72nd National Film Awards: Anant Nag Gets A Standing Ovation On Dadasaheb Phalke Recognition

Legendary actor Anant Nag was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award by President Droupadi Murmu at the 72nd National Awards ceremony at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on Tuesday (September 22).

After working for over five decades in the cinema industry, the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Committee chose the veteran star as the recipient of the award for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Anant Nag receives a standing ovation

Nag, 78, was elated to receive the award from President Murmu. The actor received a standing ovation from the attendees as he accepted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Before he was presented with the prestigious award, a short film on the legendary actor was played, in which a few clips of his films were shown.

The actor wore a checkered shirt and a pair of denim pants for the event.

Calls Dadasaheb Phalke Award a "great honour"

Addressing the crowd, he said, "It's a great honour to be here with you and I'm trying to digest the majesty of this function. I have not attended many such gatherings, but I'm very happy to be with you all today. As an actor, you have seen me perform, and you have seen some of the snippets. I grew up in an ashram and a mutt in my childhood, up to the age of 12. Thereafter, I was sent to Mumbai, where I got a chance to act in a play, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the same poet of Bengal, and that's how my career started."

He added, "In about five years, I acted in around 50 plays, which became my training ground for acting. Thereafter, I was called to play some roles in cinema - first in Kannada, then in Hindi with Shyam Benegal, M.S. Satyu and many others. Although I did act in several Hindi films, the atmosphere for new wave films, art films and commercial films was different. My opportunities in Karnataka were great, so I said, let me go to Bangalore and settle down there, which became my Karma Bhumi."

Anant Nag's career and legacy

Nag started his career in theatre and moved into the parallel cinema of the 1970s, becoming one of the most familiar faces in Kannada films. He worked with filmmakers including Shyam Benegal, Girish Karnad and his younger brother Shankar Nag. He was also popular on television through Malgudi Days.

Before entering films, he performed in more than 50 plays across different languages.

He made his Kannada film debut with Sankalp (1972) and the same year, he starred in Shyam Benegal's Ankur (1974), his debut in Hindi cinema. Benegal later cast him in Nishant and Manthan.

He worked in several Kannada films such as Bayalu Daari, Kanneshwara Rama, Naa Ninna Bidalaare, Chandanada Gombe and Benkiya Bale.