1974. Some of his commercially successful Kannada films include “Bayalu 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), and “Gaalipata 2” (2022).

He also appeared in the television series “Malgudi Days,” based on R. K. Narayan’s stories, aired on Doordarshan. Anant Nag has received six Filmfare Awards South and five Karnataka State Film Awards. He is the elder brother of renowned director and actor Shankar Nag.

Anant Nag was born into a Konkani-speaking family in Shirali, Bhatkal taluk, Karnataka. He spent his childhood in various parts of Karnataka and completed his early schooling in different schools across the state. He later moved to Mumbai for further studies but was drawn towards theatre and began acting in Konkani, Kannada, Marathi, and Hindi plays.

In his theatre career, Anant Nag worked in plays by notable playwrights like Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad, and Amol Palekar. He continued acting in plays for about five years before transitioning to films.